Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"The Divide" by Morgan Richter was an amazing experience.
When I read the description of this book, I had to request a copy:
"A failed actress turned grifting psychic searches for her missing doppelgänger & is plunged into a web of murder & corruption among Hollywood A-listers".
It had an interesting & unique premise, great characters & endless twists that lead to an unexpected ending.
I will definitely be on the lookout for Ms. Richter's next book.

Failed actress and fraudulent psychic Jenny St. John is pulled into a murder mystery when a detective shows up, thinking Jenny is the #1 suspect: missing artist Gena Santos. This is how Jenny finds out she has a doppelgänger - who is also stealing credit for Jenny’s work. Gena’s famous friends ask Jenny for help finding Gena, and as she investigates, she embeds herself deeper and deeper into their lives.

The premise of the story was so cool and unique, and the writing was great. I was on track to give this a solid 4 stars, until the ending really let me down. There are plot points left unresolved, which in itself could be forgiven, but for the constant insistence that certain things are NOT true (I’ll spare you the spoilers) throughout the book. There are a few explanations which would have been very plausible, if not for the specific contradictory evidence the author goes out of the way to share with us.

If you like Hollywood, and you can stand to leave things unresolved at the end of a story, this was truly a great read - I just can’t personally get past the loose ends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Jenny St John is already not sleeping well when the police come knocking on the door of her psychic studio, where she been illegally living for several months. But when they tell her that someone has identified her as looking a lot like Gena Santos, the missing ex-wife of a man who was murdered the previous night, she realizes her living situation may just be the least of her problems. The man who was murdered was Serge Grumet, the director of Jenny's only movie, made when she was new to LA, but never released. And his ex-wife, Gena, has long claimed that it was HER in that movie. .

One of Gena's friends hires her to use her (non-existent) psychic abilities to figure out if anyone in their social circle is the killer, Jenny sees a way to make a little money and maybe get noticed by all these successful and powerful people. She also gets kicked out of her studio when the landlord discovers she is living there and ends up living in the missing Gena's house with Gena's boyfriend. But when a young woman who has been Gena's protege is found murdered on the bed where Jenny is sleeping, she decides this may not be where she needs to be.

And then it gets crazy. ARE Jenny and Gena the same person? But Jenny has no memory of anything in Gena's life and her mother swears she didn't give birth to twins, so they are not sisters. But their DNA is a match. HUH?

It's a wild ride, not without a lot of danger, but it is worth the read. But it DOES call for a certain suspension of belief.

This is a story rich with intriguing contrasts between wealth and poverty, memory and facts, and more. Richter manages to make each setting and character interesting, complicated, and distinct, and I really got invested in the telling of this and how it would resolve.

Thank you, Knopf, for a captivating summer escape! “The Divide” by Morgan Richter offers plenty of strengths, but what struck me most was its moody, atmospheric tone and the richly developed characters—especially the secondary ones, who added layers of depth to the plot. I’m a sucker for Hollywood settings and stories that delve into the world of psychics and mystery, so I was immediately drawn in. Richter quickly hooked me with a plot that promised a fun, twisty journey, far beyond a typical thriller. While the pacing and resolution of some plot points occasionally wavered, the overarching themes were compelling, keeping me engaged throughout. I’m excited to see what Richter has in store next!

This one was definitely a puzzle for me! There were so many twists and turns that I couldn’t figure out where we were going.

Jenny St John starred in one movie that never really got a release. After that, she couldn’t find another acting job, and she ended up doing psychic readings in a low budget part of LA and surreptitiously living in her salon. Then the director of her only film was murdered, and that’s when things took off.

There were many suspects, and Jenny is trying to figure out who is the culprit. Serge was married to Genevieve Santos, who looks so much like Jenny that people believe they are twins. Now “Gena” is missing since the night of Serge’s murder, and the keys to this mystery seem to lie with her closest circle. Jenny worms her way into their midst to act as a detective.

This one definitely kept me guessing! I didn’t think some of the plot was resolved, especially the details of the connection between Jenny and Gena, which was the main thread of the story.

3 stars for this tale that kept me reading!

When the police show up at her home/business, this young woman's past will speed forward into her present and find her involved in a murder investigation. How she manages to solve the crime and save the day makes an interesting twist on a plot that's not quite what we expected.

Once upon a time, Jenny St. John was set to become a star. She was the lead in a buzzy indie by the next hot director and everyone agreed she gave an award-worthy performance as a woman with multiple personalities. But the movie was never released and two decades later Jenny is scraping by as a strip mall psychic, living out of her shop and dreaming of what could have been.

When the police show up claiming she’s the doppelganger for her former director’s ex-wife who is missing following his murder, Jenny is thrown head-first into the investigation, not only of a murder and missing person - but of this person who looks exactly like her and led the life she could have had.

A noir thriller with a hint of magic, The Divide is a pitch-perfect summer read that is not getting enough hype. Twistier than the Hollywood hills and as entertaining as a summer blockbuster, this book has it all.

This was a really interesting book and I enjoyed trying to unravel the mystery. I liked a lot of the characters but felt that there were a lot of questions left unanswered at the end that would have really wrapped everything up nicely to have answers to. But I enjoyed reading this and would read more in this world.

I enjoyed this fast paced, fascinating story that grabs you up and takes off, not stopping
until every loose end is handled. The characters are all complicated people
who want to be ordinary, but cannot pull it off without it costing them too much
of themselves. With money, and a surprising twist that was not hard to believe or figure out.
The characters were each so invested in their personal facades that they lost their true identities.
Until one person figured the whole group out and the story becomes too real for them all.
You won’t be able to put the book down.!
My thanks to Knopf Publishing via Net Galley for the download copy of the book for review purposes.

Happy pub day to The Divide!

My quick thoughts: I found this to be a unique and enjoyable read. I thought the way the chapters unfolded heightened the tension, and the writing kept me hooked with fun, suspenseful lines. The mystery of what happened to Serge and Gena was complex and well plotted, had a lot of suspects and red herrings, and culminated in an exciting conclusion. And the more “out there” aspects of the book felt fresh, even though they did seem a bit obviously hinted at/easy to predict. I didn’t mind that all that much, though, as it was a clever concept for a mystery.

I don’t have much else to say other than I had a fun time reading this and you should definitely check it out!

Many thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for this ARC

The Divide by Morgan Richter was such a fun and gritty murder mystery!
A real page turning suspense novel. A plot that moves along at warp speed, and my Kindle pages seemed to turn themselves. With a unique protagonist, an interesting setting, and a story that grabs you from the beginning and keeps on building.
I thoroughly enjoyed and was hooked for the entirety of this story and can only commend the author on writing a very intriguing book.

Thank You NetGalley and Knopf for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

An unpredictable, fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing to the end.
Jenny St. John thought she had it made after landing a leading role when she first arrived in Hollywood, but her film was never released and now, 20 years later, she tries to eke out a living as a psychic life coach. After Serge Grumet. the director her film, is murdered, Jenny discovers she is a dead ringer for his ex-wife, Gena, who went missing the night Serge was killed. Jenny finds herself insinuated in Gena's life, trying to find out who killed Serge, what happened to Gena, and whether she is just Gena's doppelganger or has a closer connection to the missing woman. This is the kind of book that gets me speculating (sometimes wildly) about what will happen, and every time I think I have it figured out, Richter provided another clue that threw my theory out the window. I liked Jenny and found the motivations for her actions believable, if not always completely rational. I found the book hard to put down, so 5 stars from me!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I absolutely got more than I expected. It is confusing at times because of the large cast of characters. The mystery kept me guessing and had an aspect I didn't see coming. The ending was great and in a way left things open to interpretation.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Morgan Richter, and Knopf Publishing for my free ebook copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

One hit wonder Jenny St. John starred in a movie called The Divide, 25 years ago. Sadly it was never a huge hit. Now she's been scraping by running her own business that u focused on giving psychic readings to up and coming actors.
Now she has just found out that the movie's director, Serge, has been murdered and his ex wife, Gena, is missing. She only finds out because Gena is her doppelganger and thought she was Gena in disguise. Jenny also finds out that Gena has been taking all the credit for her part in The Divide. Jenny is no on a mission to find out who killed Serge, where is Gena and get the recognition she deserves for her sole movie role.

*Possible Spoiler**

The author was able to keep me intrigued from the beginning. Jenny just seems to have bad luck and there was a few times I just thought Jenny was loco, that maybe she had an identity disorder or something going on. I would recommend this book to someone that loves a drama filled story with a "who done it" plot.

When Jenny, a failed actress turned psychic grifter, gets wrapped up in a case of murder and mistaken identity, she is forced with not only having to avoid a killer, but also face her own dark past.

This book was very different than what I thought it would be with some twists that I wasn’t expecting. Rather than being surprised, it felt like the author wasn’t sure what direction to take the story. That said, it was still an entertaining read and it kept my interest; I had to see where it was all going and I will recommend it to others!

Thank you for the opportunity to read!

A fun, quick read that pulled me in more than I expected! I felt like the plot of this was an interesting concept and the fast pace kept me interested throughout. The mystery was good, but my one issue is that I don't feel like all of the plot points totally resolved themselves in a way that felt satisfying - specifically the details in the Jenny and Gena relationship. All in all, a fun read!

THE DIVIDE by Morgan Richter grabbed me from the very first scene with its powerful voice, a low-level psychic grifter suddenly dragged into a high-stakes, breathless world of celebrity, fame, and fortune where no one can be trusted, appearances are designed to deceive, and past and present entwine in a smart, wonderfully wrought story. I loved every minute, happy to ride the ups and downs of surprises and sudden insights. It's like nothing I've ever read, modern noir with a sense of humor that had me snorting and waking up happy sleepers at the local library. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

This book was a very quick read, I was hooked from the opening chapter. A connection to murder and mysterious doppelgänger sets Jenny on a course to solve the case, even if to only reclaim her fame.

I enjoyed the various suspects and Jenny’s history unraveling, it had my brain working overtime to solve the murder and the mystery. The Hollywood adjacent setting was very catchy, I appreciated keeping it down to earth and not super over the top. The slight psychological and maybe supernatural angle really worked for me as well.

Thank you to Knopf for the review copy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Borzoi Bo0ks/Alfred A. Knopf for the ARC of "The Divide" in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn't wait to get into this one for its genre alone......an L.A. contemporary Neo-Noir set amid the semi B-Listers who skim along side the cream of Hollywood strivers, all chasing their dreams of fame fortune, million dollar deals and Iinstagram clicks.
Definitely not in their league is Jenny St. John, a fake psychic barely scraping out enough of a living to pay the rent for the office she has to illegally live in. Back in her early 20's as a fresh-off-the-bus starlet, she caught lightning in a bottle as a star of the independent film "The Divide". But film never saw the light of day, dashing her dreams and leading to her current miserable life. Pouring salt in her wounds - her director Serge Grumet went on to a fabulously successful career and his ex wife Gena, an uncanny look-alike for Jenny claimed she was the actual star of "The Divide"
Then Jenny's stunned to hear of their reversals of fortune - Serge was shot dead in his home and Gena's disappeared. presumed, either dead or on the run as a suspect, depending on who you ask. Through her extraordinary resemblance to Gena and her so called psychic ability, Jenny's accepted into Serge and Gena's coterie of artistic-showbiz friends, enemies and hangers-on. She's hoping to pin down both Serge's murderer and the everlasting hurtful mystery of her would-be doppelganger and career usurper, Gena.
Author Morgan Richter lines up a terrific colorful cast of unusual Hollywood suspects for Jenny to interrogate, but I parted company with the book's fuzzy flirtation with paranormal elements and the all too overused multi-verse stuff, the very thought of which sends me into upward eye rolling. There's no real concrete payoff to those tropes anyway and guaranteed to leave readers interested in that part of it unsatisfied.
But I did fully soak up the Tinseltown whodunit part of "The Divide" which does deliver a fair, logical reveal and a suspenseful climactic showdown for Jenny.. Much to enjoy here and I wouldn't mind seeing Jenny take on more mysteries among the upper and lower L.A. classes.