I really enjoyed this book! Jenny St. John's acting career never took off, so now's she's working as a psychic and living in her office. When Serge Grumet, the director of her one and only film, is murdered, Jenny learns that his ex-wife is Jenny's doppelganger and, enragingly, has been taking credit for Jenny's film role. This sends Jenny off on a mission to find out what happened to the missing ex-wife and who murdered Serge.

I loved the character of Jenny! She was very relatable--not a perfect person but a good person. And I liked following the case along from her perspective--she didn't always know what she was doing, but somehow managed to make it work. I hope this isn't the last we see of her!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Jenny St. John wanted to live out her dream as an actress and believed she had finally gotten her big break when she was cast in the leading role of the movie, "The Divide." However, the movie was canceled before release, and ever since then, Jenny's future as a movie star faded and she's made a living as a psychic life coach since. When her former director, Serge, is found murdered, Jenny is dragged back into the world of Hollywood. To top things off, Serge's wife, who is now missing as well, claimed that she was the one who starred in the film and not Jenny.

The premise of this book was what captured my attention. Jenny is a very compelling main character. It's hard not to root for the underdogs and sympathize with her when you see she's barely making ends meet. Meanwhile, Genevieve, who claimed the role in The Divide for herself, seems to be living the life Jenny always wanted.

I enjoyed the first third of this book where we see Jenny brought into this world of superstars. However, things slow down quite a bit towards the middle of the book, and unfortunately, it gets boring. Some of the questions in the story weren't answered and that made things a bit frustrating as well. Overall, The Divide is an entertaining thriller with an interesting premise. While things slow down a bit in the middle of the book, the plot does pick up a bit towards the end too. Not my favorite thriller I've read, but it's a solid read.

I knew little about this book when I received the Advanced Review Copy from Knopf. I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed The Divide by Morgan Richter.

Jenny St John is a washed up actress barely surviving in Los Angeles as an “intuitive counselor” when she is visited by the police. They inform her that a woman claiming to be Jenny St John and bearing a striking resemblance to her as disappeared from the scene of a murder. From there, Jenny and the readers, are drawn into a tense mystery involving Jenny, her doppelgänger Gena and a cast of artists and actors in LA. The mystery was very entertaining and kept me guessing until the last page. Although I wish some of the mystery had been more neatly wrapped up, I enjoyed this story and would recommend to mystery/thriller readers! Thank you again to Knopf for the electronic ARC!

For the most part, Morgan Richter's "The Divide" is an engaging psychological thriller that blends Hollywood glamour with intrigue. The story follows Jenny St. John, a failed actress turned fake psychic, as she investigates the disappearance of her doppelgänger amid a web of murder and corruption.

Set in Los Angeles, the novel offers a glimpse into the entertainment industry's darker side. Richter populates her story with interesting characters, including a former K-pop star and a wellness-peddling actress, each adding depth to the narrative.

The author's writing style is effective, creating a vivid portrayal of Los Angeles that enhances the story. While the plot stretches credibility at time, especially at the end, Richter's storytelling keeps the narrative engaging. The exploration of themes such as identity and ambition adds layers to what could have been a straightforward thriller.

"The Divide" seeks to be a solid entry in the psychological thriller genre, offering an interesting take on familiar tropes. Sadly though, the Texas-sized plot hole remaining unexplained at the end left me feeling dissatisfied and disappointed.

Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group / Pantheon for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hollywood, psychics, artists, doppelgängers, murders and mystery! Oh my!

This was a quick, easy and enjoyable read. I only wish there had been more insight on the Gena/Jenny relationship.

I would like to thank Knopf, Morgan Richter, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great mystery that could have gone a couple of different ways come the ending. You've got a murder with a clear suspect; however, the suspect is a missing person. The main character could be the missing person or could be mistaken for her. And all this is happening on the edge of Hollywood's movie scene, where no one is their real self! Jenny is a great main character - she is a starlet wannabe or has-been transformed into a mystic or charlatan. She resonates with the average person because she tries so hard to elevate her position without stepping on others around her. She decides to investigate the case in order to clear her name and actually does a great job of intuiting the motivations of others. I like Jenny as a main character, and I was completely engrossed in the way she stumbled onto clues and put the pieces together. The author did a great job of leaving so many questions popping in my mind until the end! The twists and turns kept me from putting the book down - I read it practically in one sitting.

This was a great story Involving characters learning about themselves, questioning themselves and bothers, and trying to figure out who to trust. Theres murder, mystery, twists and turns, and keeps a steady pace. I enjoyed how each chapter is from the point of view of specific characters. It adds to to the story but also has you questioning if you really have the mystery sorted out. With so many characters from different backgrounds, careers, financial status, and upbringings, and how this all intertwines in wrapping up the story it makes a great discussion book.

5 very enthusiastic stars. Fast-paced and well-written, The Divide is a fun read.

Jenny St. John moved to LA from Iowa when she was 18 and scored a leading role in movie called The Divide. Unfortunately, its release got scuttered, and it only made a tiny bleep on the cinematic radar later when the director, Serge, became successful.

Jenny was never able to land any other roles, leading or otherwise, and now she’s scrapping by as a psychic, or what she calls “an intuitive counselor,” something of a life coach. Basically, she’ll ask what’s going on in a person’s life and gently nudge her into making good career and life choices. Then one day she’s visited by a detective, who mistakes her for her doppelganger, a successful artist named Gena. Serge has been murdered and his ex-wife Gena is nowhere to be found. It turns out that Gena has been pretending all these years to have been the star of The Divide. Since that was the biggest thing Jenny has ever done, this rankles.

Rich and powerful people get in touch with Jenny because of the coincidence of her looking so much like the missing woman, and Jenny becomes an unlikely detective trying to figure out this fun and original mystery.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 20, 2024.

When I received a request from the publisher to review this book, I was immediately intrigued. This seemed right up my alley A murder mystery, the main character getting to play detective by posing as a psychic, seeing the drastically different lifestyle of the upper class all made for a very fun read.

I had my suspicions of who the killer was, but the mystery left me questioning myself just enough to feel like it still paid off at the end. However, not all of my questions were answered. One big question (possibly even bigger than the question of who the murderer was) was left in answered at the end of the book. I don’t know if the author is already planning on a sequel, but I would have liked to see some more info explaining the relationship between Gina and Jenny.

All in all, this was a fun mystery read and I would love to see more stories featuring Jenny in the future

I dont mind psychic's in a mystery novel but overall the book ended up falling flat. It started off good but I started losing interest and not caring about the characters about half way through. Overall it was an okay read and I might try the author again the future...

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for allowing me to read this eARC.This was an interesting plot line and had good character building. I really enjoyed the slow reveal of the murder mystery.

The Divide starts out strong, with vivid and believable description’s of Jenny’s life as a struggling psychic consultant living in the back room of her squalid office. As the story picks up speed, things become more fantastical.

There are some effective caricatures here that you may recognize from Hollywood, but others could use some more fine tuning.

If we’re going to lean into the psychic world, I’d appreciate it if we could lean a little farther. A lot was left unexplained which resulted in an unsatisfying end for me.

Jenny St John starred in the movie The Divide but now is a 'once was' actor, masquerading as a psychic. When a detective shows up to question her about the murder of The Divide's producer Serge, a man Jenny had a brief affair with, Jenny discovers that Serge's wife Gena not only looks like her but is taking credit for her role in the movie. Jenny falls back into the Hollywood scene as she tries to find out who Gena is and who killed Serge,
This was a weird and unbelievable story that masquerades as a mystery novel. The explanations of who Gena is vs who Jenny is, were never really clear. The way Jenny just fell back into the Hollywood scene was unbelievable as well. One day she was a nobody, has been, and the next day she is moving into Gena's old home. It was hard to grasp the concept of this story but it was entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

A psychic in a detective story? It’s not a first but it certainly made me want to find out more.

You’d think a fortune teller could live a good life with the knowledge of what’s about to happen. Yet, Jenny St. John who claimed to be a psychic in LA was making only enough money to pay her bills. She wasn’t even sure that she believed in the supernatural world.

When a lady in a suit showed up, everything changed. Jenny suspected that she was caught for being a fraud and taking money illegally. However, she learned that Detective Toni Moreau was there to investigate a murder.

Jenny was feeling pretty anxious finding out that she had an identical twin in the world. Gena Santos was taking credit for her leading role in “The Divide.” It was the only film she had a role in years ago that was never released. The director, Serge Grumet, was now dead and Gena who was living with him was missing. The detective thought it was her. How could this woman claim to be the star in this film when obviously it was Jenny? She informed the detective there was no way she had a twin -- but maybe.

The next day, Jenny was told she had three days to move out for violating the lease agreement. The detective filed a police report that threw her life into turmoil. She was living in the back cluttered room because she was kicked out of her previous place and now where would she go? However, someone coincidentally came to her rescue.

The plot had a strong start with an intriguing twist or two. The reader really got to know the characters that were suspected. Most were likeable in the Hollywood area of wealth but, the story moved slowly and I just wanted to know how it was going to conclude. I was glad to finally find out who the murderer was at the end.

My thanks to Knoph and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 20, 2024.

The Divide is an intriguing mystery, especially with the pairing of Jenny and Gena. Author Morgan Richter has a good novel here and I look forward to more. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Weird, so weird. But good! I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this one, but ended up enjoying the ride. Unique and fast paced.

Twenty years ago, Jenny St. Jones came to Hollywood and make a movie called Divide with Serge Grumet, the movie never went anywhere and neither did her acting career. Now, Jenny is playing the role of a psychic, barely making ends meet. When Serge is murdered, the cops question Jenny who bears a startling resemblance to Serge’s ex-wife Gena Santos, who has disappeared. Why do Jenny and Gena look so much alike? Gena is living the life Jenny has always wanted, she is an accomplished artist. So why does Gena tell everyone she was the start of the movie Divide. Why are things in Gena’s life affecting Jenny? When one of Gena’s friends ask Jenny to use her psychic abilities to find Serge’s killer and Gena, Jenny does but with consequences she wasn’t prepared for.

This is an interesting read, not quite the classic murder mystery, there are parallel stories going on, finding the murderer of Serge and figuring out the connection between Jenny and Gena. Finding out who the murderer is, does take some time and is worth the chase. This book is a bit over-the-top, bit twisty, bit eye-rolling at times, but ultimately overall an enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of, The Divide, by Morgan Richter, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jenny St. John, was supposed to be the new it girl. Jenny had moved to Los Angels at eighteen to be a movie star and make it big, but her first movie did horrible. Twenty years later Jenny is struggling and then she finds the director of her first movie was murdered, and that she looks a lot like Serge ex wife. This book was a little weird and out there, but it was a good read.

Nice, easy, fun read. Well written, not a terribly surprising outcome, but I enjoyed it. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The description of this book was intriguing, so I was curious to read. I feel like the book was written to allow for a follow up, which I don't necessarily mind, but the ending felt very abrupt. There were some pretty key questions left unanswered.

The first chapter or two were written in such a way that the reading was absolutely effortless. It was lovely. But then the plot started twisting in different directions and I lost sight of which end was up. So for a good chunk of the middle section of the book, the reading slowed considerably. There was a lot of confusing detail that, in hindsight, wasn't really essential to the plot. Removing it might have left more "room" to resolve things a little more fully at the end of the book.

Richter's writing inspires confidence for future books, but the abrupt ending of this one was not very satisfying. It's more of a 3.5 stars than a 3 or a 4, but I want to read more from this author so I'll round up.