This thriller pulls you in from the start. The plot is riveting and characters are engrossing. Be prepared to not put this down.

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire life distancing herself from her childhood, especially for her father and his history. She is the only child of Vincent Taylor, a horror author, who is also notorious for being the only suspect in the brutal murder of his two siblings. Olivia has made it her life’s work to tell the stories of famous, prominent women until one mistake ruins everything.

Now, she has no work prospects, is in danger of selling her house, and owes someone a lot of money. Left with little to no options, she hesitantly agrees to ghostwrite her father’s next book under the guise that she will be just revising an already completed fiction, horror manuscript. What actually awaits Olivia in Ojai, California is something entirely different.

Through dual timelines and multiple perspectives, Clarke tells a thoughtful mystery that has you question everything you think you know. This is a story about family, hardships, death, and how secrets and lies can ruin lives. The flow for the Ghostwriter was perfect, forcing me to forgo all responsibilities so I could finish immediately.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc. Pub date is June 3.

Overall this was a great suspense novel. It kept me guessing and was twisty and suspenseful. At times I got a little confused because there are three different timelines. For the most part the timelines were separated but there was a bit of a third timeline that threw me off sometimes. Towards the end it started to drag a little but I think the good twists made up for that. Like I said, overall it’s a great book!

I was so excited to receive a copy of Ghostwriter, a new thriller by Julie Clark!

A struggling ghostwriter is pitched an opportunity to ghostwrite a book for a famous horror writer…who is her estranged father.

I was immediately sucked in and couldn’t put Ghostwriter down! I found this book fun and loved the twists and turns. Not many can’t write a great thriller like Julie Clark!

I’ve loved all of Julie Clark’s books and Ghostwriter maybe my new favorite of hers! I will be recommending this to anyone looking for a fun thriller this summer! I can’t wait to read what Julie writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you you Netgalley and Sourcebook Landmark for this ARC. Written from different perspectives and different times, you slowly learn what happened back in 1975 to 3 siblings and how 2 lost their lives. I thought I had it figured it out but there was a twist I did not see coming! The Ghostwriter was a great read.

2.5 stars
It pains me to have to write this review. I was so excited to get an advance copy of Julie Clark’s upcoming release. I’ve loved her other books! This one, however, was a hot mess for me. Olivia is hiding her identity and connection to a famous author. Amid personal struggles, she’s hired to help write about the deaths of the author’s brother and sister. Everyone has suspected he got away with murder. He has a terminal illness so it’s time to set the record straight before it’s too late. The almost 50yr old mystery set up was decent but the unraveling of the story wasn’t compelling enough to keep it all together at the end. I suspect most people will like the book but I doubt it will be anyone’s favorite by comparison. That said, I’m still looking forward to reading what she writes next!
*Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley

There is a saying that secrets have long shadows. This book is ultimately about childhood secrets. In this case, some of the secrets are terrible ones. It is also about the sacrifices people will make for those they love. Olivia is a ghostwriter who loves to lose herself in other people’s stories because she does not want to deal with her family’s past. However, circumstances dictate that she ends up doing just that.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter living under a new name to distance herself from her father, Vincent Taylor—a famous horror author accused of murdering his siblings in 1975. On the verge of being canceled after an incident with another author, Olivia gets an unexpected call: Vince wants her to write his final book, a memoir. Hesitantly, she returns to Ojai to face the past and uncover the truth.

This book was masterfully executed. The plot was twisty yet realistic, and the character development was top-notch—I felt like I truly knew every character, which isn’t easy to pull off. The depiction of 1975 added a nostalgic feel I loved, with vivid references to music, current events, and the way the world worked back then. I’ve read four of Clark’s novels, and this is my favorite so far.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a story about going home. It tells the story of a ghostwriter, Olivia Dumont, who has come from a broken past through no fault of her own. Her father is the famous horror writer, Vincent Taylor, and her mother, Lydia, left when she was only five with no real explanation as to why.

Olivia also learns why people do not seem to like her when she is about ten. The kids in school are eager to explain that her father is a murderer, He was once accused of killing is brother, Danny and his sister, Poppy, but had an alibi. This did not seem to matter to the people of the town. They knew what they knew, and no one could talk them down.

Olivia and Vincent often play mystery games, usually resulting in gifts at the end for Olivia. To heck with the rest of the world and what they say, they have each other. Only as time goes on, Vincent drinks more and more, becoming quite volatile or was he always this way?

Vincent makes Olivia go to school overseas when she is fourteen with no explanation. She feels rejected so she never returns. After college, Olivia refuses to return home even though Vincent wants her to. She goes so far as to change her name in hopes of never being found.

Twenty years later, after some financial and legal failures, Olivia finally has a writing job after being shunned from the writing community. Her father commissions her to write his final memoir about the final night when her aunt and uncle are killed. But how do they solve it and what is the truth? Are ethical lines blurred and memories failing? You will have to read the book and go on with all the twists and turns that Clark has created.

I can not praise Clark enough in storytelling ability. She made me like the characters of Poppy and Olivia. I was not a fan of the ERA or feminism. It was just a crock to busy and confuse us, I cannot throw a sledgehammer as good as a man, you cannot make me want to. But through the eyes of Olivia and Poppy, I could see that they had a vision, one that I can at least respect and understand.

I loved the memories of the eighties that Clark brought back to life. It was like I was sitting at my house with all my friends at a bonfire without one worry about police or parents to speak about. Just at a party having fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for giving me the Advanced Readers Copy of the book. Of course, all the opinions are proudly my own, why does that even need to be said, I have freedom of speech!

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!!! This book was so intense, dysfunctional, and simply stunning and brilliant!! It was also a very moving story about siblings and the lives they lead thru thick and thin! A love story too about the secrets we keep for the ones we love! So brilliant! This book has everything you can imagine!! Run to the bookstore when this one comes out!! A book that you don't want to miss for 2025!!!!

Olivia’s career is ghostwriting. She’s being sued so financially has to take a job writing a memoir for her estranged dad who is an author. In 1975 her dad’s siblings were killed in the home and the murder was never solved. The book is written from 3 perspectives, Olivia, her dad Vincent, and Poppy who was Vincent’s sister. Once Olivia finds out the truth of the deaths, she and her dad decide not to reveal the truth in the book. Very unexpected ending.

As the title suggests, our protagonist Olivia is a ghostwriter, and one who has been recently canceled and now cannot find work. Successful horror writer Vincent Taylor has specifically requested Olivia come and work on his final book, an offer she is hesitant to accept, event though no one else is hiring.

In 1975 Vincent was the presumed perpetrator of a horrific double murder but he was never convicted. The victims were his brother and sister and Olivia presumes he committed the crime. She reluctantly accepts his offer. But Olivia has kept a secret most of her life, Vincent Taylor is her father. Now she must work to figure out who killed her aunt and uncle, before it’s too late.

I found The Ghostwriter to be absolutely gripping and an enthralling read. So many good twists and turns and interesting, nuanced characters. Five stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

The Ghostwriter was an interesting concept of a best-selling author reaching out to his estranged daughter to write his memoir. A mix of a mystery, a thriller, and family drama - it unfortunately took me a while to finish this one. I felt like parts dragged on and I wasn't really satisfied by the ending (having guessed the twist about halfway through the book).

The Ghostwriter
By Julie Clark

Masterfully written! This book was propulsive!
I simultaneously didn’t want it to end (because I loved the characters) and was racing to the finish to find out what happens.
This is the first I’ve read by Julie Clark, and I didn’t know what I was missing! (BRB, now I have to go read everything she’s ever written).
Clark can really weave a compelling mystery, while infusing it with thoughtful insights into human nature.

Best book I’ve read in a while.

My thanks to NetGalley, Julie Clark, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a fan of Julie Clark's other books, I was eager to start her newest. The storyline was intriguing from the start; Olivia is summoned to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir. We then learn of the family history and the pieces slowly come together from there. The dual timeline is interesting, and the 1975 chapters filled the memories and discoveries of the current day storyline. This was a great read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC.

I really enjoyed The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell, so was super excited to have gotten this ARC. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this.

I thought the premise felt unique and fresh, which is especially hard to come by these days in thrillers. I also liked the dual timelines, and was glad that we got Poppy’s POV.

The pacing felt a bit slow but the story still held my interest. However it really started to drag at around the 60% mark and I had to just power through it until things picked back up past the 80% mark. This could’ve been 30-50 pages shorter, as I felt like a couple of storylines were unnecessary and only made the story more convoluted. Though I’m happy I wasn’t able to figure out all the twists, I still didn’t find them mind-blowing or satisfying.

I flew through this book in less than 2 days, so overall I’d still recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and wants a unique premise.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

📖 Book Review 📖 Olivia Dumont has spent most of her life trying to escape her past. She grew up in the shadow of the lingering accusations that her father murdered his siblings in the summer of 1975. As soon as she could, she left the country and changed her name but her generational trauma has been like a darkness lurking behind her, threatening to catch up. While her father ironically catapulted into the throes of the public image writing as a horror author, Olivia has quietly kept herself behind the curtain as a ghostwriter, but even that backfired in scandal. When she is hired to ghostwrite her own father’s memoir, she must finally face the demons of her family’s past. Julie Clark writes a story that is filled with intrigue and dual timelines back to the seventies, piecing together a mystery that is flawless. The Ghostwritter is a hauntingly beautiful tale of reconciling the past and trying to find peace in the complex and inherently challenging dynamics of family and human relationships.

When you approach a new Julie Clark mystery, you must accept that you will do little else until you finish it. You will ignore your work, put down your phone, and forget to make dinner, all in service of ripping through another well told, smart story. Clark specializes in strong women facing difficult choices and The Ghostwriter offers several such examples. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the DRC.

Once again, Julie Clark has written a great thriller. I enjoyed her previous books and was delighted to be able to read a advance copy of this one thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I liked the premise of the book which includes a writer with dementia (who may have been the murderer of his siblings), an estranged daughter who is a ghostwriter, and the publishing industry. The story alternated between current time and when the murders took place. There were lots of twists and turns, and the ending was unexpected. Clark did a great job bringing the characters to life, and she even let the dead sister's story be told from her own point of view. I think this book would be a great choice for book discussion groups. I highly recommend it.