Olivia's next ghostwriting project is to finish the latest book of horror author VIncent Taylor. Here's the thing - She's keeping a secret. He's actually her dad. As a child, her father's two siblings were murdered. The tragedy was never solved, but there was speculation that her father was responsible. Now, in his latest book, he's ready to talk about what really happened. What I really liked about this thriller was the way the story was told. In the present day, Olivia is trying to put the story together. Then, there are also flashbacks with bits of the story from people who were there. I knew there was a twist, but I loved how I couldn't quite figure it out on my own, so had to keep reading. It was masterful suspense-building storytelling. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this June 2025 read.

The murders in 1975 of teens Poppy and Danny, Vince’s brother and sister, continue to haunt him his entire life. He had an alibi, but many still think he killed them including, at times, his estranged daughter. The fact that he became a famous author of horror novels only intensified the suspicion that he was evil. The truth is supposed to finally be revealed when he hires his daughter Olivia, who is a famous ghost writer, to write his memoir. But Vince is suffering from Lewy body dementia, and his memories are at times suspect. Olivia finds diaries written by Poppy, she finds 8-track films of arguments between Vince and Danny, she interviews people who were there at the time and are still alive, and the answer to who might be guilty switches daily. The Ghostwriter is full of family drama, teenage trauma and angst, and unreliable narrators, and you will not want to stop until you finally know the truth about who killed Poppy and Danny – or at least the truth that Vince and Olivia want to be known.

I knew going into this that Julie Clark’s writing just worked for me, and I’m glad that that hasn’t changed. While I didn’t love this as much as her last couple novels (which were both 5 star reads for me), it truly kept me intrigued. I could not put this down, I needed to know what was going to happen next.

The way the story is revealed is so interesting. There’s different formats, unreliable narrators, and POVs from the past. Yet it all just worked.

I was a bit hit and miss on Olivia as a character but at the end of the day, I sympathized her and everything she went through and the way she dealt with it all. I feel like Vincent wasn’t necessarily supposed to be likeable, but at the very least he was interesting. I just wanted to learn more about him, which is a fun feeling while reading.

Julie Clark was already someone I considered an auto-buy author and this book basically just confirmed that even more.

3.5/5
Slow start. Glad, I kept with it! The ending was great.

Olivia grew up the daughter of a horror author who was labeled a murderer of his brother and sister. After she gets in some hot water for calling out another author and is iced out in the literary world her father gets his team to offer her a job as a ghostwriter. He wants to tell his story as he remembers while he can remember it.
I felt like this book was missing something. I didn’t want to keep reading. I could put it down and circle back whenever.
The ending was great and I am glad I kept reading and finished it.

This was one of my most anticipated novels this year, as I’ve enjoyed all of Julie Clark’s prior novels, and it did not disappoint. Olivia Dumont is a well-known ghostwriter, until she stuck her foot in her mouth and is now having some financial troubles. She receives an offer to ghostwrite Vincent Taylor’s memoir, an offer she can’t afford to turn down. The problem is that no one knows that Vincent Taylor is her father. And in addition to being an author himself, he is most known for being accused of murdering his brother, Daniel, and sister, Poppy. Despite his alibi at the time of the murder, this has remained a dark hole over the rest of his life. Olivia had a rocky childhood and has spent most of her life distancing herself from her father. This opportunity could finally give her the history she needs about her family as her father is ready to tell all about what happened almost 50 years ago.

The story alternates between present day as Olivia interviews her father and reviews the notes he’s left her for his memoir, and the past, from both his and Poppy’s perspectives. Poppy’s viewpoint is told via the discovery of her diary and videos she took. This raw data helps Olivia navigate the jumbled memories of her father that are complicated by his recent dementia diagnosis. Clark takes the reader on a pseudo treasure hunt releasing snippets of the story until it culminates with the final reveal that will leave the reader guessing throughout.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review.

This was quite a mystery. Actually several mysteries are going on in this family's story. As Olivia is trying to learn the truth from her aging father, there is definitely something/someone he is trying to protect. Is it himself? Everyone's version of the truth is different. That is why Poppy thinks that what is on her camera will actually tell the story. But it really only tells the story if you know what you are looking for. I am not sure if Olivia ever figures out that what happens in the past definitely changes who you are and how you react to events in the future, but she definitely gets some answers from her father. It might not be the ones that she expected though. She made her own version of the truth a long time ago and she has to reconcile that with what she knows and wants to believe about the kids they were and the adults they became. GREAT READ!

Murder. A writer. And a highly unreliable narrator.

Julie Clark’s new book is very different from her previous work, but still gripping and unpredictable. I read it in one sitting because I was dying to know star happened. While this was not my favorite book of hers, I was still on the edge of my seat to know the ending.

THE GHOSTWRITER is an outstanding read! I knew she would create an incredible book, but this one had my mouth agape!

I loved the characters, the plot, and the twists. The book had me in a chokehold! I stayed up reading until the wee hours of the morning! What I enjoy about THE GHOSTWRITER is the twists and turns and figuring out the mystery. The final twist took me completely out, screaming aloud as the characters in the book could hear me!

Julie Clark has a beautiful way of telling a story and keeping her readers invested. This book is her best yet! I rate this one five stars, and it’s highly recommended!

For those looking for a great book to grab you immediately, add THE GHOSTWRITER to your “To Read List!” Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks, for the opportunity to read and review THE GHOSTWRITER.

The Ghostwriter was the type of muder-mystery that you can honestly read in one day. I love a dual timeline novel, and I love stories told from multiple characters' persepctives. The Ghostwriter had both of these elements, which made it a huge success in my opinion. Once I made it about two-thirds of the way through, I truly did not want to put the book down, and I was dying to find out what really happened and who really killed Poppy and Danny. I also loved that the main character, Olivia, was a ghostwriter, as I think it gave the story a really unique persepctive and twist. There were really so many things the just worked in The Ghostwriter to make it a very solid 5 stars.

Julie Clark doesn’t disappoint! This book had me intrigued and eager to turn the page throughout the whole story.

I found the flashbacks to be so insightful for this decades old mystery that Olivia was trying to sort through. The dynamic between her & her father was tense but reasonable, and I was glad to see their journey. The reveals were well spaced out and I would recommend this read!

I felt the ending wrapped up just a bit quickly, I would’ve liked just a little more insight into the epilogue. But overall, a great read!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

DNF at 21%. THE LAST FLIGHT is one of my favorite thrillers but this book just fell super flat for me. It was incredibly slow and boring and I couldn't bring myself one bit to care about the deaths of Poppy and Danny. It was just dull and annoying and the throwback chapters were especially lazy - seemed like AI could have written it if you said "write two vague paragraphs about a murder mystery." So disappointed this one didn't hit like Clark's others!

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter but nothing can prepare her for the next book she has been asked to write, the memoir of her estranged father, Vincent Taylor. Olivia has spent her entire adult life distancing herself from him. Vincent, a horror author, was the prime suspect in the slaying of his siblings in 1975. Shunned by his town as a murderer, he now wants to tell his story, but is he ready to tell the truth, or can he?
Julie Clark is a go-to author for me! I love the way she can spin a storyline and this one is deep and intriguing. There were so many times I just didn’t know what to believe. I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and then towards the end, I just wanted it to slow down and last. I felt so deeply pulled in to the storyline. Really, don’t pass this one up if you love a good suspense thriller!
#julieclark #julieclarkauthor #suspense #suspensethriller #julieclarktheghostwriter #julieclarkghostwriter
#bookstagram #readersofinstagram

fun, twisty, and well-written thriller with a lot of tension throughout. the protag is interesting and other chars are too. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Ahhhh! What a great book! I absolutely love Julie Clark and her clever plot twists! Story development and character development!

The Last Flight threw me for a loop and her second book, I found just okay, but the thought process behind Clark’s writing is superb. I find myself wondering how does she come up with these clever twists?!

The twist in this book is no different, but I do feel this story was a little different than her others. The writing evolved. The themes evolved. The characters made me feel intense emotions. And that, my friends, is worth the trip of this book. A must-buy!

Wow this is the first book that I have read by this author and it does not disappoint. I really enjoyed it more and more as the story continued. Such a very original story and so many layers, just when I thought I had figured it out it took me in a totally different direction. It stuck with me long after I finished it.

Wow, this was such a thrilling read. There were so many twists and turns I did not expect throughout the book, which kept me guessing all the way until the end. I did find the story to start off slow but around the 20% mark it really took off and I could not flip the pages fast enough. The book is told in multiple POV's which gives us an inside look into the past and what happened to Poppy and Danny. Overall, this was an excellent read for anyone looking for a thriller with characters that are full of secrets.

In The Ghostwriter, Olivia is asked to ghostwrite her fathers last book. She does not have a good relationship with him and hasn't spoken to him in years. She reluctantly agrees and when she arrives at her fathers house, she finds out he is sick with Lewy bodies. It turns out, he wants to finally reveal what happened back in 1975 to his brother and sister in his final book. They were murdered but no one was convicted but rumors swirled that Olivia's Dad Vincent was the murdered. He is ready to set the record straight.

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a captivating thriller that explores the complexities of family secrets and the pursuit of truth. The story follows Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter who has spent years avoiding her father, Vincent Taylor—a famous horror author with a troubled past. In 1975, Vincent’s teenage siblings died under mysterious circumstances. Although he had an alibi, suspicion has always surrounded him. Years later, struggling financially, Olivia agrees to ghostwrite her father’s final book, only to learn that he plans to reveal the truth about that tragic night.

Clark crafts a compelling narrative that shifts between past and present, slowly unraveling layers of mystery and emotion. The characters are richly developed, with Olivia’s internal conflict and Vincent’s mysterious nature adding emotional depth. The story maintains a steady sense of suspense, drawing readers in with its twists and turns as it builds toward a dramatic conclusion.

While the novel effectively balances psychological tension with character-driven storytelling, the pacing occasionally falters. Some sections delve deeply into backstory, which can slow the narrative’s momentum. Additionally, while the ending is satisfying, a few plot points could have been explored in greater detail for a more thorough resolution.

Overall, The Ghostwriter is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that blends psychological suspense with an emotional exploration of family relationships and the lingering effects of past trauma.

I was thrilled with a chance to read and review Julie Clark’s latest thriller, “Ghost Writer.”

Olivia grew up in the shadow of rumors that her father, horror writer Vincent Taylor, killed his two siblings when he was a teen. While evidence never substantiated such an accusation, the killer of Olivia’s aunt and uncle was never found. As soon as she could, Olivia left Ojai, never to look back.

Years later, Olivia is contacted by her agent about her ghost writing job—to write Vincent Taylor’s memoir. Olivia could say no—but her own career has been derailed—and she desperately needs the money. She reluctantly agrees, but when she reunites with her father, she is shocked to discover her dad is suffering from Lewey body dementia and does not have much time left to tell his story.

This story gives the reader flashes of the past as Olivia discovers information (but is it reliable) in the present. Julia Clark is a smart writer who creates captivating characters. In fact, what I enjoyed about this book as it spent time exploring Olivia’s relationship with her dad. Unlike Clark’s previous work, this story moves more slowly but for good reason.

Thank you Julia Clark, Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to give this an early read.

This is my first Julie Clark book and I can’t wait to read it more by her I found it a true page turner with many twists and turns kept me reading late into the night. #netgalley#sourcebooks

I’ve been impressed by Julie Clark’s novels over the years, and this one did not disappoint.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter down on her luck. She has to pay a court settlement to her nemesis, and she can’t score any work. But when the ideal, lucrative job lands in her lap, she takes it despite it being to ghostwrite her estranged father Vincent’s memoir. He was finally going to write about the pivotal time in 1975 when his older brother Danny and younger sister Poppy were murdered in his family home.

Olivia is an interesting, secretive character. It makes some sense since she is the child of two secretive parents. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the time jumps back to 1975. I felt like I got a good sense of Vincent’s family back in 1975.

This was a fun ride, as all of Clark’s books are. At times, you don’t want to think too hard because a few pieces don’t make the most sense (Olivia wouldn’t talk to either of her parents for decades?). I felt that sometimes this novel circled the drain a bit too long before coming to a conclusion. Ultimately, though, I thought many elements of this were well done, and I had a great time immersing myself in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes June 3, 2025.