Clever, poignant, and immersive Julie Clark delivers unsettling vibes in this haunting portrayal of tightly guarded secrets in a town with a long memory.

Olivia Dumont has to take the last job she envisioned being offered when faced with losing her home, to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir.

Vincent Taylor is a famed horror author whose life and career have been colored by ever-present rumors that he got away with murdering his siblings as a teen in the 1970's. After years of silence on the subject, he's finally ready to tell all about that fateful night. He's facing mental decline and has a penchant for puzzles making him the poster child for unreliable narrators. Giving Olivia a unique challenge of separating fact from fiction.

A slow burn that travels from current events told from Olivia's perspective to the '70's told from various points of view including Poppy one of the victims. The layout works great to form a gradual idea of what life was like when the tragic crime occurred and how it has impacted the family and town. Each clue is revealed in an unhurried manner allowing the reader to sift through possible motives, timelines for the crime, and well-placed red herrings. The writing is smooth throughout. Clark brought the atmosphere of each timeline to life. I didn't experience any lulls; the story was eerie, and I was drawn back to it until the final page was turned.

Grab this one if you enjoy a slow burn mystery with a dose of drama.

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I’ve been a fan of Julie Clark ever since I tore through The Last Flight, and her latest novel, The Ghostwriter, completely surpassed my expectations. This story is like a perfectly wound clock that counts down through decades of secrets and family heartache.

In 1975, two teenage siblings are found murdered, and their surviving brother, Vincent Taylor, lives under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of his life. Fast-forward to the present, and Vincent’s estranged daughter, Olivia Dumont, who’s kept her connection to him hidden, finds herself tasked with ghostwriting his final work. But rather than a new horror tale, Vincent finally wants to reveal the truth about that fateful night—if Olivia is willing to hear it.

The characters here are incredibly layered, each burdened by the weight of a painful past. Clark paces the story with a master’s touch, offering clues, red herrings, and gut-wrenching revelations at just the right moments. The family drama is as gripping as the mystery itself, and I found myself torn between craving the next twist and pausing to savor the raw emotions each chapter uncovers.

If you loved The Last Flight, you’ll find The Ghostwriter equally, if not more, compelling. It’s a richly drawn thriller that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of family bonds, truth, and redemption. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Julie Clark has a new fan! This book was written in the first person (Olivia's narrative) as well as glimpses back in time from the views of a couple other characters. She not only has to deal with a father she had cut out of her life to save herself emotional torture, but also unravel a 50 year old mystery of what happened to her aunt and uncle from that same man. Dementia doesn't help her with the job she is tasked to do. I appreciate her persistence and insistence to get all the facts correct while creating this memoir. Her strength, heart, and detective skills make her an admirable woman. I highly recommend this book!

Julie Clark's The Ghostwriter is a suspenseful exploration of family, secrets, and the dark side of literary fame. The novel follows Olivia Dumont, a struggling writer who reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir. As she delves into his life, she uncovers a shocking truth about her family's past.

Clark skillfully weaves together multiple timelines, gradually revealing the sinister secrets that have haunted her family for decades. The author's ability to create a sense of dread and anticipation is commendable, keeping readers engaged until the final page. While some may find the pacing a bit slow at times, the payoff is well worth it.

The characters are well-developed, with Olivia emerging as a relatable and sympathetic protagonist. However, the supporting cast, particularly Vincent Taylor, could have benefited from further exploration. The novel's exploration of themes like grief, guilt, and the destructive power of secrets is thought-provoking, though perhaps not groundbreaking.

Overall, The Ghostwriter is a solid addition to Clark's repertoire. It offers a compelling mystery, a touch of Gothic atmosphere, and a poignant exploration of family dynamics. While it may not reach the heights of her previous works, it's still a satisfying read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Olivia, an accomplished, yet disgraced ghostwriter, gets an opportunity to ghost write her estranged father's story when he gets a form of dementia, and he cannot write it himself. Her father's life, has been marked by the murder of his teenaged siblings back in the 1970's, and the unsolved mystery therein.
This story goes back and forth from the present-day drama of Olivia's life, and the complicated relationship with her father, AND the 1970's flashbacks and points of views from the father and his teenaged siblings, with the propulsive plotline of who killed Poppy and Danny, and why.
I enjoyed the mystery here, and the dysfunction and drama of the family relationships to see if and what they might have contributed to the cold case murders. The setting of Ojai, CA and times of present and past were well done.
I adored only one of the characters in the book, and didn't really like much anyone else, including the main character who seemed a little full of herself and the typical woke "I'm a victim-and you're a racist bad guy" side thoughts and motivations that really (admittedly) didn't detract...or add anything to the mystery.
Although, I figured out some of the twists (but not all), in the story, it didn't lessen my enjoyability of the book at all. I read the last 65% of the book in one sitting - I really wanted to know the outcome. Overall, this was a solid 4 star read for me.

~Thank to NetGalley and Publisher

I was looking at my bookshelves recently and wondering if Julie Clark would have a new book coming out soon. And by what can only be explained as sheer serendipity, I received the email that her newest book, The Ghostwriter, was available on NetGalley.
Even though the book doesn’t come out until June of next year, it went straight to the front of the TBR line.

I’d categorize The Ghostwriter as lit fic genre (versus straight thriller) but with domestic drama and mystery encapsulating the story, a favorite combination of mine.

The story switches in time (and POV) between the present day and 1970’s Ojai, CA, telling the story of a woman who is forced to reconnect with her estranged father to ghostwrite his memoir.

After a long and successful career as a horror writer, he is finally ready to talk about what happened to his two siblings the night they were murdered in 1975. Or, at least this version of it.

What happens is a perspective shift between memories that are made up, the ones that are real, and the ones that lie somewhere in between.

I loved this book and will be purchasing my own hardcover copy of it when it comes out which will be a perfect time for a re-read of it.

The Ghostwriter was such a page turner. It’s told in dual timelines and I loved how it all slowly came together to a jaw dropping conclusion.

I enjoyed the book. It kept me interested the whole time, right from the beginning. You go back and forth between the present and past, and it was nice to see things from different POVs with different avenues. I wouldn’t say it’s a slow burn, but it’s not super fast-paced. I feel like things picked up more around 60% in. It definitely kept me interested, especially in the second half.

I did figure it out. I think I just got lucky, but I got to the end, and I had figured out pretty much every detail except one. It’s okay because I did enjoy the story to get to the twist.

It was very atmospheric. You never knew who you could trust. I felt like she did a good job giving you clues if you paid attention. The end felt a little bit rushed.

Overall, I thought it was really good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for letting me read this ARC.

Olivia Dumont is a seasoned ghostwriter, renowned for her skill in bringing other people’s stories to life. But her professional life takes a devastating hit when a clash with another industry writer spirals out of control. The fallout is severe: a smear campaign in the court of public opinion, a small claims suit, and a hefty bill she can’t afford to pay. Desperate to salvage her career and her finances, Olivia reluctantly accepts an unusual offer—to ghostwrite the memoir of the infamous Vincent Traylor, a celebrated writer as well known for his literary brilliance as for the dark cloud of suspicion that looms over him: the long-unsolved murders of his siblings.

The job comes with an unexpected twist—Vincent is not just a client. He’s Olivia’s estranged father. Compelled by the chance to rebuild her career and perhaps untangle the mysteries of her own past, Olivia travels to California to take on the project. What she finds is a shadow of the man she remembers: Vincent is battling a debilitating illness that leaves him physically frail but no less enigmatic.

As Olivia begins to peel back the layers of her father's life, she is drawn deeper into the chilling events of the night his siblings were killed. The story is as much about uncovering the truth behind that fateful evening as it is about Olivia’s journey to reconcile with the parents who emotionally abandoned her.

Julia Clark masterfully delivers a gripping and atmospheric novel that blends family drama with the intrigue of a psychological thriller. Readers will find themselves captivated by Olivia’s struggle for closure and justice as she navigates the blurred lines between truth and deception.
This engrossing story of ambition, family, and redemption will keep you guessing until the very last page.

#ghostwriter #familydrama #psychologicalthriller #JuliaClark #sourcebooks

This was fabulous. We follow the daughter of thriller writer, who as a teen has his older brother and younger sister murdered. He was suspected by some though not officially. After many years of separation, she goes home to help him write his memoir. We follow the current day as well as the three siblings leading up to the murders. So we'll paced and I really enjoyed the story. I did figure it out but that didn't ruin the pleasure of the read.

4 all the secret stars

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter. She had a promising career until comments got her in hot water, and she was blacklisted in the industry.

Bestselling author Vincent Taylor has requested that Olivia write his memoir. Vincent’s past is clouded with suspicion that he killed his two teenage siblings. He was never charged with the crimes, and maybe now it’s time to tell the story. However, Vincent is afflicted with Lowey's body dementia. He can no longer read or write, and he has frightening episodes.

Only Olivia knows that Vincent is her estranged father. And because of a substantial financial charge against her, she must accept this book offer.

You’ll want to pay attention as you read this one because the twists come at the reader at a furious pace. I never knew if I could trust Vincent’s viewpoint. I did enjoy the flashbacks of Poppy, Vincent’s sister. It was heartbreaking to know that she would be murdered.

As Olivia digs into the past, she’s also forced to reconcile her memories. She and her father engaged in treasure hunts until he sent her to boarding school. Olivia immerses herself in the music, politics, and atmosphere of fifty years ago to write the story. Will she explain what happened, or will the deception continue?

This is my first thriller by Julie Clark, and I’m glad I finally gave her a shot! The Ghostwriter has an intriguing premise with a great twist at the end. I did find the first half of the book to be slow and a bit uneventful (like an extended exposition), but the second half really ramped up and had me quickly flipping through pages on my Kindle to find out what happens next. The multiple POVs and unreliable narrators are really twisty and engaging, and Clark keeps you guessing about what’s real and what’s a red herring until the bitter end.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the arc!

THE GHOSTWRITER by Julie Clark
⭐️ rating: 9/10

read if you like:
🥶 cold case mysteries
🏠 family dramas
🧓🏼 father daughter relationships
🏴‍☠️ treasure hunts

summary:
THE LAST FLIGHT is probably my favorite book ever, and when I saw Julie Clark had a new one releasing next year, I could not wait to get my hands on it! And wow, it did not disappoint.

It follows Olivia Dumont, a famous ghostwriter trying to recover her career after an embarrassing mistake. Olivia has a secret — she is the only daughter of famous crime writer, Vincent Taylor, an author with a dozen published stories and a tainted past — he was once accused of brutally murdering his sister and brother in their childhood home. As Olivia looks to turn her career around, she gets a job offer — to ghostwrite her father’s final book. When she heads out to his home in Ojai, she finds him dying with pads full of notes, sharing what happened that fateful day in 1975. As Olivia uncovers his notes and his stories, she realizes that her father’s motives for bringing her out are more than she thought, and the story she’ll tell will be the final piece of a puzzle she’s been haunted by her entire life.

I love the way Julie Clark writes her stories — an intersection of multiple times and places, all woven together like a puzzle. It feels natural and flows well, creating a deeper, broader story. Olivia is a fascinating, complex character. Her family situation is nuanced and pretty unique, which adds to the story itself. Her father’s character though is DEEPLY complicated, and while I don’t want to give anything away, I found myself loving him, hating him and crying for him, all in the same sitting. The writing is a perfect balance of action and reflection, in a way that keeps you gripped the entire time. Between the flashbacks and the current day, she paints a beautiful picture of Ojai, and it just rounds out the perfect book. The plot moves quickly and will keep you engaged, and the ending is equally heartbreaking and revealing.

I cannot thank SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley enough for this advanced copy. Do not miss out on this book when it releases on June 3!!

I love when an author’s first book is terrific and somehow each book they write afterwards gets better and better! I was so engrossed by The Ghostwriter that when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. The cast of characters was small enough that I thought I had it figured out. I did not.

The story will grab you from the first page and it doesn’t let go. The characters are so well developed and the plot is outstanding. Easily one of my favorite reads this year. Mark your calendar for The Ghostwriter!

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and @julieclarkauthor for an advance reader copy of The Ghostwriter.

The Ghostwriter is a fantastic mystery thriller/ family drama that had me reading well past my bedtime. Told from multiple points of view this book had me hooked from first page to last.
Julie Clark will now be an auto buy author for me.

Julie Clark is a must read for me. I enjoyed the alternating characters and timeline. There is a big twist which I did not expect. Very fast paced with some unreliable narrators.

So I LOVED The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell. I did not love this. It was slow and some of it was just boring. Parts I did like were Poppy and her chapters. The end and who the murderer`s actually were. I liked that there was some closure between Olivia and her father and she could make peace in the end. This book had some good twists and I liked the different perspectives and timelines for chapters. I just think it could have been tightened up a little. 3.5 stars from me.

I loved this book! The pace, the plot, the mystery.....everything was spot on to the point I was sad I couldn't read it in one sitting. Fantastically written!

This book was just ok for me. It was a little slow to get into and it felt like it dragged on but it was still ok.