I devoured this book. It was full of suspense and weaved a complex and emotional story that had me hooked at the beginning.

Olivia is a ghostwriter desperate for a new project. She reluctantly agrees to write the memoir of her estranged father, Vincent Taylor, a famous horror writer with a dark past. Vincent was suspected of murdering of his two teenage siblings in 1975, but he was never convicted. As Olivia begins to write his story, she finds herself immersed in a mystery that blurs the lines of truth and fiction.

I loved the dual timeline and perspectives from the present and the past from around the time of the murders. Vincent is an unreliable narrator with his diagnosis of dementia, so the suspense was killing me of what really happened in 1975. When the truth was revealed, I was shocked. Hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while!

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter, but a public spat with another writer has left her career in ruins. Her luck changes when acclaimed horror author Vincent Taylor requests Olivia to ghostwrite his memoirs. This isn’t just any life story, though. Vincent’s siblings were murdered in 1975 and he was the prime suspect.

Link to the rest of the review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/07/08/the-ghostwriter-julie-clark/

I really enjoyed this book. I was completely immersed in the atmosphere of it (especially the flashbacks to the 1970’s) and really could see it all play out like a movie in my head. Here’s what you need to know about this book- the main character, Olivia goes back to her hometown to assist her father as his ghostwriter in writing his last book, a memoir. The memoir is all about uncovering the murder of his brother and sister back in the 70’s. Olivia’s father, Vincent, though never charged with the murders has always dealt with most in their community believing it was him, but was it? This book kept me interested and engrossed in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely would recommend it. One thing to note- this read more like a slow burn mystery, it is not a thriller. That’s not a bad thing, just important to know going into it! Thanks so much to NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

3.5 ⭐️

I liked this, but didn't love it like I was expecting.
Julie Clark got put on my radar after reading The Lies I Tell and loving it. Everything she writes I want to read and her latest was one of my most highly anticipated reads this year. Unfortunately, it was just an okay read for me. I enjoyed it, but because I loved her other book so much, the bar was set high and I was expecting more from this one. It was good, but not my favorite by her.

I did like how it was a quick read, but I felt the pacing was off and some parts dragged. Despite not having the epic twists and jaw dropping ending I expected, Clark still is a great author and I do enjoy her writing. Unfortunately, I just had a lukewarm experience while reading this one and if you haven't read any of her books before, I'd go with The Lies I Tell before reading this one.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

5 stars! This book grabbed my attention right from the start. It’s uniquely written, focusing more on the story than just the murder mystery (though the “whodunit” aspect keeps you hooked!). I especially connected with the father’s diagnosis, as my own dad had Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia, and I felt the author did an excellent job portraying how this affects the mind. This was my first read by Julie Clark, and I will definitely read more. Highly recommend!

Julie Clark is an auto-buy author for me, and this one did not disappoint! This is a story about a woman named Olivia who is a ghostwriter and down on her luck. She’s gotten herself into some legal trouble and is asked—through her agent—by her estranged father, who is a famous author himself, to write his memoir before he dies. The issue is that they are estranged for very good reasons. Besides the fact that he wasn’t a very good father to her, he’s also been accused of murdering his siblings for decades and has hardly disputed the allegations. You’d think if someone accused you of something so heinous, you’d fight tooth and nail to change people’s minds, right? Not Vincent Taylor.

Olivia needs the money, so she agrees to do it (even though her agent has no idea she’s his daughter because she changed her name!), and in the process of writing this memoir, she finds her deceased aunt’s diary and learns there are film recordings somewhere. What was supposed to be a ghostwriting job turns into something much more sinister as she starts to investigate the murder of her aunt and uncle herself—and either clear her father’s name or, once and for all, prove he did it and put the mystery to rest.

I thought this was such a clever and addicting thriller. I loved the multiple timelines, multiple POVs, family secrets, and the murder mystery itself. The social commentary may bother some people (which I personally cannot relate to), but I took a star off because Olivia wasn’t the strongest main character I’ve read in a thriller—she left a lot to be desired. There was quite a bit of miscommunication, and she was frustrating at times. Her relationship just wasn’t important to me and I did find this to be extremely slow paced.

Aside from those gripes, I thought this was really well done, and the ending surprised me!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks, for this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a fantastic murder mystery with some family drama that keeps it interesting. I could relate with the main character, Olivia, and appreciated the multiple character perspectives to tell the story

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of The Ghostwriter. The twists were a bit predictable and while the ending was open ended, I felt like there were several things that did not make sense to me. I would have liked for more things to feel wrapped up by the end.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I think many thriller readers will enjoy it.

I think I went into this one with a different idea of what this would be like. However, the dual timeline and the idea of a Ghostwriter was intriguing enough to keep me reading. With almost all mysteries, I can predict (somewhat) the end, and this was no different. However, the setting, the family dynamics, the characterization (especially the presence of Lewy Body Dementia) kept me reading well into the night.

Thank you Sourcebook Landmark for my #gifted ebook of The Ghostwriter! #sourcebooks #sourcebookslandmark #TheGhostwriter #JulieClark

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟱★

This book will be one of my favorite mystery/thrillers of the year! This was my first book by Julie Clark and I LOVED it! I will be recommending this book for a very long time. It’s the type of book that keeps you guessing until the very end. The author did such a great job setting up the entire book and I loved the format. It was a slow burn family drama that I could not read quickly enough.

In June 1975, teenagers Danny and Poppy Taylor are found dead in their home. Their brother, Vincent, is the only surviving sibling, and although never convicted of their murder, there have been plenty of whispers and rumors accusing him of being responsible for their death. Since their death, Vincent has become known as a famous horror writer. He has also married and since separated from Lydia, who he was with the night of the murders, who is also the mother of their only child. Olivia. Olivia, however, has spent her entire professional career as a ghostwriter, hiding the fact that she is the child of Vincent Taylor. In fact, she changed her name to Olivia Dumont and has not spoken to her father in years. With her own career failing, she is offered a job to ghostwrite her father’s last book. What she soon finds out that his last book is not a work of fiction, but a memoir, and Vincent is finally ready to talk about what really happened on that June night in 1975.

🔥Family Dynamics
🔥Cold Cases
🔥Multiple POVs
🔥Unreliable Narrators
🔥Lots of Layers & Twists
🔥Complex Characters
🔥Dual Timeline

Posted on Goodreads onJuly 7, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 7, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 7, 2025
**-will post on designated date

This is a SLOW burn, especially for the first half of the book. I didn’t love the MC, and being stuck for so much time in her internal thoughts wasn’t my fav. There was a lot of her imagining things, remembering and repeating things she knew line for line, and a side plot about her boyfriend that slowed down the already slow pace. The second half was more interesting as the past storyline, by far the more interesting timeline, is finally more of a focus. I was able to predict several twists and while a few others surprised me, there were things that didn’t fully add up to me.

While this wasn’t my fav by the author, I’m still excited to read her next book. Others have loved this one, so it might just not have been the right book at the right time for me.

Thanks Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the DRC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A gripping family drama, The Ghostwriter pulls you into Olivia’s emotional return home as she confronts the complicated legacy of her father and unravels the mystery behind the deaths of Danny and Poppy. The story takes you on a journey of discovery, blending present-day investigation with long-buried secrets from the 1970s.

The atmospheric details and newly uncovered evidence from decades past paint a vivid picture of the Taylor family's hidden turmoil. Julie Clark delivers a suspenseful and emotional read filled with twists, layers of betrayal, and more than one family secret. A strong and compelling story that’s hard to put down.

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! Couldn’t put it down, actually. Riffing on the currently popular genre of the protagonist traveling back to a childhood town to discover the “truth,” Clark has put her own spin on it and created a mystery masterpiece. The plot unfolds effortlessly, with lots of twists and a shocking reveal.
Told through several points of view, the ghostwriter, Olivia Taylor Dumont, has been estranged from her best-selling novelist father for decades. For many reasons, not the least of which is that he was suspected of murdering his two siblings back in 1975. But the crime was never officially solved. So when Olivia’s agent presents her with a contract from her father’s publisher to ghost write his memoir in which he plans to reveal the truth, she accepts. One complication is that Vincent Taylor is dying of Lewy Body Syndrome and is incapable of writing on his own. And due to his disease, she cannot trust his memory.
Clark writes from multiple characters’ POV, including the ghostwriter, as she returns to her childhood home and resumes a relationship with her declining father, following a treasure hunt of clues and false narratives. Eventually the truth is revealed, and it is a shocker! Did not see it coming!
I really enjoyed this book. It is the first time I’ve read this author, and I am now looking forward to exploring more of her work.

The Ghost Writer by Julie Clark. Julie Clark is an automatic read for me. I really enjoyed this book until the end. I feel like the pace was good, the plot kept me reading and the character development was spot on - I just really thought the end left a lot to be interpreted by the reader. I still enjoyed and would recommend the book.

The synopsis for The Ghostwriter was very compelling, so like everyone else, I added it to my TBR.

For whatever reason, I felt that the pacing was a tad slower than I would have liked to really keep me into the story, but I do think that it is still worth the read. It's filled with family drama galore, multiple unreliable characters, and gives glimpses into the past to help pull the story together.

I would recommend it with the caveat to not expect a gripping-page turning thriller but one that unravels slowly with just enough to keep you wondering.

Olivia Dumont is given a second chance at being a ghost writer - the problem is she is writing for her father; someone she hasn't seen in many years. She learns her father is dying but wants to write a memoir to tell the truth about the murder of his siblings 50 years ago. Olivia comes to see that what she thought about her father may have been wrong and now she wants the truth. This was a quick five hour read for me and it kept me interested the whole time.

I really liked this book. I thought I had it figured out and then I would read something and start questioning EVERYTHING I was thinking. It kept me engaged until the end!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

This is my third Julie Clark book. In general, her books hold the same place for me as books by Janice Hallett or Gillian McAllister - they try something a bit new, a bit different with each of their stories; they are propulsive and compulsively readable, and they have complex characters. This one was just okay for me, but I will always pick up a Julie Clark book.

In 1975, Vincent Taylor's older brother and younger sister were murdered in their home. He would go on to become a famous horror author - a la Stephen King - without ever getting an answer for the crime that helped bolster that horror reputation. Now his daughter, a memoir ghostwriter is on the outs with the publishing industry after calling out a misogynist during a panel event. Her father offers her a way back. Rather than ghostwriting his next fiction book, as she was pitched, he wants to write a memoir and share the truth of what happened 50 years ago. Can she put aside her issues and their long estrangement? Is she willing to risk what she might discover along the way?

In many ways, Clark's plotting and character building here are strong, as expected. There's a really interesting conversation here about how we sometimes as a society mythologize murder victims, as they we owe them adoration in lieu of the life they didn't get. Olivia encounters this when trying to find out what really happened - her father is sharing things about his brother Danny that she is not hearing from anyone else. But is that because her father is an unreliable narrator, or because Danny's best friend has glossed over his flaws? Related to that, there's something about the unreliableness of memories at all. We tend to see them as truth, but memories are always seen through the lens of our own experiences. It was also really interesting to read this right after reading Run for the Hills, which both center on children confronting fathers who are older and more fragile than they are remembered, and how that can be an obstacle to the catharsis those characters hope is waiting for them.

So the overall concept felt very strong. In addition to the notes above, I generally loved the ghostwriting aspect as an entry point for the storytelling and I always love complicated family dynamics. That said, I can't help but be disappointed by the ultimate reveal. I do think there is a truth to these storylines, but I don't think I've ever seen them portrayed in a way that grabbles with that reality and doesn't ultimately feel like it's just been for shock or twist value. It often just ends up feeling like lazy storytelling. That is not necessarily the case in this book, but because of past books and my personal threshhold for the topic, it severely impacted my experience here. Beyond that, there was also A LOT going on, and I didn't feel like all of the threads were necessarily satisfactorily wrapped up. That leads back to just an okay one for me.

Bonus weirdness: I happened to finally read this ARC that I've had for months within days of the 50th anniversary of the murders, which is the focus of Olivia's writing about it.

CW: dementia, parental abandonment, death, animal daeth, alcoholism, sexual assault/rape/CSA

Olivia Dumont, a successful ghostwriter, must confront the legacy of her estranged father, horror novelist Vincent Taylor, as she uncovers long-buried secrets. Clark examines how each revelation about Olivia’s past unravels another layer of her sense of self. The novel shows that the ties binding us to family can be both a source of strength and profound uncertainty.
From the opening chapters, the dual timelines grab you and refuse to let go. Clark alternates between 1975 and the present day, discovering clues through Poppy’s diary entries and Olivia’s investigations. Every new piece of evidence ratchets up the suspense, making it impossible to set the book down until the final twist. This momentum showcases Clark’s gift for crafting an irresistible, character-driven thriller.
The Ghostwriter is ultimately about the quest for truth—and the courage required to face it. Clark reminds us that family bonds, however tangled, are threads that compose the tapestry of who we become. As Olivia peels back each layer of her father’s memoir, readers are compelled to ask: what would we do to learn our own history? This gripping novel proves that sometimes the most haunting stories are the ones we inherit.

I absolutely loved this one! Part thriller part deep family drama. This kept me hooked from the very beginning. It drew you in, kept you hooked, and made you feel all the emotions. I highly recommend!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, the author, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.