The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
On Sale: June 3, 2025
What first caught my eye was the book title. Then I wondered if ghostwriter was one word or two words, ghost writer. One word is the correct answer. A while later, I started thinking I had read something by Julie Clark before. I had and it was a book I really loved called "The Lies I Tell". You can read that review by clicking on the title.
FIRST LINE: "I know what your Dad did."
THE STORY: What would you do if your brother and sister were killed in your own home? It's June 1975 and surviving brother Vincent, always suspected of the crime, has become a famous author writing best-selling horror stories.
On the other hand, Olivia Dumont has spent her life hiding the fact that she is the only child of the infamous Vincent Taylor. When she is suddenly offered the chance to ghost write her father's last book, she reluctantly accepts, needing the money. But it's not a horror novel he wants her to write. After 50 years of silence, Vincent Taylor is ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.
WHAT I THOUGHT: "The Ghostwriter" was just the psychological puzzle with aspects of genealogy and family history that make me a happy reader. The story is told from Olivia's point of view in present day while interspersed with historical chapters from Vincent and his sister, Poppy. I occasionally found it confusing trying to keep the parents and the children separate, but the writing is smooth and the plotting good enough to keep a reader up past their bedtime. Even though there's violence in this family that's a bit unsettling, I'll still be watching for New York Times bestselling author Julie Clark's next book.
BOTTOM LINE: RECOMMENDED for mystery/thriller readers. Also available on Audible, Inc.
DISCLAIMER: A copy of "The Ghostwriter" was provided to me by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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