A review by bethreadsandnaps
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

4.0

 

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.