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A Novel
by Julie Clark
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell comes a dazzling new thriller.
June, 1975.
The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets.
Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it's not another horror novel he wants her to write.
After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.
2026 first quarter besties
...'26 reads were mediocre with quite a few DNFs. However, I did have a handful of favs. Q1 Favs include: Fiction: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans* The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark The Young Will Remember by Eve J Chung (ARC) Non-Fiction: A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland* The Wives by Simone Gorrindo Winter...
-Gabi_J
Who did you think was guilty of killing the siblings? Did you believe Vincent could do it?
It was an interesting mystery, with clues going off in many directions. However the biggest stand out to me was the neighborhood. No teacher would chose to live next door to their students or give such parties. Something was wrong.
-Maureen_S
Poppy is shown to be a fierce advocate of women and women’s rights. How do you think that affected her decisions throughout the book? Did she take risks she shouldn’t have?
Poppy was like a child playing detective and the camera gave her one more tool. She took risks beyond being safe. To go to the Women's March alone and then to get into a stranger's car demonstrates her lack of clear thinking. There was a total lack of communication in the entire family, no one se...
-Maureen_S
Overall, what did you think of The Ghostwriter? (no spoilers, please!)
A slow start, and was debating a DNF but powered through and wound up enjoying the ending
-Teresa_L
What are you reading this week? (7/17/2025)
Busy week here so I needed a page-turner for my free moments. Currently reading The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark and enjoying it so far!
-Laurie_M
Have you had experience with a family member or loved one with dementia? What was/is that experience like?
I lost my best friend to the dreaded disease. We had often talked about when we retired what we would seek to do together. That never happened, her last few years she did know who I was and that really hurt. I miss her terribly. We went through so many years together as young brides, mothers, gra...
-Carol_N
What do you make of Tom’s reaction to Olivia’s confession? Do you think he was overreacting, or were his expectations clear from the beginning?
Once someone has been devastated by lies, they often would rather be presented by the cold, hard truth, have a chance to process the facts, and make a decision. Lies in a relationship are toxic and dangerous betrayal. When I met my current partner, we had both been nearly destroyed by lies. Somet...
-Vivian_H
Olivia and Vincent ultimately publish a theory about the murders in their book. What did you think about the story they chose to tell? Were they justified in taking the route they did?
Absolutely comfortable with the story they decided to tell. It was essentially a just conclusion that Vince & Olivia could live with. Sometimes, what may be legally correct is not justice.
-Vivian_H
What books have you enjoyed so far in 2025, what books are you looking forward to reading?
...erling The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict The Jackel's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coban This American Woman by Zarna Garg The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom
-Shirley_Fentz
How does Olivia remember her childhood, and how does that differ from how her father remembers her childhood? How have Olivia’s and Vincent’s pasts affected their actions and relationship?
Olivia remembers her childhood with both happiness and sadness. There is the rejection of the neighborhood children, but the fun of the games with her father. She remembers the rejection of her mother, then her father's sending her away. Vincent remembers the love he had for Olivia and enjoyed th...
-Maureen_S
To what audience would you recommend The Ghostwriter? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
This book is great for anyone who enjoys a mystery, particularly book discussion groups. It will make a great summer read.
-Maureen_S
What did you think of the treasure hunts Vincent had first Poppy and then Olivia undertake? Have you ever done something similar?
I think Vincent's treasure hunts with Poppy were a way of having a relationship with his sister, that was just for the two of them, leaving out his brother. Often they were fun, but at times strange. When he began them with Olivia, I think he was trying to make and keep a connection with her, whi...
-Maureen_S
Poppy claims that film doesn’t lie “like memories do.” Is this true? Are there more accuracies in film, or can film be as misleading as memories?
Films show moments of time, do they lie? I don't believe they lie, but we do not see the moments before or after the moment captured. When viewed several years later, the viewer is bringing new knowledge to their interpretation of what must be happening. There were a few places where Poppy caught...
-Maureen_S
Were you surprised at how involved the publishing process is?
I don't think I was necessarily surprised that it was so involved, but I definitely learned a lot about the process (I'm not sure I really knew anything about it before this) and found it interesting.
-Tara_T
Would you ever want to be a ghostwriter—doing the work in the background but never acknowledged—or do you prefer to be the star?
Hmmm… I think if I'm going to put in all the work on the research and actual writing I would want SOME sort of credit. But I wouldn't want to be the star. I certainly wouldn't want the responsibility of promoting anything, etc.
-Tara_T
When Olivia asks Vincent why he wants to write the story, he tells her, “When I die, they’ll die with me…This is the least I can do for them.” She, however, thinks it’s “about money and about manipulating me one last time.” Whose view is correct?
I think Vincent just wants everyone, particularly Olivia, to understand what happened before he dies. There will be no one left to tell the story when he is gone.
-Cindy_Cardinal
Olivia wonders if Margot’s & Mark’s memories are colored by their friendships with Poppy & Danny. Do you think you could recall something with complete accuracy? Do you have particular memories that you know are clouded by your feelings at the time?
Their memories were colored by their friendships with Poppy and Danny. They never knew the entire story of their friends and they were more than willing to blame Vincent for everything. I think it is very hard to remember something with complete accuracy.
-Cindy_Cardinal
Do you think in the end that Vincent has told Olivia the complete truth, or as a “liar by trade and by instinct” he’s held back a portion of it?
I think Vincent told her the truth as he knew it. He made a point of writing the hints for her before his mind was too far gone.
-Cindy_Cardinal
Olivia’s father tells her, “Very rarely do people like what they find when they go digging into the past.” How did you feel about his statement here? Do you agree with him?
I agree with him up to a point. By digging into the past, Olivia was able to resolve some issues, but she also learned some things that I'm sure didn't make her happy.
-Cindy_Cardinal
What did you think of Olivia's confrontation with John Calder? Was her ensuing ostracism deserved? Would there have been less blowback if she'd been male? Do you think you’d be able to ghostwrite a book with someone you loathed?
Olivia didn't deserve the criticism or the lawsuit. We do end up learning some things about how Calder writes before we get to the end of the book. So in the end her criticism of him is justified. She would have had less blowback if she had been male. Unfortunately that is the world we live in. W...
-Cindy_Cardinal
Olivia feels her family’s past and secrets are so harmful to her that she hides them from everyone, even her closest partner. Do you think she’s right to do so? Are there things you keep from your loved ones?
I think her keeping her secrets hurts the relationships she had all around. She almost lost her partner. She didn't talk to her friend Jack for years. She also could have had a different relationships with her father if she had been willing to work through it.
-Cindy_Cardinal
Danny's Memories from 1975?
I hadn't really thought about it. Danny is the one who holds on to his secrets for the most part, so maybe that is why we only hear his part of the story through others.
-Cindy_Cardinal
Olivia at first refuses the work because she’s “not a fiction writer.” Her father replies, “Of course you’re a fiction writer. You always have been.” What do you think he means? Do you agree with his interpretation?
Olivia did write stories and invent characters as a child, even if she didn't remember until her father reminded her. In the end, Olivia and her father create a little fiction in the story she helps him write. I also think they reference memories a lot and how they are not always reliable, so eve...
-Cindy_Cardinal
Considering only the reader can glean the whole truth of the murders at the end, were you satisfied with how much knowledge Olivia and Vincent are able to gather?
Without the films and the diary they would never have gotten to the place they were. It would have all be subjection. But between Olivia's various interviews and Vincent's notes and sometimes lucid memory, I think they pieced it together fairly well. Especially with the help of Lydia.
-Sandi
Danny, Vincent, and Poppy have a complex sibling relationship. Do you think birth order matters in siblings? Did it matter to Danny, Vincent, and Poppy?
Yes birth order has a lot to do with how you are raised, how you relate to your siblings and how you are treated by both your parents and the world in general. Regardless of all else, there are certain traits optimized by both birth order and gender. I think it mattered to all three children, in ...
-Sandi
What are you reading this week? (5/22/2025)
Almost finished with Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez for a historical fiction book club at my local library. Will be starting Ghostwriter by Julie Clark next in preparation for the book discussion.
-Joan_G
What are you reading this week? (5/15/2025)
I just started "The Ghostwriter" by Julie Clark. So far, it has been a real page turner.
-Maureen_S
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
Please join BookBrowse in our book club discussion of The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
-kim.kovacs
"Clark effortlessly delivers on her clever, metatextual premise in this devilish thriller...[She] keeps readers guessing about Taylor's motives and guilt, all while playing scrupulously fair with the reader. It adds up to a deeply satisfying shocker in the vein of Riley Sager's The Only One Left." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Dark, enigmatic, suspenseful, complex, thought provoking, and heart wrenching, this book is a riveting, five-star read." —Booklist (starred review)
"With a fast-paced plot that blurs boundaries between present and past, along with a psychologically compelling cast of characters, Clark's new thriller is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and will have readers reconsidering what it means to write, right, and rewrite personal stories." —Library Journal
"I love all of Julie Clark's books and The Ghostwriter is at the top of that list! Expertly plotted and exquisitely twisted… Julie Clark masterfully weaves together a daughter's long-held suspicions and her father's deadly secrets with the tragic events from the past. The Ghostwriter kept me turning pages in this suspenseful search for the truth." ―Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins
"Once again, Julie Clark is the queen of the twist. Intricately layered and full of emotional complexity, The Ghostwriter throws you in the deep end and keeps you there until the very last page. It left me breathless." ―Janelle Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Things, Watch Me Disappear, and All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
"The Ghostwriter is a smart, compulsive, and intelligent thriller. I was hooked from the outset by the clever premise, which is elegantly executed. Julie Clark is fast becoming one of my favorite crime writers." ―Lucy Clarke, author of The Castaways, The Hike, and One of the Girls
"Julie Clark does it again. In The Ghostwriter, Clark takes on family secrets with her trademark suspenseful storytelling and exquisite twists. The Ghostwriter is Clark at her best." ―Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me and The Night We Lost Him
This information about The Ghostwriter was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight. It has earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal, and the New York Times has called it "thoroughly absorbing". It's been named an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads Pick, and a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon Editors and Apple Books. Her debut, The Ones We Choose, was published in 2018 and has been optioned for television by Lionsgate. She lives in Los Angeles with her two sons and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.
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