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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.
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?
Birth order does play a role in the development of the child, but very often it is not so much the order, but more how each is treated by the parents, teachers. For example do these people continually compare the children, expecting one to be like the other. Why can't you be as smart. or run as f...
-Maureen_S
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 don't think it is about manipulation. I feel it was in a way "win-win" for both of them. Olivia's career was in the tank. This was her father's way of helping her and in the process reconnecting and hopefully healing old wounds. This story was huge and was going to glean attention. For Vincent,...
-Mimi_M
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?
Let me be in the background any day of the week. However, I have a whole new respect for ghostwriters after reading this book. Trying to make the "star's" story come alive with so much shared control and maybe not even shared must be a difficult role under the best of circumstance.
-Mimi_M
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?
This is a great question and one I thought a lot about when reading the book. It comes up a lot with me and my adult children. We will talk about an event and our memories are never the same! In my mind I am clear and in their minds they are clear. I also love it when they disagree about what hap...
-Helen_B
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?
I had a difficult time with this. I agree we still live in a white male dominated society, but I just found the whole lawsuit and her losing a bit confusing. I couldn't figure out how that was defamation. People say stuff all the time, and what she said was true. So that was a thread, I struggled...
-Helen_B
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?
Oh I think fllm lies even more so. Watch a video on FB or any social media. People show what they want to show. It may have been more difficult back in the day when editing wasn't so easy, but today? Nothing can be believed.
-Helen_B
Overall, what did you think of The Ghostwriter? (no spoilers, please!)
While, i'm not sure it was as good as The Lies I Tell, I did like it. I like the atmospheric quality of it..kind of spooky…the house, the woods, the murders..almost storytime around the campfire vibe. Clark does a great job building plot but at times it's a little too slow. Her real gift is in cr...
-Helen_B
Have you had experience with a family member or loved one with dementia? What was/is that experience like?
Yes, my husband's grandmother. It was so sad. I always said the worse part was when she was clear and realized what was happening and there was nothing anyone could do to stop the progression.
-Helen_B
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?
I get that he was upset and felt betrayed, but he moved pretty quickly…almost like he was looking for a reason to get out of the relationship. If I were Olivia, I don't think I'd want him back.
-Helen_B
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?
What a great question! I do believe in the end, Vincent was totally honest with Olivia. He needed her to know the truth before he died for both of their sakes.
-Mimi_M
Were you surprised at how involved the publishing process is?
I loved learning more about the ghostwriting process. Having worked in an independent bookstore, I was familiar with some aspects of the business. I laughed at their response to the film footage being found and how that could be used in the marketing of the book and then when it came out who Oliv...
-Mimi_M
To what audience would you recommend The Ghostwriter? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
Mystery lovers are going to love all the twist and turns. Book Club will have fabulous discussions on family dynamics, sibling birth order and rivalries, and ethical dilemmas just to name a few. However, might need to have trigger warnings with it for people who have similar trauma of their own.
-Mimi_M
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?
Family first! I can't tell you how often I have heard that statement throughout my life. I think that always was in the back of Vincent's mind and he was able to get Olivia on board with it. They protected those that needed to be protected, but still brought about justice. It was a super ending.
-Mimi_M
What did you think of the treasure hunts Vincent had first Poppy and then Olivia undertake? Have you ever done something similar?
I LOVED the treasure hunts. What a great bonding experience with a family member or a friend. My aunt would do this for the cousins when we gathered each summer for our big family reunion. I still have the "treasure" from our very last hunt. A Hummel figurine that once belonged to my grandparents...
-Mimi_M
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?
Vincent's comment is spot on! I watched this happen first hand with a family member and I think we all knew deep down this was the opening of Pandora's Box. Once you do it, you can't just close the lid and ignore what you have found. It truly changes you forever and it can be for better or worse.
-Mimi_M
Who did you think was guilty of killing the siblings? Did you believe Vincent could do it?
I had figured out Poppy's killer, but I was totally blown away to find out who killed Danny. I will say from the get go, I felt like Vincent was totally innocent.
-Mimi_M
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?
In the beginning, it was a form of self preservation for Olivia to keep her family's past a secret. However, when her relationship with Tom began to grow and she knew how he felt about people not being honest, she needed to take the risk and share everything with him. Dishonest relationships neve...
-Mimi_M
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?
I agree with Joyce. She was a child and didn't realize how dangerous the path she was taking was.
-Susan_L
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?
All elements of memoir writing have elements of fiction in them. The writing techniques are the same–the way you pull in the reader and pace the story. They both use the same building blocks. But memoirs are also based on memories which are faulty by nature. Every one interviewed has a different ...
-Susan_L
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?
The entire situation was sad. Vincent was trying to do what he thought was right for Olivia, but the way he went about it was awful. Then he compounded that mistake with years of addiction and neglect. It's no wonder she worried he'd killed his siblings. Add his abandonment to her mother's and Ol...
-Susan_L
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?
It was amazing they were able to piece together so much of the truth despite her father's diagnosis and the years of lies.
-Susan_L
Danny's Memories from 1975?
I agree. Danny's memories would have given too much away. And I also wanted to know a lot more about Lydia and her motivations.
-Lisa_B2
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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