Editorial note: I received a copy of The Ghostwriter in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is an intriguing mystery about long ago secrets finally revealed.
Before The Ghostwriter, I hadn’t read a thriller in ages. So I found it quite refreshing to revisit this genre. And Julie Clark is so good at creating a suspenseful story but also an interesting character study. I found this one to be especially vivid with the two timelines: one in present day Ojai, California, and the other in the 1975.
Sometimes with mysteries, I try to solve it as well. But I kind of just went along for the ride with this one, and I truly was mystified at how it would all be resolved. I liked reading the little breadcrumbs left that help connect the dots to the larger picture.
With having a very active four-year-old, I try not to read books that late at night these days so I can have plenty of energy during the day with my toddler. So only very select stories will keep me up—and The Ghostwriter is one of those. I just had to know how it would end.
But then, when it ended—I wanted immediately to discuss it with someone!
What’s the Story About
A family is shattered when two teenage siblings are found dead in their home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent Taylor, could never shake the accusations that he was involved.
Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent. 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.
Now 50 years later, Olivia might be the one to find out the truth about what happened that night, as her dad is finally ready to talk.
The Characters
In my Q&A with Julie, I asked her what readers can expect from the novel. And she said, “The Ghostwriter is character driven. My characters don’t only solve an external problem, but they work internally to complete a significant emotional arc. You can also expect multiple narrators, two strong female lead characters, and dual timelines — the present as well as 1975.”
And this is something I quite enjoy with her novels—how there is a larger character arc. Solving the crime is the overarching theme of the story, but it really is a quiet, introspective read about a woman coming to terms with her family’s past. But she’s also at a huge crossroads. Her career is a disaster, she’s in a ton of debt, and she’s held secrets from the man she loves. So when her absentee father reaches out with a job offer, it’s hard to refuse.
But it’s not just Olivia that we follow—we also get to know Vincent’s sister, Poppy, who was murdered in 1975, along with their brother Danny. We are able to learn more about Poppy straight from her, as Olivia finds both her diary and old videotapes.
While both storylines are extremely compelling, I was especially engaged with Poppy’s storyline. And it’s also so sad, knowing that a terrible fate awaits her.
The Mystery
The big mystery is what happened that day, and who killed Poppy and Danny? Was it Vincent or someone else? Vincent always proclaims his innocence, but now he’s suffering from dementia, and is beginning to confuse reality and people.
So Olivia is trying to piece everything together with her father’s fragile memories, and Poppy’s diary and videotapes. She also eventually talks with people who were friends with the family during that time period.
I keep these spoiler-free so I don’t want to give anything away. But I did have some questions about a couple reveals, so if you do read this one, let me know, so we can discuss! I will say, there is an aspect that I wish were clarified a bit more.
Verdict
The Ghostwriter is an entertaining summer mystery. This would be a great airplane or pool side read. There are extremely heavy topics discussed but I found Julie handled the subject matter with care.
While I wanted a bit more resolution on certain areas, I overall thought this was a solid read.
For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.
