The Ghostwriter

Olivia is what makes this story so compelling and my favorite character. She's a ghostwriter, and her life starts to fall apart after she outs a colleague. Her story pulls you in emotionally, as she struggles to face her family's past while doing her job and trying to balance her work instincts with tough family truths.

It's also interesting that she's spent her whole career telling other people's truths for a living, and now she's forced to dig for the one truth she's spent decades avoiding: her own family's. Olivia is also very relatable-completely down on her luck and dealing with an incredibly messy, toxic family dynamic.

Olivia's father, Vincent, also plays an important role in this story. He's a horror novelist and the main suspect in an old family murder case. Because he has lost his memory and struggles to communicate clearly due to a disease, he is unreliable, so you never know if he is hiding something or if he can't remember. This creates a lot of tension, and as a reader, you want to know more. And I also thought Poppy added a lot to the story, helping Olivia find answers with her video diary.

This is not a fast-paced thriller; it's more of a slow-burn that takes time to build, but there is plenty of emotional pull and a lot of family drama for readers who love a more character-driven plot.

Also, since Julie Clark shifts toward a slower, more character-driven story, fans expecting an intense, twisty thriller should know this one feels very different from her previous books. But readers who love complex female characters, complicated relationships, and a mystery that unfolds slowly will likely love this one. Think Fredrik Backman or The Wedding People for the character-driven storytelling, with shades of Donna Tartt and Tana French in the slow-burn mystery.