Cbr17bingo G (bingo)
The Ghostwriter is a crime/unsolved murder novel that revolves around a father and daughter who are estranged from one another. Their relationship has been damaged by substance abuse, lies and secrets but an unusual set of circumstances reunites them. Will this be an opportunity to mend fences and resolve a sensational double murder? Or will it lead to charges against dear old dad?
In June 1975, the bodies of teenaged siblings Poppy and Danny Taylor were discovered stabbed to death in their Ojai, California home, leaving their parents and brother Vincent bereft and the townspeople terrified. No one was ever charged with the the crime, and no murder weapon was ever found, but some close to the Taylor family suspected that Vincent, then 15, was likely the killer. He was a strange boy, a trouble maker who could be violent, but there was no evidence linking him to the crime and he had an alibi. Flash forward 50 years, and Vincent Taylor is a successful and famous author of horror novels. He is also suffering from Lewy Body Dementia, a condition that causes both physical and cognitive decline. Vincent decides he wants to write his memoirs before he dies, but given his illness, he requests a ghostwriter, and the ghostwriter he demands is his own estranged daughter, Olivia Dumont.
Olivia hasn’t seen or been in communication with her father for decades. Her mother walked out when Olivia was five, and Vincent Taylor was a neglectful parent who struggled with his demons. Olivia has a few fond memories of the two of them on outings together, her father encouraging her imagination and making up elaborate scavenger hunts for her. But as she grew older, her father grew distant, retreating into a bottle and drugs. His successful career meant he was often on the road while Olivia was left with his assistant. Meanwhile in Ojai, even Olivia’s little classmates know of her father’s past and the suspicion that he murdered his siblings. She has one close friend, Jack, whose father was her uncle Danny’s best friend. But Vincent sends his daughter out of the country for high school, more or less abandoning her. Olivia, a talented writer in her own right, is hurt and angry, and once she finishes school, she marries, divorces (keeping the new name), and never speaks to her father or returns to Ojai again. With a new name she can avoid talking about the murders and make her own successful career. When Olivia’s editor Nicole reaches out with the offer to ghostwrite Vincent Taylor’s memoirs, Nicole has no idea that Vincent is her father. Nicole does know, however, that due to a lawsuit, Olivia’s financial resources have been depleted and she might even lose her house. Olivia, against her better judgment, decides to accept the job and returns to Ojai and the scene of the crime.
From here, the reader is treated to a fascinating story that alternates between 2025 and 1975, and among the points of view of Vincent, Poppy, and Olivia. We learn that Vincent, because of his condition, can be an unreliable narrator and that he might have reason to lie about events leading up to the murders. Olivia, who resents her parents’ deceptions, has herself been dishonest with the man she is dating. She also has been blackballed amongst ghostwriters since she criticized a very powerful man within that community. Poppy, before her untimely death, was a budding women’s rights champion and hoped to become a journalist, using her 8mm camera to record community events and other happenings in her world. Her tapes and a few diary entries take Olivia down unexpected paths as she tries to work with her increasingly difficult father and discover the truth about his past.
I found this to be a very engaging read. I was drawn in by the different points of view of events leading up to the murders, and the gradual reveal of the truth was also satisfying. At various points I thought I had it figured out, only to have a new piece of information make me rethink. If you enjoy crime/murder mysteries, The Ghostwriter is worth looking into.
