A Ghost Writer with Skeletons in Her Own Closet

IF YOU can’t do, teach, so they say. Or in the case of Emily, if you can’t write a follow-up to a well-received debut novel, ghost write a true-crime book from the perspective of the accused.
Emily is not in a great place. The advance her publishers have paid her to write a second book has been frittered away as she has started draft after draft until all her ideas have run out. Her publishers have cottoned on to the fact that she is way behind on her deadline and likely not to have the means to pay back her significant fee, so they come to her with a proposition.
She is to help write the memoir of a former cycling star accused of the murder of his wife. It has been a high-profile case; the victim was one-half of a well-known couple, who also happened to be a daytime TV presenter. There is a sheen of glamour to the case, and while Emily has no experience in this type of writing, she agrees to the project – if only to keep the wolves from her own door.
She is whisked off to Florida and a luxury compound serendipitously named Beach Read, which is one of the few completed properties in a planned-town-in-progress called Sanctuary. She meets her subject, Jack Smyth and is disarmed by his normality; it has been ten months since his wife’s death and he carries all the hallmarks of a still grieving widower, albeit one who has the accusation of her murder also weighing on his shoulders.
She wonders why on earth he would want to write this book under these circumstances, but the thought of her unpaid debt is still keeping her up at night, so she gets into professional mode, and he begins to tell her his side of the story.
As well as the narrative of the time spent in Sanctuary, there are flashbacks to the days leading up to Jack’s wife’s death, from the woman’s own point of view. Kate has left her job after feeling immense pressure resulting from the fame it has attracted, and is now at home in the couple’s country retreat, figuring things out.
She is also supporting Jack through a combustible time in his new venture – a clothing and lifestyle brand. He’s tense, she’s weary, the two are not getting along but each is trying to reign their demons in.
On a windswept beach walk she encounters a woman who claims to have worked with her husband on the cycling team, and seems to want to warn her about some impending doom.
A name is mentioned, Kate gets spooked, and leaves the seaside in a hurry. Who is this woman, who is the mystery man, what has it to do with the couple and has it anything to do with her death?
Burn After Reading is the latest in Catherine Ryan Howard’s string of high-concept, fabulously twisty thrillers. In a foreword, she explains how the story came about, and her heroine Emily also touches upon how the writing process can begin with multiple nuggets of inspiration.
Ryan Howard has a dual concern – that of the author and their work and ownership of it, and the mystery of Kate’s death. The two subjects marry each other well, particularly with Jack’s insistence on his innocence being eroded away by his motivation for bringing the book out, and the passages containing Kate’s perspective.
The book is also interested in exploring the voracious public appetite for true crime, and with all those strands to consider, it takes a while to get going. Some of the exposition is longwinded rather than tantallising, and the path to where the plot is going spelled out too obviously.
But the writer’s otherwise zippy style and knack for drawing out characters and unfurling surprise plot-turns is present and correct, and all the threads come together in a satisfactory conclusion.
Emily is a heroine to get behind, even with the not-unsubtle hints of previous nefarious infractions of her own, and it brings up some interesting themes to consider. When facts are stranger than fiction, how easy are they to believe?

Former Olympic cyclist Jack Smyth enlists the help of Emily to ghostwrite his memoir. Jack wants to protest his innocence after his wife Kate was killed in a house fire a year ago, however the postmortem revealed Kate was dead before the fire started. Emily needs the work so flies out to Florida to stay with Jack for a week and write his story.
As the week goes on jacks behaviour changes, Emily begins to wonder if he is the murderer and more details are revealed about that fateful night.

This was a good read, the ending was good but I did feel like the story dragged on more than necessary.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this one! I was hooked from the start as I always enjoy books about authors. The ending was a bit flat for me though and some of it didn't sit quite right as in, it didn't quite make sense but that's probably a me thing!

Overall, a highly addictive thriller and one I recommend.

Burn After Reading, the latest thriller from Irish true crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard, is inspired by OJ Simpson and his infamous book If I Did It.

One-time novelist Emily has been unable to recreate the magic of her first novel The Witness; she has spent five years trying and failing, and is now in debt to her publisher to the tune of €25k. The answer to her financial problems arrives in the form of a request from her publisher for Emily to ghost write a book for famous ex-cyclist Jack Smyth who may or may not have murdered his wife.

Mostly set in a modern purpose-built Florida town inspired by the town in The Truman Show, Burn After Reading is a slow-paced suspense novel that never caught fire. Florida and cycling hold no real interest for me, I felt all of the characters lacked depth and the pace was lacklustre. Unfortunately, reading it began to feel like a chore that I wanted to complete and move on from. Just an ok read unfortunately. 2/5⭐️

*Many thanks to Penguin Books Ireland for the advance proof copy. As always, this is an honest review.

Burn after reading is a story that will keep you guessing. Emily is an author struggling to deliver her second book. When she is given a way out of her debt she reluctantly agrees.

The story then moves to America where Emily is ghost writing for a cyclist who is under suspicion of killing his wife. Emily was reluctant to begin with and when more and more twists develop she really wants to leave…but how can she?

The story is really well written with someone being an unreliable narrator…but can you work out who?

The book also looks at the world of writing and makes you wonder how often the lines of fact and fiction are blurred.

Another great read from Catherine Ryan Howard.

Struggling writer Emily has a chance to pull herself out of the debt she owes to her publisher by ghostwriting a book for famous cyclist Jack Smyth.

Sounds perfect right? Wrong! Jack Smyth is suspected of killing his wife Kate and setting fire to their home to destroy the evidence. He is keen to publish his account to clear his name.

Emily travels to a isolated house in the US to spend a week with Jack to gather the materials she needs to write the book, if Jack is guilty, then Emily is stuck on her own with a killer.

I loved the premise for this book and enjoyed the way it played out. Alongside the main plot, there is also a subplot of Emily’s past and why she has struggled with writing her follow up to her successful debut.

I really liked Emily as a character and the way the different strands of the story came together seamlessly, with Kate’s story leading up to the fire interwoven.

Catherine Ryan Howard never fails to deliver!

Thanks to NetGalley, Random house UK and Transworld digital for the advanced copy.

Started Thursday at bedtime finished this morning (I work full time) otherwise I could not put thjs down.
Absolutely gripping,fast paced plot, interesting characters with lots of twists and turns along the way. I reslly couldn’t guess how this was going to work out. Well written and totally unputdownable. I really look forward to reading more from this author.

I was so excited to read this book I just love this Author.
Jack Smyth is a retired cyclist and his wife died in a fire a year ago now he wants to write a story to clear his name of suspicion .Emily is a writer she agrees to ghost write his book for him she doesn't want to but needs the money she has written a best seller now they want there money back the publisher has payed out to write another but she isn't having any luck with that so she takes the job.
What follows is a great book from a great author with lots of twists and turns the story flowed well.
Recommended.

I’ve just finished reading and have barely been able to put it down since starting! Absolutely compelling reading, fast paced plot, interesting characters with lots of twists and turns along the way. I really didn’t know how it was going to pan out. Well written and totally absorbing. I will really miss this one and look forward to reading more from this author.

3.5⭐️

Emily is offered the chance to ghost write a book for Jack to try and help prove his innocence. He was never charged but the cloud of suspicion continues to hang over him.

I found this a very slow burn(forgive the pun) coupled with the unreliability aspect it took me ages to read which didn’t help with the flow of the book.

The author is good at coming up with fresh ideas for her novels becoming a go to author for me.
I enjoyed the ghostwriting premise with the inclusion of cycling it added a point of interest but overall the story lacked enough interest to get my attention, the ending didn’t live up to my expectation. I didn’t find the characters had enough depth, and certainly weren’t likeable.
Unfortunately this one was a miss for me, but I look forward to her next book.

I enjoy Catherine Ryan Howard's writing style and this was another good read. It was fascinating to read her preface on what news stories prompted her to write the novel and then the way she wove those themes into the characters and plot. It is very much a book about unreliable narrators and manipulators and fun to follow the twists and turns if deception. Centring on the question of whether a woman was murdered or had a terrible accident, it is both a whodunit and whydunit and reaches a satisfying conclusion.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

A fast paced, addictive read with a true crime feel... it's infuriating and scary to see how manipulative a powerful narcissistic man can be in order to get away with a crime, and this examines some very current themes. I literally couldn't stop reading until I got to the explosive end...

Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard
I give this book 4.25 stars.

The night Jack Smyth ran into flames in a desperate attempt to save his wife he was too late.
Suspicion has stalked him ever since.
A year on, he's signed a book deal. He wants to tell his side of the story, Emily has never ghostwritten anything before, but she's about to learn that there are some stories that should never be told .

A slow burn start that picks up and had me racing towards the end of the story. Cleverly written so it felt like true crime.Told in dual narratives, with flawed characters ( don’t you just love them ) and a past and present timelines. There is plenty of tension and unease in the isolated environment and both Jack and Emily’s reasons for being there. Filled with deception who should we trust and what is the real truth.l loved the addition of early insights into what was to come for me this added to my reading experience as did the authors note.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for my chance to read and review this book.

Burn after Reading is the first Catherine Ryan Howard book that I have read but I very much doubt it will be the last. From the opening chapter you are drawn into something that will keep you hooked until the end.
Emily Joyce has written a successful book but has been struggling to follow up with her second and she is worried that her publishers will want their advance back and its money she just doesn’t have. When she is called to a meeting with them, they offer her a solution to her problems. They need a ghostwriter for former professional cyclist Jack Smyth. Jack lost his wife in a terrible fire and although he has never been charged with her murder there has always been rumour and doubt following him. He has decided to tell his story to prove his innocence. Feeling that she has no choice Emily soon finds herself in Florida with Jack to get the information needed for the book. It should have been a straightforward assignment but from the empty half-built town of Sanctuary to the mysterious messages and the feeling of being watched Emily wonders just what she has been caught up in.
I am not sure what I was expecting from this book but what I got was a story that kept me on my toes. What was clear from the start was that Emily seemed out of her depth. She had no idea what it took to be a ghost writer, and she seemed permanently on edge both with the situation and with Jack himself. When she starts getting anonymous messages it becomes evident that she is also harbouring a secret that she does not want to come out and if she will be able to protect herself from any fall out.
On the surface Jack seems to be being persecuted by the police and the press over the death of his wife, and he is going out of his way to be nice to Emily and get his story out there and maybe he is being too nice. His assistant is very controlling, and you have to wonder if it is to protect him or to prevent something coming out that may be detrimental to any case that may be brought at a later date.
As details come out about the true cause of his wife’s death and the events running up to it via a dual timeline, the strange incidents in Florida start to add a more sinister edge to the book with the tension building right until the very end and it was not something I was expecting. If you like psychological thrillers then this book will be for you.

Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favourite crime thriller writers and the synopsis for Burn After Reading intrigued me. We follow an author who has been tasked with ghostwriting a book for a man who has been accused of killing his wife.

Catherine Ryan Howard is incredible at writing tension and suspense. I was hooked from the first chapter! I loved the slow build-up and how it switched between perspectives and timelines. I also appreciated how it brought up questions on morality within the publishing industry.

Would strongly recommend if you're looking for a cleverly written story with a layered plot.

This is probably somewhere between a 3-4 star but I'm feeling generous and it is one of the better thrillers I've read lately so 4* it is.

It had all of the elements of a good thriller - fast paced, twists and turns, dual narratives and just enough creepy and strange goings on to keep me on my toes. I think what made me appreciate this one more than other thrillers I've read lately in that the twist was actually quite good. I was concerned at points that it was going to end up going down a pretty typical thriller plot twist route - but I was pretty impressed with the twist and with how things played out in the end. I do like it when the main character has at least some trustworthy and reliable people in her life. (sorry if that's vague but I'm trying to avoid using the spoiler tag).

I also liked that the main character didn't make too many stupid or nonsensical decisions for the point of the plot. Some things were questionable, yes, but for the most part she seemed to have her head screwed on and was fairly smart about things.

All in all - a solid thriller. It won't change your life but it's definitely one of the better ones.

Emily is a writer, but she has only written one book. She is struggling to write the second and is constantly worried because she has already spent all the money she was paid in advance. When her publisher approaches her with an offer to ghostwrite for a famous cyclist, she feels she has to take the job, even though she doesn't want to and it seems a bit fishy. Jack was a famous cyclist in his day, but when his wife died in a fire, the police quickly focused on him, but there was not enough evidence. Now he wants to write a book and tell the story from his point of view. And Emily is to write it for him. But she is not sure if she can trust Jack. Maybe he did kill his wife.

I have read several of the author's books over the years. I have to say that this was not her strongest. Unfortunately, nothing happens for many pages and it's also quite boring. I also found the parts from Jack's wife's point of view a bit confusing. I could not relate to any of the characters because Emily is a very dull person and Jack is not as mysterious as the author wants us to believe. The twist is quite obvious. All in all, this is a decent thriller, but nothing new or exciting.

3.5/5

Emily was only able to deliver one book of her two book contract. However, as it’s been years, as her second book she is tasked with ghost writing the story of Jack Smyth who has been accused of murdering his wife and setting his house on fire. Well, it’s that or she has to return the £25k advance on book 2 (which she doesn’t have).

Her previous release, The Trap was a tough act to follow. This story has taken some inspiration from OJ Simpson’s book, If I Did It.

I thought that this was a little something different compared to your standard thriller. I loved the plot idea and the setting was interesting!

I did struggle to engage at times with the writing and the ending was a bit of a disappointment. It was too long yet too short at the same time. Some elements of the story dragged, yet there were other things I wanted to know more about!

Thank you Bantam and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you SO much to Catherine Ryan Howard and Random House UK for my copy of Burn After Reading. When I saw that she had a new book out I HAD to have it! This book was about famous cyclist Jack Smyth, a man who lost his beautiful wife in a fire. When it came out that she was dead before the fire started, the nation’s sympathy turned to rage, and though Jack was never charged, he was surrounded by suspicion. The only way out is for him to tell his story.

When Emily is offered a job as his ghostwriter, she needs the money more than she wants to say no. She’s flown to a remote location, holed up with Jack for a week to learn his story in order to write his way into the hearts of the public. But soon she isn’t sure what is right and what is wrong, and Emily is part of a dangerous plot that she never wanted to be a part of.

Thoughts: I loved this book! It had so many similarities to the OJ Simpson/ Nicole Brown case that I actually went back and watched a documentary about it. Did you know that OJ even wrote a book about “if” he did it? I didn’t! Anyway, this story was intriguing, and about Jack wanting to tell the story of how he didn’t kill Kate. He wants to explain his side of the story, in hopes that he can get the public on his side.

I liked that Emily also had a past, and the way it was mixed in with the story. I wish there was more of it that came into play, because I think it would have made the story more interesting. I also think there could have been even more of a build up of tension. I thought the structure of this book was really well done, and it was creatively written like all of Howard’s books. 4-stars for this one!

I really enjoyed this book, I think it was really cleverly written, and I kept waiting to read it!!!!

I haven't read anything previously by this author, but I will now.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.