Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again’ is one of the most famous opening sentences in fiction. Young writer Olivia Fitzgerald has always adored Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It was the book that helped her cope after her mother’s death. After the success of her first book, she’d also written a retelling of Rebecca, but it was a critical failure. Her once-promising writing career has stalled, her long-term boyfriend Jack has moved out, and she has hit writers’ block.

So when an intriguing offer to ghostwrite a book for handsome, reclusive billionaire Henry ‘Ash’ Asherwood arrives, Olivia jumps at it. She travels to his stunning Malibu estate and quickly finds herself swept up in her own gothic story. Ash reveals his family’s surprising connection to du Maurier, including the claim that she stole his grandmother’s story. But the more questions Olivia asks, the fewer answers she receives. And she starts to wonder what really happened to his first wife, Angelica.

The Fiction Writer is a fun read that relocates the classic storyline into modern-day glamourous Malibu. It retains the psychological power of the original, but takes it in a different direction. Part gothic mystery, part love story, it also contemplates who has the right to tell any story.

Reviewed by Melinda Woledge

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jillian Cantor has a BA from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of 11 novels for teens and adults which have been chosen for Indie Next, Library Reads, Amazon Best of the Month and have been translated into 13 languages, including, most recently BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS.

Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.

Visit Jillian Cantor’s website