Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Psychological Thrillers (Books),
REVIEW
A RIVETING PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVENTURE
COLLIDES WITH A HAUNTED
PAST
It’s been over twenty years since Marlowe Fishers’ best friend disappeared. There one moment and gone the next, Nora just disappeared into the atmosphere. Although Marlowe tried to hide it, she never got over the loss. And while bottles filled with alcohol sufficed to keep her numb, somewhere deep inside was a fixation on finding out what truly happened to her beloved pal. Was she dead? Was she alive? Was she kidnapped? Or had she run away and spent all this time on the coast living it up in Malibu? All those were possibilities, but Marlowe was positive that she would never know, so imagine her surprise when she awoke to the news that a dead body was found in the vicinity where Nora was last seen.
A deep howl of agony signaled that the game had changed.
The two detectives assigned the new case were as anxious as Marlowe about finding a connection between the two events, but it wasn’t enough for Marlowe. She was insistent that quietly hijacking the investigation from under the police was the only way to untangle the web of connectivity. The reason was simple and clear; the detectives didn’t know what Marlowe knew because if they did … they’d know that someone In the Fisher family was lying.
Love Gothic? Crave changelings, elves, and witches appearing through extra-sensory perception? Adept at arranging puzzle pieces in fog so thick, you can’t see? Then THE GALLAGHER PLACE by author Julie Doar is for you! The mystery solid … nothing beats trying to harness contradictory clues putting on a light show and daring you to find the offender. I did take the challenge … no, make that ‘welcomed’ it … and found the tale captivating and strangely addictive. Superbly written, the novel is a very tidy offering, mixing forensics with folk tales. The juxtapositioning works, and gives the novel’s characters a kill pen of dissecting motives and motivation … then there are those stabs to the psyche. Yes, it’s a nice superego psychological wonderland for those of us who enjoy playing in someone else’s id. And to translate that into concise terms: if the atmosphere doesn’t kill you, the unnamed murderer will!
I gotta say I was thoroughly charmed … and befuddled … and entertained … and add in thrown off balance by THE GALLAGHER PLACE. The story told from the perspective of Marlowe Fisher, Ms. Doar does an excellent job in understanding the grief that follows the loss of someone you love. The notes struck are very genuine to what actually lives on … and what dies.
I would definitely recommend THE GALLAGHER PLACE, and would like to thank Zibby Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy. It’s a novel that satisfies all the reasons to keep on reading far into the night. FOUR STARS for this one!
