The Gallagher Place: A Novel

by Julie Doar

“Gothic and twisty! Don’t miss it.”
—Lisa Unger, author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

“The narrative culminates in a heartbreaking finale that will haunt readers long after the final page is turned. Doar nails it on her first time out.”
— Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

A layered exploration of family secrets, sibling misconceptions, and an unsolved murder in this chilling debut set in New York’s Dutchess County.

When Marlowe Fisher, an illustrator living in New York City, returns to her family’s bewitching Hudson Valley home for the holidays, she discovers a body in the woods—a murder that draws her back into the haunting case of her teenage best friend’s disappearance two decades earlier. What happened to Nora?

As police descend on the sprawling Fisher property, Marlowe is pulled into an investigation that threatens to unravel the town’s fragile loyalties and expose the shadowed legacy of a weekend home steeped in secrets. Marlowe must confront the fallibility of her own memory and the feeling that everyone—including her brothers—is hiding something if she’s to uncover the shocking truth about her lost friend. In this gripping debut, Julie Doar delivers a chilling mystery that explores the corrosive power of silence and the tension of family secrets.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Thriller Suspense, Adult

Audible Audio

First published December 2, 2025

About the author

Julie Doar grew up in New York. As a child, she was mostly bookish but sometimes a bit sporty (mostly because her dad wanted her to be). She has three brothers who have always made her life interesting. She attended Rice University for undergrad and has always loved academics. Additionally, she realized how much she enjoyed living in different cities, so she spent her twenties moving from Texas to San Francisco to Chicago, and then eventually back to Brooklyn. She's worked as a cold-calling Sales Rep, a Starbucks barista, and a romance novel ghostwriter. Currently, she is a middle school English teacher.

'The Gallagher Place' is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Bonnie G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Calling this on page 82 (26% per the Netgalley reader).

I rarely read ARCs, but when publishers reach out to me directly, I sometimes make an exception, and I did here. When I accept an ARC I am usually hell-bent on finishing, what with the prohibition of looking gift horses in the mouth. Add to that the fact that I like to help out first-time authors by shining positive attention on them. Alas, I am hanging my head in defeat with this one. There has not been a moment where I have read this with anything but wonder that a major imprint is publishing it. The writing is awful, especially the dialogue. And the way things are phrased! Someone notes that someone else is slicing "vine-ripened tomatoes." Yes, that is how we think when we see someone slicing tomatoes - we note their provenance. There are notes on the color of the clips in people's hair and children's swimsuits. The author marks a woman as a snob by opining on her stylish oversized turtleneck, which, first, why is a baggy turtleneck a sign of haughtiness? and also, are turtlenecks stylish?

The characters are like no one ever, especially the main character Marlowe. This is not a question of whether I like her. I neither like nor dislike her; she is just not a human. The cops are unintentionally hilarious (there is not a drop of intentional humor to be found here), modeled on bad 1990's TV cop dramas. There are two separate crimes (a murder and a disappearance), decades apart here, but obviously they are connected, and I am reasonably certain I know who is responsible. I don't care enough to even flip to the end to find out. It is this character's only reason for existing. The method of investigation is simply odd. I realize things might look different in the country, but they are in Poughkeepsie, not Stars Hollow. There is plenty of crime in Poughkeepsie, and a solid tax base, not to mention two good colleges, the leaders of which would object to Cagney and Lacey defining the level of policing.

So I give up. I have no time for hate reads.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Julie Doar, and Zibby Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Always eager to find new authors, I reached for this ARC by Julie Doar. Marlowe is a successful illustrator in New York City and chooses to return to her family estate for the holiday season. It’s nestled up in the Hudson Valley region and Marlowe is always so pleased to return to family and familiar surroundings. She is out for a walk when discovering a body on the edge of the property, bringing the police and an intense investigation. This beckons Marlowe to remember the day her friend, Nora, went missing and the police presence on the property. Nora has never been found and this triggers Marlowe to remember their youth and the helplessness during the hunt for any clues. The events spin things into dual mysteries about what happened and who might have wanted to commit something so foul. Could it be Marlowe’s family or the former owners of the estate that triggered such negative reactions? Secrets and deep-rooted scars emerge, sending the small community into a mess as a killer lurks in the shadows. Julie Doar delivers a decent story that is sure to keep the reader guessing.

I like finding new authors who are able to grab my attention, particularly with a debut novel. Julie Doar does that with this mystery that takes the reader on quite the adventure. Things progress from the opening pages, balancing two timelines as both crimes play out, leaving Marlowe to be the glue that binds them together. As the story gains momentum, Doar is able to keep the reader hooked and wondering what clues they can pull from the descriptions to piece together who might have been responsible. It is the final reveal that keeps the reader on edge, as things can sometimes take on direction no one might have thought possible. While not my favourite mystery thriller, it had some redeemable elements and the story remained solid.

Character development is a key to keeping the reader invested in the piece. A debut novel is a great chance for readers to see how the author handles their characters and what aspects can be used to flavour the story. Doar delivers a strong set of characters and has them doing things that are both important and interesting to the reader as they unravel the truth with this mystery. Doar does a decent job keeping the reader asking questions of themselves about those who grace the pages of this book.

While working through two timelines and criminal acts, Doar forces the reader to play sleuth. This comes with a number of surprises from the outset and ensures that nothing is quite as it seems. With unpredictable developments at the hands of Marlowe’s inquisitive nature, the reader is pushed into a handful of twists that send the story in a variety of directions until the truth surfaces by the final chapters. I may not have been completely moved by the book, but Julie Doar has done enough to leave me curious about more writing and how that might develop. For now, I await other reviews and comments on her work to see if other books are forthcoming.

Kudos, Madam Doar, for a great debut attempt.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars Review to follow shortly

[Leisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Sit tight, my friends, because I have things to say! I absolutely devoured this haunting tale of a family’s hidden secrets that just won’t stay buried. The truth unravels piece by piece in a slow burn that is absolutely worth the wait.

✨The author expertly blends family drama with chilling suspense in this literary thriller that is written with such depth and emotion that I couldn’t put it down and was flipping the pages late into the night.

✨I love a book with a sense of place, and this one was so atmospheric that the Gallagher place – the home and surrounding woods – is almost a character in itself. The setting is the Hudson River Valley with all its legends and folklore – think Ichabod Crane and Rip Van Winkle – and the result is a perfectly eerie and unsettling backdrop for our story to unfold. You won’t want to wander around in the woods alone after this one.

✨Fans of Liz Moore’s GOD OF THE WOODS will love this one. I highly recommend.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Gothic vibes
✨Literary thrillers
✨Cold case narratives
✨Family dynamics
✨Dual timelines
✨Hudson River Valley settings
✨Folklore and legends
✨Debut authors
✨THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore

[Danielle Pulliam · Rating 4 out of 5]

**𝔄ℜℭ ℜ𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔢𝔴** 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔊𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔞𝔤𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔓𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔢 𝔟𝔶 𝔍𝔲𝔩𝔦𝔢 𝔇𝔬𝔞𝔯

Release Date: December 2, 2025

3.75⭐️1🌶

This was a cute little murder mystery in a small town with a big reveal at the end. I wasn't enamored with it, but I did want to know what the big reveal was. I found some of the details of this story tedious, but overall a good story.

Marlowe Fischer is a thirty something illustrator that lives in New York City half the time and the other half the time lives at her family's house in upstate New York. Her two older brother's and their family's are all at the house that they grew up in for the holiday, when they go on a walk as siblings and find a dead body in the woods near the family home.

Marlowe is shocked to find out that the dead man found on her beloved family land was a distant cousin, who had been sending her father's business threats on his life and his family's lives. Marlowe finds out that she's been living her entire life sheltered from a family feud that has been going on since before she was born. The land that her father acquired from the family across the way may have been acquired under nefarious means?

Marlowe has also spent the last two decades morning her childhood best friend, Nora, that went mysteriously missing one night when she and her brothers were hanging out and drinking at home in high school. She took the trash out and never came back. Many people thought she ran away, but Marlowe knew she would have never done that. Will this murder case finally crack open secrets, and solve the cold case to her best friend's disappearance?

This was a fast and fun read, and I would recommend it for murder mystery bingers.

Themes/Tropes:
🍁Murder Mystery/Thriller
🍁Cracking a cold case
🍁Small town murder
🍁Family feud
🍁Upstate New York
🍁Family Drama

TW:0+
✨Graphic murder scene
✨Drinking alcohol to cope
✨Interrogation tactics
✨Secret keeping from family

Thank you to @NetGalley for this ARC read!

[Heathers_readss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like now is the perfect season for thrillers to be more focussed on delivering a haunting and atmospheric vibe, and this is exactly what this book delivers.

This thriller is heavily focussed on familial relations, almost a domestic suspense but there are enough thriller components for it to stick solidly in the thriller genre.

This book is a slow burn with slower pacing but it pays off with vivid settings that pull you into the page, and long buried secrets slowly being unravelled and brought into the light of day. There is lots of drama blended with suspense and once you are invested in the plot you will want to get to the end to see how it all turns out,

Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Maven_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gallagher Place by Julie Doar is a moody and intricately woven mystery about Marlowe Fisher, an illustrator who returns to her family’s sprawling Hudson Valley estate for the holidays and finds a fresh murder on the property that reopens the decades‑old disappearance of her best friend, Nora, forcing her to confront long‑buried memories and unsettling truths about her family, the local community, and herself. The story moves between past and present, inviting the reader to fall into a slow‑burn narrative that blends family drama, atmospheric setting, and psychological suspense.

I loved how deeply I felt the weight of memory and loss in every chapter, and how the landscape of the Hudson Valley became almost a living, breathing presence that shaped the tone of the story. From the first time Marlowe walks the woods that held her happiest and most painful memories, I could feel that mixture of nostalgia and dread that made the mystery so immersive.

Doar’s pacing gave room for emotions to unfold slowly and organically, making the reparative journey through Marlowe’s past feel powerful without being rushed. I found myself thinking about the way secrets can shape a life, and how curiosity and fear can live side by side when you are trying to understand what really happened so long ago.

Some parts felt like they lingered longer than I expected, but the rich character dynamics and the haunting sense of place more than compensated, making this debut a memorable and thoughtful read for anyone who enjoys atmospheric mysteries with real emotional stakes.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars because the emotional depth, sense of place, and compelling dual timelines made this a gripping and thought‑provoking read, even if the slow build might not be for every reader.

[Jaclyn Brill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so ready to love it, but about halfway through it really dropped off for me. I’m glad i have the physical copy to shelf what I’ve read this year, but bummed it wasn’t a favorite. Thank you zibby pub for my physical arc & to Libro.fm for my audio!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should've dnf'd this. It was good at first, but it got really boring really fast. I didn't care about the mystery and I don't understand why it took so long to solve it.

[JR Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this over a 24 hour span, which is a testament to how exceptional this novel is. On the surface level, it perfectly executes the demands of the thriller/mystery genre. The architecture of the story (across two timelines) and the prose are perfectly calibrated to keep momentum constantly building. And the twists and surprises are undeniably exhilarating. This is no mean feat for a book that focuses on deliberately building a brooding atmosphere and keeps the plot moving slowly for the most part, but you constantly feel compelled to keep going.

But this is far more than just another page turner. Behind its amazingly assured handling of the fundamentals of the genre lies a subtle and penetrating character study. The book is incredibly insightful and observant about the transitions to womanhood; the little pressures and competitions of big families that can grow all too suffocating; and above all how we shape and in turn are shaped by the environments that surround us. The best books bring sharp observation and powerful imagination together to take the details and structures of our lives that we take for granted and make them explicit and visible--granting us the ability to stand back from ourselves and truly judge ourselves. And this book has those qualities in spades. I am so impressed with the portrait of our main character Marlowe and the way both her obvious and more subtle damage is revealed over time. The slow revelations, not just about the case, but about Marlowe's character and what she's become are the key to making sense of the book's tremendously effective and brave ending. What seems to be a book about the resolution of a murder turns much more into a book about what the murder means for the main character--and in that respect I was completely surprised in the best possible way by the ending. The more I sit with it the more I love it. It's devastating, perfect, and most of all completely understandable--which is the most chilling thing about it.

[Jessica Brusven · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impactful and thorough thriller that dives deep into family dynamics, class and town history. It’s well written and paced thoughtfully to keep you reading without giving away too many details. Highly recommend this one!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Zibby publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Gallagher Place has an ominous, unsettling feel from the very first pages.

Marlowe and her family spent most weekends and summers at their country estate, known as the Grey House. While her parents often remained in the city, Marlowe and her brothers grew up roaming the grounds alongside Enzo, their llongtime caretaker. During those years, Marlowe formed a close friendship with a local girl named Nora. When Nora mysteriously went missing, the prevailing belief was that she had run away—but Marlowe never accepted that explanation. They shared everything, and Marlowe was certain Nora wouldn’t have disappeared without telling her.

In the present timeline, Marlowe and her siblings return to the estate. While out for a walk, they come across a tent hidden on the property. Inside, it becomes horrifyingly clear that someone has been brutally attacked and killed. As the police begin their investigation, they suspect a connection between this murder and Nora’s long-unsolved disappearance.

The novel carries a deeply atmospheric tension, shifting between the current-day investigation and the past, when Nora was still alive. This layered timeline heightens the unease and gradually uncovers long-buried secrets. I found the story gripping and genuinely eerie—it was hard to put down.

I really enjoyed this book and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it. If you enjoy slow-burn, atmospheric reads with a creeping sense of dread and well-placed twists, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

The Gallagher Place is a masterclass in mood. It’s less of a traditional whodunit and more of a why-did-it-happen. If you love stories where secrets are buried as deeply as the roots of the trees, Julie Doar is an author you should be watching.

[Dive Into A Good Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are in the mood for a slow burn genre mix-up, this is the book for you! Set in the idyllic farmland of the Hudson Valley. Where woods, fields, rivers, and rolling hills all smash together making for one detailed and descriptive read. That had me on my toes from the get-go. Told through dual timelines through the eyes of Marlowe. Starting from an early age when her and her three brothers were tearing through the open lands, diving into icy rivers, and building stone walls. Their threesome easily opened into a foursome when Nora, the neighbor became inseparable with their family. To a woman in her thirties who has never found love and never fully recovered from her loss when she was a teenager. Her very being became and held onto that one amazing friendship with Nora.

Marlowe and her family live in New York City. Yet for every holiday and the entire summer break her and her two brothers were set free into the wilds of their estate. Set directly across from the Gallagher Farm, they were allowed to roam. Learned how to hay from the three Gallagher brothers, hunt down wounded bears, and become as close any group can become. That is how it appeared. Remove a layer and other thoughts and feelings become apparent. Years later, Marlowe is now at the Gray House for Thanksgiving when a grisly is made. A man has been murdered on their family's land. Not only is this shocking but it brings back all the feelings that Marlowe has buried deep when Nora vanished into thin air one night from her very home. What had happened to her best friend? There one minute and gone the next.

I loved how this book played out. The grouchy detectives poking around their lives, giving Marlowe just a few clues that she needs to chase down. Her family kept her out of the loop and keeping secrets. I am still thinking about that ending. Not sure if I liked it or not. It is the perfect book to do as a buddy read or book club pick. So much discussion can be had. Thank you to Julie Doar and Zibby Publishing for my gifted copy of this phenomenal debut.

[Suzanne thebookblondie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery. It had a strong start, but a little slow in the middle. I enjoyed the ending, despite it being a little predictable.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gallagher Place is a silent thriller that takes course over the twelve days after Thanksgiving. Marlowe Fischer, a 36 year-old illustrator, has gathered with her family for the holiday at their summer home in the Hudson Valley. When she and her two brothers discover a body in the nearby woods, the investigation that follows reopens the case of her best friend’s disappearance from the house twenty years ago.

Among her siblings, Marlowe is somewhat of an outsider. She is the only daughter, and the only one not married with children. This perspective allows her to make keen observations about her family members and household, which is what makes this novel so gripping. Despite this, there is so much that she does not see, and has not seen over the decades of summers spent there, and that is where the mystery lies in this book.

The ending is so haunting. This book is an absolute home run debut novel for Julie Doar, and I look forward to seeing more of her work to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Cindy(groundedinreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow-burn atmospheric mystery set at the Hudson Valley vacation home of an affluent family. The discovery of a murder victim sets off a chilling connection to a decades old missing person complete with secrets and family drama. The dual timelines made for a suspenseful read hit some areas dragged a bit waiting on clues. Overall a great debut!

[Tyler Hancsak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, lackluster, and VERY predictable. Usually that doesn't bother me, but the way this was told was so slow and it had so many unnecessary details.

[Shannon Mabrito · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marlowe Fisher is an affluent young women from New York City, spending the majority of her time with her family in their upstate New York farmhouse called The Gray House. Across the street was the Gallagher family, a farm owned by three brothers who, after each passed on, left the property to a cousin which was eventually purchased by Marlowe's father, Frank. Spending the majority of her childhood and adult years here, Marlowe befriended a local girl named Nora, who spent every waking moment with the Fisher family any time they were at the house. In June of 1998, Nora vanished from their property without a trace, never to be seen again. The investigation into her disappearance turned up nothing, before eventually petering out.

Now, the Fisher children are adults and it is the day after Thanksgiving when their entire world gets turned upside down a second time. A member of the Gallagher family had been found dead, beaten to death in his tent, sometime within the last 24 hours. The police investigation is grueling, digging into Nora's disappearance and making Marlowe to relive that terrible time in her life when her best friend vanished. As the investigation unfolds, Marlowe questions everything she knows, including the sale of the Gallagher property to her own family, to what she knows about her brothers, Nate and Henry, and the relationships they had with Nora. In the end, the truth of her disappearance is discovered, and it is something that Marlowe may never forgive.

Unfortunately, this one fell short with me. I don't know if it was the formatting of the ARC that made it difficult to read or the story itself, but I felt the entirety of the Gallagher storyline was unnecessary. The death was looked into, and there is a curse mentioned but then...there was nothing. NO follow-up into the previous owners mysterious deaths...only questions surrounding Nora and what happened to her all those years ago. I think the story would have come full circle if the entire storyline regarding the Gallagher property was written out of it, as it really (in my opinion) had nothing to do with the end game of the story to begin with.

Marlowe's character was fine, but she became insufferable after learning that she was trying to justify her alcoholism as a means to coping with her life. Yes, I realize that this is something that true alcoholics do, as I come from a long line of them myself and even struggled with it in my early 20s, BUT I just felt like it was a bit out of character, considering she didn't really drink at all up until the point that the police questioning got to be too much. If she had, I must have missed it.

Overall, 1 star for me on this book. I can't justify giving it a higher rating when there was so much left unsaid in the end about the Gallagher's, whose storyline I actually enjoyed versus the one behind it all.

[Pav S. (pav_sanborn_bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chilling vibe of this cover truly called out to me. This debut suspenseful murder mystery unfolds at a bit of a slower pace than I prefer. However, the strong ending made up for the wait and kept me invested right until the final pages.

In her debut novel, Julie Doar explores family secrets and unresolved mysteries through the story of Marlowe, an illustrator who returns to her family’s Hudson Valley estate for the holidays. Upon her return, she uncovers a murder linked to the long-ago disappearance of her best friend.

The story features a dual timeline and a cast of characters that gradually reveal the truth behind the events. The Gray House and its residents are steeped in secrets, and we get to join them in uncovering the mystery. If you come from a large family, you understand the burdens and values that can persist through generations. The struggle to do what’s right for the family can sometimes blur the lines between right and wrong. As we meet characters like Marlowe, Nate, Henry, Frank, Glory, and Enzo, we hear their recollections of Nora's disappearance. It’s like we’re playing detectives, so be sure to pay close attention to the details. There are plenty of twists along the way and an unexpected ending.

The atmosphere is haunting and immersive, with vivid descriptions of the cold, snowy landscape that even made me reach for some extra socks! I found myself fully engaged, searching for clues and trying to piece together what happened to Nora.

This read is perfect for anyone who enjoys the secluded vibe of a small town, explores the complexities of friendships, and examines how nothing is quite as it seems. Themes of family loyalty and the struggles of a complex female protagonist come to the forefront. If you have a family, consider how far you would go to uncover the truth and what choices you’d face, knowing that the truth could unravel generational trauma within a small community. Would you protect your family or do what’s right? To find out, dive into this gripping read by the fire on a snowy day.

Thank you, Zibby Publishing, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elyse (Elyse’s Epilogues) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gallagher Place
By Julie Doar
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrated by Suzanne Elise Freeman
Published by Zibby Publishing
📖

This was a slow burn, more literary mystery, sprinkling in family drama and secrets with a coming of age side theme. Yes, it has a little bit of everything and would entice fans of Liz Moore. The setting was very atmospheric and became a character itself along with the Fishers. The mystery of this novel ended up not one, but two possible crimes - a present day murder and a past disappearance. I enjoyed the storyline of discovering the truth behind both crimes, and the dynamics of the Fisher family.

The pacing was quite slow for the first 50% and I found that there was a lot of time spent on red herring storylines that didn’t actually end up “mattering” necessarily to the conclusion, so I will admit I felt some frustration after finishing. But the characters and the location - the Gallagher place, have long since been staying with me. And that to me is worthy of a more thoughtful review.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of and family trees to decipher, so while I only eyeball read this one, I don’t know that it would be as easily listened to. I did receive a free copy of the audiobook from Libro and sampled it after I had eyeball read it. The narration is good, but I’m still more inclined to refer readers to the physical copy.

📖 Marlowe returns to the lucrative acres of land and property her parents and brothers own in the woods where they have spent most of their life traveling to over the weekends and summers. When a body is discovered in the days following Thanksgiving, it unlocks long held secrets of the disappearance of Marlowe’s best friend decades past and the Gallagher family who previously owned part of their land and the barn.

Thank you to Zibby Publishing and Julie Doar for the advanced copies on NetGalley as well as this finished copy and to @librofm for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. @zibbypublishing

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gallagher Place (thank you #gifted @zibbypublishing ) is an atmospheric, wintery mystery about memories and secrets.

Marlowe and her family are gathered at their country house for Thanksgiving when they stumble upon a dead body in a tent on their property. When detectives link his murder to the disappearance of Marlowe's childhood friend, she starts to question what she knows.

Despite beginning with a dead body, the first part was a little slow. It establishes the Fisher's family privilege, the acres they own ripe for exploration, and Marlowe's idyllic summers spent with her brothers and best friend.

A summer I'd love to have to, swimming in the creek and dancing around bonfires. Doer perfectly captures that sense in childhood of your best friend being your everything and feeling like you know it all. And the panic and uncertainty when she disappears from your own front yard one night.

As Marlowe learns more about the murder, she begins to question her own memories. Especially in regards to how well she knows the Gallaghers, the brothers who owned the farm before her family bought their land and whose nephew is the one killed.

The confidence of childhood, the uncertainty of adulthood. How well do we know the people we love? What would we do for them?

[Christina Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It had it all for me: a little family drama; mystery; and great character development. The story takes place in a small town in Dutchess Country (about 75 miles from where this picture was taken) and deals with two mysteries- the 20 year disappearance of the main character, Marlowe’s best friend and a current murder that has just taken place on Marlowe’s family property in Dutchess County. Throughout the book, we get an understanding of the Fisher family- Marlow and her two brothers and Nora- Marlowe’s best friend. We also learn about the Fisher family’s relationship with The Gallagher brothers as well as their live-in caretaker Enzo.
This book details many secrets within this family and I loved the reveal of all of them! Another theme is the power of silence when these secrets are kept for decades. I did not see the ending of this book coming.
The Gallagher Place was recently published last month. I recommend this book if you were a fan of The God of the Woods.

[Ranjini Shankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This had promise in the premise but fizzled out quickly. The entire book is dead ends with no real investigation. Rather after finding nothing, she gets the whole sordid tale in one straight go in one of the least effective climaxes ever.

Marlowe and her adult siblings are reunited for the holidays at their parents country home when they discover a body in the woods. This launches an investigation that not only tries the find the answer to this murder but also a mystery of a missing girl decades before.

The two mysteries don’t actually go well together, there is no real reason they should have been connected and one definitely ends up taking the forefront in an awkward way. I found Marlowe to be bland and dull as a MC and her naïveté bothered me. She wasn’t an unreliable narrator, just a bad one. I also hated the ending because what was the purpose of going through all this just to get that kind of resolution. Should have DNF much earlier

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounded like a dark and twisty thriller in an atmospheric setting which are my favorites!! And on most points, the book delivered.

There are two mysteries in the book. In the present, the Fisher family finds a body in the woods on their vacation property during the holidays. It appears to be linked to the mystery of Marlowe’s best friend Nora, a local girl who went missing from the same property 20 years earlier.

I liked the format of the two timelines although I found myself more invested in the past timeline. The relationship between Nora and the Fishers was intriguing as well as learning about the Gallagher brothers who lived on the farm next door.

Overall, the pacing was a little off for me. The book started very slow and introduced so many characters and plot lines that I had to take notes to keep everything straight. About halfway through, the story really picks up and then doesn’t let go.

Without giving any spoilers, I also didn’t love the final reveal. The book felt like it was building to a big payoff and there were a lot of ways this could wrap up. The conclusions just didn’t feel satisfying to me after everything we had learned up to that point.

This was a solid, well written and moody thriller. Some pieces just didn’t completely work for me but I would recommend it (3.5).

[Randi Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Gallagher Place is a slow-burn thriller centered more on family dynamics than suspense, kicking off after a body is discovered on Marlowe’s family property. The discovery dredges up memories of an unsolved cold case, her friend Nora’s disappearance, which once shook their small town.

Told through alternating timelines, the story revisits the night Nora vanished and their friendship as Marlowe searches for answers. While the setup had potential, the execution fell flat for me. The pacing dragged on far too long, and the tension never fully materialized. The revelations were meant to be chilling, but the payoff didn’t deliver the shock or satisfaction I was hoping for.

I was tempted to DNF multiple times and only pushed through to see how the mystery unfolded. Once it did, my interest completely disappeared and I didn’t care enough about the aftermath to keep reading. The book quite literally went flying across the couch.

If you enjoy very slow, character-driven mysteries focused on family secrets, this might work for you, but it ultimately missed the mark for me.

[Leslie Hagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was blown away by this debut novel from an author to watch! The Gallagher Place is a Gothic mystery set in Hudson Valley, NY.

Marlowe Fisher is haunted by the disappearance of her childhood friend Nora. When she returns to her family’s home in the Hudson Valley for the holidays and discovers a body in the woods, the decades old mystery resurfaces.

The moody atmosphere transports the reader to the fog laced land of the Fisher’s estate. Vivid descriptions of the snowy and cold landscape reinforce the chilling vibe of the story as the setting becomes another character. A cast of characters including Marlowe’s brothers, parents and the property caretaker add varying points of view. Family secrets are gradually revealed by the dual timeline of the past and present. Twists and turns make this a suspenseful thriller while the details reveal clues to help the reader solve the mystery. With themes of class and generational trauma as well as elements of folklore and family loyalty, The Gallagher Place is one to add to your to-be-read list.

[Sam Bartling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow burn with a dull, incompetent alcoholic protagonist.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[JC Sevart · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very fun and enthralling thriller that I had a great time with! also the author came to my wedding!