The Gallagher Place
- Judith D Collins
- Dec 11
- 5 min read
By: Julie Doar
Narrator: Suzanne Elise Freeman
ISBN: 9798992377002
Publisher: Zibby Publishing
Publication Date: 12/02/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars
“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.”
—Publishers 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.
My Review
Julie Doar's intriguing Gothic debut novel, The Gallagher Place, is a dual-timeline mystery that weaves together a present-day murder investigation with the cold case of a teenage girl who vanished two decades earlier.
About...
Marlowe Fisher, a New York City illustrator and a secret alcoholic, returns to her family's remote Hudson Valley estate, the "Gray House," for the holidays.
Upon her arrival, Marlowe discovers a dead body in the woods on the sprawling Fisher property (2018). The discovery of the body reopens the unsolved disappearance of her best friend, Nora, (1998) which occurred twenty years prior at the same location. An investigation begins with a possible link between the two incidents.
As the police descend on the property, the Fisher family closes ranks, making Marlowe feel isolated. She begins her own investigation, forced to confront the fallibility of her own memory of the events leading up to Nora's disappearance.
Marlowe digs deep into her family's hidden history and the small town's dynamics, where class tensions and old loyalties are prevalent. What happened to Nora?
My Thoughts…
Haunting, chilling, and intricately twisty, THE GALLAHGER PLACE masterfully unravels dark secrets through a gripping dual narrative that blends the urgency of present-day investigations with unsettling flashbacks to the enigmatic year of 1998. The truth about the web of secrets is more intricate and shocking than anyone could have imagined, weaving a complex tapestry of dynamics between the illustrious Fisher family and the rooted Gallagher family.
In The Gallagher Place, both families conceal long-buried secrets surrounding a haunting disappearance, simmering class tensions, and deep-rooted family loyalties.
At the heart of these harrowing secrets lies:
~ The Mysterious Disappearance of Nora
~ Family Involvement and Sinister Cover-ups
~ Fractured and Challenging Memories
~ Class Divisions and Town Allegiances
~ The Weight of Past Trauma and Enforced Silence
Atmospheric and shadowy, The Gray House—an imposing estate belonging to the Fisher family, nestled in the lush yet eerie Hudson Valley—serves as a significant character in its own right within The Gallagher Place.
This remote residence, embraced by an isolated and rugged landscape, provides a richly gothic backdrop that heightens the tension, lending an air of foreboding and unease. Within its walls, family loyalties are tested, and long-buried truths surge forth, demanding to be acknowledged.
The narrative deftly explores the underlying class tensions simmering within this small town, which further complicate the secrets at play. The Fishers, affluent "outsiders" hailing from the bustling streets of New York City, evoke a palpable distrust from the working-class Gallaghers, deepening the rift between the two families.
As secrets are gradually unearthed through a skillfully woven dual-timeline narrative, Marlowe is compelled to confront uncomfortable truths not only about her troubled family and her lost friend but also about her own identity.
This gripping debut brilliantly blends genres—literary fiction, mystery, Gothic thriller, folklore, legends, and a family saga—creating a rich tapestry of storytelling. I eagerly anticipate the next offering from this exceptionally talented author.
Recommendations...
For readers drawn to the atmospheric settings, dual-timeline intrigue, and haunting family secrets of The Gallagher Place, here are similar books to consider that I enjoyed.
~ Watch Us Fall by Christina Kovac
~ The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
~ The It Girl by Ruth Ware
~ Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman
~ The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
~ Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Dec 02, 2025
Praise
“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)
“This slow-build suspense novel is a strong debut; gothic elements abound, as the land around Gray House is almost its own character and the story moves between the past and present. The Gallagher Place is an unsettling page-turner, perfect for fans of Jennifer McMahon and Sarah Strohmeyer.”
—Booklist
"A strong sense of place is central to this chilling novel about old secrets and what one might choose to uncover or keep hidden. The Gallagher Place is dramatically atmospheric, expertly paced, and haunting."
—Shelf Awareness
“A spellbinding mystery of buried secrets and family ties, set in Rip Van Winkle’s Hudson River Valley. In page after chilling page, the haunting revelations pile up in this shocking debut that resonates with the emotional weight of loss—and the even darker truths that can lie beneath it. Julie Doar is a promising new voice in suspense fiction.”
—Lloyd Devereux Richards, author of Stone Maidens
"A beautifully written, slow-burn mystery about a woman haunted by the disappearance of her childhood best friend. Everyone is holding a secret, and the ending is a true shocker!"
—Sarah Pekkanen, author of House of Glass
“Haunting and atmospheric, The Gallagher Place is a pulse-quickening ride through a beautiful but threatening landscape that will keep you turning pages late into the night. I loved it!”
—Katie Sise, author of The Vacation Rental
“This modern-day Hudson Valley Gothic, complete with fog-covered fields, class conflicts, and ancient folklore, will keep you guessing until the final pages. Your heart will ache—and pound—when you discover the real wolf in sheep's clothing. A perfect rainy-day read!”
—Sarah Sawyer, author of The Undercurrent
About the Author
Julie Doar grew up in New York. As a child, she loved to imagine the abandoned barns and rolling countryside of the Hudson Valley were haunted. She has three brothers who have always made her life interesting. She attended Rice University for undergrad and studied English. After graduation, 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. WEBSITE
