The Gallagher Place

A Novel

By: Julie Doar

Narrated by: Suzanne Elise Freeman

A LibraryReads Top Pick

“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.

©2025 Julie Doar (P)2025 Zibby Publishing

Critic reviews

“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

Where does one's loyalties lie?

Marlowe can never get over the disappearance of her best friend, Nora. Home for the holidays, another body is found, and while investigating it, the police want to know more about Nora. The truth finally comes out, Marlowe is forced to make a hard decision.

Twisty Murder mystery told by an unreliable, perfectly, imperfect character!

Just listen, its a great performance and wonderful story. A perfect dark Christmas story! Sad, sweet, painful, and enchanting.