THE GALLAGHER PLACE

Julie Doar grew up in the Hudson Valley with her family, where she enjoyed exploring the rolling countryside. After graduating from Rice University, she worked as a Starbucks barista by day and a ghostwriter by night. She currently teaches middle-school English at a charter school in Brooklyn. The Gallagher Place is her first novel.

“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

1. When Marlowe returns to her family’s Hudson Valley estate, she is immediately pulled into a new crime that echoes a past trauma. What were your first impressions of Marlow and how did they change throughout the story?

2. Marlowe’s family’s estate acts as its own character in the novel. What kind of mood or symbolism does the house and the surrounding property evoke for you? How do its interior and exterior spaces reflect the emotional lives of the characters?

3. Marlowe’s memory of her best friend’s disappearance begins to unravel as the story progresses. How does the novel explore memory? Out of all the characters, whose memory seemed most reliable to you?

4. Family dynamics—particularly between siblings—play a central role in the story. How did misunderstandings, secrets, and unspoken truths shape Marlowe’s relationships with her family members in the past and present?

5. Did the multiple timeline structure of the novel enhance your understanding of the central mystery, or did it challenge your own perception of events?

6. Class tension is a recurring theme, especially in the way the town views Marlowe’s family. How does privilege shape the characters’ relationship with the community and the community’s response to tragedy?

7. In uncovering the past, Marlowe is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about her role in the events leading up to her friend’s disappearance. Do you think she was motivated by justice, closure, or redemption? And did those motivations shift over time?

8. In the first half of the book, which character—or characters—did you suspect had something to do with Nora’s disappearance?

9. Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley feels both familiar and insular. How does the setting heighten the novel’s sense of suspense and unease?

10. How did you interpret the novel’s final reveal? What was the most surprising aspect of the final sequences?

11. If you were in Marlowe’s position, would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?

Excerpt from The Gallagher Place

Q&A with Julie Doar