The Ghost Writer

Question: Was the ghostwriter murdered? Why? The book had already been published, and he only discovered the truth about Ruth minutes before, so who would have wanted him dead?

Answer: Who would want him dead? Ruth, for one, as well as Professor Emmett (her CIA recruiter) and others involved in the conspiracy. Yes, the book had been published, but the secret message only comes across if one is in possession of all the knowledge that the writer had acquired, which the casual reader would not have. And minutes is plenty of time for Ruth, Emmett, or anyone else to make a phone call and arrange the hit.

The published book was a rewrite and would not have the secret message in the chapter beginnings.

The published book was a rewrite of the original manuscript. He gives her the original manuscript that he was working off, not a final draft.

Makes no sense, he was run down 2 minutes after she read it.

We know the beginning of the book was rewritten as he didn't like it. Almost certainly, the clue is not in the published version of the book. Ruth was shocked to read the note and is delivering her speech so is unlikely to be complicit in the murder of the Ghostwriter. The ending suggests that Ruth, too, is little more than a pawn in the whole conspiracy.

Factual error: When Ewan McGregor drives to Belmont MA to visit Paul Emmett, he checks the mailbox to see whose mail it's addressed to. It shows the name Paul Emmett, address, Belmont MA 02324, which is the wrong zip code; it is the zipcode for Bridgewater MA, and Belmont MA should be 02478.

ABernacchio

More mistakes in The Ghost Writer

The Ghost: How can I get back to the mainland?
Barry: Only by plane, I'm afraid.
The Ghost: I lent my jet to my butler.
Barry: Haha, oh you Brits!

More quotes from The Ghost Writer

Trivia: When Ruth Lang and the ghostwriter are watching CNN's breaking news on television, the information bar at the bottom of the news screen identifies Lang as: "FMR Bristish PM". This must be an intentional typo that alludes to the commonly misspelled words on CNN. (01:01:20)

More trivia for The Ghost Writer

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