Published September 5th, 2024 by Constable
Mystery, Crime Series, Thriller, Political Fiction
Welcome to my bookish thoughts on this cosy mystery. Thank you to Constable for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
How to put a positive spin on a murder mystery…
Meet our narrator: witty, nosy, a professional weaver of lies – aka ghostwriter for the rich
and famous – and now, lander of The Dream Assignment (that is, a politician’s tell-all
memoir).
Enter Dorothy Gibson: recently toppled Presidential C andidate, aka that woman, the most
talked-about person in the country right now… for all the wrong reasons.
Add — an invitation to the middle of nowhere, one well-heeled neighbour dying under
Suspicious C ircumstances, a secret investigation — and an unreasonably beautiful man.
The result — a story even our ghostwriter wasn’t expecting. And for once, it’s all hers…
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MY REVIEW:
An anonymous ghostwriter travels to Maine to ghostwrite the autobiography of Dorothy Gibson, the former senator that everyone is talking about following her recent loss in the Presidential race against a Donald Trump-esque opponent. Not long into the assignment, one of Dorothy’s neighbours is found dead in the bath. And while it is at first assumed to be suicide, evidence later points to murder prompting Dorothy and the ghostwriter to team up to try and solve the crime.
Funny, bold, twisty and compelling, The Busy Body is an entertaining cosy mystery with retro vibes. Set in a large country house in winter, the book has a warm and festive atmosphere that I enjoyed. The anonymous ghostwriter narrates the story, recounting the events surrounding the murder and investigation and often breaking the fourth wall to talk directly to the reader. But the book’s greatest strength in my opinion is its characters. There’s the sarcastic and gossipy ghostwriter, the smart and sassy former senator, a grumpy policeman, a hard-to-resist gorgeous bodyguard and an array of compelling background characters. There’s an abundance of motives and suspects, making it hard to predict where the story will go next and just who killed Dorothy’s neighbour. I was hooked and kept guessing right up until the big reveal. It feels like Kemper Donovan has set this book up to be the start of a new series and I hope it is as I can see a lot of potential for the ghostwriter to become embroiled in a lot of intriguing situations thanks to her job.
A fun old-timey mystery perfect for anyone who likes detective stories, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
From Kemper’s website:
I’ve lived in Los Angeles for most of my adult life. Starting out, I worked at a wonderful company called Circle of Confusion (no, really) representing film/television screenwriters and comic books. My very first client wrote the screenplay for the feature film Hanna, released by Focus Features in 2011. (If you haven’t seen it, watch it; you won’t be sorry.) Before that I went to college at Stanford University (with apologies to the Bay Area, I am definitely more of a SoCal person), and law school at Harvard. Technically, I am a retired lawyer, which means I passed the New York Bar and then immediately switched my status to “retired” to avoid fees and continuing education requirements….
I began writing my first novel, The Decent Proposal, when I was still a manager. After an extremely long gestational period and an even longer process acquiring representation and then selling the book for publication, I turned to writing full-time. Around the same time, I also began a side project with my dear friend, Catherine Brobeck. Together we created the podcast All About Agatha, devoted to the one and only Agatha Christie. Tragically, Catherine passed away at the end of 2021, and I have continued on with the podcast solo. It was my work on All About Agatha that inspired me to write my own mystery series, which is currently being published by Kensington Books.
I am married, and my husband and I have two daughters who keep us extremely busy. When I’m not with them, or chattering into a microphone, or staring at a laptop with my head in my hands, I enjoy doing things that have a more obvious/tangible/short-term payoff such as running and attempting to play the violin (emphasis on the attempt).
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BUY THE BOOK:
Bookshop.org* | Watesrtones* | Amazon*
*These are affiiliate links
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx
Emma's Biblio Treasures 