I recently was sent the second book in this series to review. I prefer to read series books in order, so I went to Amazon to see if The Busy Body was on sale and was surprised to see it was a Prime Reading book. Prime Reading is included with Prime membership, meaning I could borrow the book for Free and return it whenever I want. I am allowed to check out 10 books, magazines, audibles, and more at a time. It is a benefit I sometimes forget about but am grateful to have. Learn more about Prime Reading HERE and other Prime perks HERE.
The Busy Body: A Witty Literary Mystery with a Stunning Twist (A Ghostwriter Mystery)
Traditional Mystery/Women Sleuths
1st in Series
Setting – Maine
Publisher : A John Scognamiglio Book (January 23, 2024)
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496744535
ISBN-13 : 978-1496744531
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 149674456X
ISBN-13 : 978-1496744562
Kindle ASIN : B0C3WVVFRF
It’s a dream assignment. Former Senator Dorothy Gibson, aka that woman, is the most talked-about person in the country right now, though largely for the wrong reasons. As an independent candidate for President of the United States, Dorothy split the vote and is being blamed for the shocking result. After her very public defeat, she’s retreated to her home in rural Maine, inviting her ghostwriter to join her.
Her collaborator is impressed by Dorothy’s work ethic and steel-trap mind, not to mention the stunning surroundings (and one particularly gorgeous bodyguard). But when a neighbor dies under suspicious circumstances, Dorothy is determined to find the killer in their midst. And when Dorothy Gibson asks if you want to team up for a top secret, possibly dangerous murder investigation, the only answer is: “Of course!”
The best ghostwriters are adept at asking questions and spinning stories . . . two talents, it turns out, that also come in handy for sleuths. Dorothy’s political career, meanwhile, has made her an expert at recognizing lies and double-dealing. Working together, the two women are soon untangling motives and whittling down suspects, to the exasperation of local police. But this investigation—much like the election—may not unfold the way anyone expects . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Independent candidate for President and former Senator Dorothy Gibson comes home to rural Maine after being defeated and blamed for the surprising outcome of the election. She has decided to tell her story and has invited a ghostwriter into her home. The ghostwriter admires much about Dorothy and is anxious to get to work. Then a neighbor dies under questionable circumstances and Dorothy decides to sleuth out the killer with her ghostwriter by her side. Ghostwriters are pros at asking questions and coming up with stories so becoming an amateur sleuth isn’t much of a stretch. Dorothy has undercovered her share of secrets and lies in her political career and people seem to open up to her so getting information and following clues is right in her wheelhouse. Together they should make a great team much to the aggravation of the local police and Dorothy’s assistant.
But it could lead to the politician and the ghostwriter’s demise if they aren’t careful. That hunk of a bodyguard may not be around to save them when they need him.
I loved the unnamed ghostwriter theme. She calls herself Lady Cyrano among her friends who are really just acquaintances, associates, and colleagues. She is also estranged from her family. She likes living that way. This way she is free to pick up and go wherever her subject is, immerse herself into their lives, and “manipulate” their story for maximum engagement. But the story she is telling the readers is her story and she refuses to manipulate or strategize it. I enjoyed that the book was narrated from her point of view.
The Agatha Christie inspired mystery was well-plotted but did get bogged down in places. Dorothy Gibson is a strong woman who was a little lost after losing an election where she thought she had enough support to win. Investigating the death of her neighbor and inserting herself into their world seemed strange at first but her life had a drastic change. No more campaigns, meetings, briefings, and everything related to being a Senator. The death gave her something to focus on and puzzle out. The banter, heavy on sarcasm, between Dorothy and the ghostwriter was pretty humorous at times. I appreciated the closed-room style with an eclectic group of suspects but I did figure out whodunit before the Hercule Poirot style reveal.
The ending irked me. I have to be careful not to spoil it but the choice made by the main character and the way the situation was handled was cruel and fell flat for me. I also didn’t appreciate the body-shaming done by the main character. At times, she came off more as a male character than a female in her actions and attitudes. I ended up liking Dorothy more than I liked the ghostwriter.
While The Busy Body didn’t hit it out of the park for me, the unnamed ghostwriter theme has intrigued me enough to want to read the next book in the series, Loose Lips. I want to see how the ghostwriter evolves in what looks to be a challenging assignment. I am rounding my rating up to 4 stars.
Note: The story contains explicit language.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I borrowed as part of Amazon’s Prime Reading program. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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About the Author
Kemper Donovan is a full-time writer who is currently publishing an ongoing mystery series via Kensington Books (The Busy Body is the first in this series). Previously he published the standalone novel The Decent Proposal (HarperCollins). He is the host of the podcast All About Agatha, dedicated to all things Agatha Christie, in which guise he has appeared on BBC TV and Radio New Zealand, and written for the official Agatha Christie website at agathachristie.com. Kemper attended Stanford University and Harvard Law School, and now lives in Southern California with his husband and two daughters. Learn more at www.kemperdonovan.com, on Twitter, @allaboutagatha on Instagram, and Facebook.
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