When our unnamed protagonist—a ghostwriter—is hired by a failed presidential candidate to write her memoir, she is thrilled. It is a dream job with a client who is very recognizable. But, their work is interrupted when a neighbor is murdered and they become intrigued by the turn of events and begin to investigate the crime. I loved the way that this story is told, in a very conversational—almost confidential—tone, directly to the reader. The narrator makes frequent asides (usually in parentheses) that are very funny: usually sarcastic and often biting, but sometimes simply amusing. Nothing is as it appears in the story surrounding the dead woman, the various characters who may have killed her, and the investigating cops, and the result is an intriguing murder mystery told in a very engaging manner. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Once I got over the male author in a female character's voice, I enjoyed the book. Obviously Dorothy Gibson is modeled after Hillary Clinton and it works very well. Every time she laughs, I can hear Hillary's laugh. The lead character is a ghostwriter who is never identified by name (which (I found disconcerting because no one called her by name in the book). When a women they met casually at a liquor store is found dead in her bathtub the next morning, Gibson and ghostwriter are on the case. Like all good Agatha Christie detectives, they insinuate themselves into the investigation and proceed to solve the crime before the grumpy detective. Clever, funny and totally enjoyable.

Name of Book: The Busy Body
Author: Kemper Donovan
Series: The Ghostwriter #1
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Kensington Books/ A John Scognamiglio Book
Pub Date: January 23, 2024
My Rating: 3.3 Stars!
Pages: 320

Freelance writer aka GW (as we never get her name- have to admit at first I thought GW was a male) gets a call from her agent Ronda that she has been requested to be the ghostwriter to help Senator Dorothy Gibson write her memoir. Ms. Gibson (actually she is okay with being called Dorothy) recently lost a presidential election, is assigned a ghostwriter writer to help her write her memoir. GW is invited to stay at the Gibson estate in the small town of Showhegan, Maine, One evening Dorothy discovers she is low on wine so she, GW as well as a group of security, bodyguard etc. head off to ‘Betty’s Liquor Mart’. Vivian Davis a neighbor and a Dorothy supporter is there. When she sees Dorothy asks if she may take a selfie so that she can show her husband. They chat for a bit and then everyone is on their way. A few days later they see the same picture in the paper with notification that Vivian Davis committed suicide from an overdose.
‘Dorothy and GW are suspicious and decide perhaps they can to help the investigation.

This started out great for me. The characters got my attention. Plus I was pleased when I saw the genre was not only as Mystery Thriller but also as a cozy mystery ~ however, it didn’t take long for this cozy mystery fan to know ~nope not a cozy.

https://cozy-mystery.com/Authors_D.html

Story ended up good but it wasn’t as great as I hoped.

Want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books/ A John Scognamiglio Book for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 23, 2024.

Everything about this book called out to me, but I am sorry to say I could not get into it. I tried several times and found my attention wandering each time until I finally gave up. Not for me, but it looks like plenty of other reviewers are connecting and recommending.

A punchy vibrant whodunit. A political maverick who lost the presidential election and a ghost writer team up in a small town to clear their names from a murder. At times the writing felt a little cringey and juvenile for the voice of the protagonist, but overall it was a good crime novel.

**SPOILERS**

A ghostwriter gets the job of a lifetime writing a book about a presidential candidate, Dorothy Gibson. The ghostwriter lives with Dorothy in her home and becomes embroiled in a scandalous suicide turned murder. The ghostwriter and Dorothy then take matters into their own hands to try and solve this mystery.

The mystery element of this book was really well done. I have read so many mystery/thriller books now that I tend to guess who the perp was within a few chapters. You had me until the end and I was shocked with how it turned out! In my opinion however, the ending felt rushed and a little 'get it over with'. I doubt in real life that the perp would confess like that when they had the opportunity to run off like planned.

I requested and received an EARC from Kensington Books/A John Scognamiglio Book via NetGalley.

Dorothy Gibson, an apple-cheeked senator from Maine, has just lost the election for President of the United States, and has retreated to her rural home with her staff and a ghostwriter hired to write her memoir. When a local woman is murdered, Dorothy and the ghostwriter join forces to investigate and solve the crime.

Definitely an original take as far as characters and situation; the parallels between Dorothy and HRC are entertaining without being over-the-top. I liked the setting and the cast of characters; I wasn't as thrilled with the meat of the investigation that mostly consisted of the two main characters interviewing the suspects--I would have liked a little less dialogue and more action. The ending was satisfyingly twisty without being impossible for the reader to solve. Recommended for fans of Golden Age mysteries, Agatha Christie, and anyone who likes a smart, contemporary, funny mystery.

A failed female presidential candidate teams with her memoir ghostwriter to solve a dangerous murder. Smart, hilarious, and perfect for lovers of contemporary mysteries with the gloss of Golden Age whodunits. Penned by the All About Agatha podcast host. A winner!

A ghostwriter gets a dream gig of writing the story of Dorothy Gibson, dynamic Presidential candidate who should have gotten the job but didn't. The ghostwriter (GW since we are never told her name) moves into Dorothy's house and as she begins collecting information through interviews, she and Dorothy become involved in the murder that happened at the neighbor's house. Dorothy is determined to investigate and solve the mystery, and GW is not only influenced by Dorothy's persuasion but also by her own curiosity.

Even though there was a murder mystery that resulted in quite a few twists, I get the sense that this was not really what the book was about - it was about the writer herself and the precarious role of a ghost writer. I had a hard time getting into the story - the voice was not matching the words for me, if that makes sense. The main character is a female ghost writer, but the voice kept feeling like a male, 1950's era, hard-boiled detective. It was disconcerting and it took awhile to get used to it and past it so I could focus on the storyline. I feel like this caused me to miss some clues, but then wondered with the novel genre if that was the point. Intriguing book, especially in the way the story was told. I would recommend this book to readers who liked Nita Prose's "The Maid;" not so much for the story itself, but for the way in which it is told.

The mystery element of this novel was really well done with lots of intriguing suspects, amusing characters, and twists and surprises. I was not able to predict the outcome and was surprised multiple times along the way as the main character found out new information.

I found the parallels to real life politics a bit much and overdone in the references to who should have won the election etc and other details like the photo of the female candidate hiking and taking a selfie with someone, but maybe that is more of a personal preference. It felt like the author was trying to hard and making the connection/parallel so obvious when I had already recognized it (as most people would in the first sentence it is introduced).

I also found the conversational style of the book was not for me. There were so many asides and it felt like a lot of stream of consciousness to the point where it was hard for me to differentiate between what was actually happening and what was in the narrator's head. However, if you like a more conversational writing style with lots of asides to the reader, this is a great mystery for you.

So good! I did not see the ending coming! I highly enjoyed this book and will be purchasing it for the library! and clearly making it the mystery book club's pick for Feb of next year. It pays homage to Agatha Christie in the best possible ways!

I really love the classic mystery feel of the book set in modern days. The character Dorothy and the setting did make me connect to what actually happened in reality. I assume the author planned to have sequels, otherwise the ending and some characters didn’t seem necessary to me. I would love to read the next book if it is the plan.

verbal-humor, snarky, writers, wry-humor, murder-investigation, murder, amateur-sleuth, politics, politicians, local-law-enforcement, Maine, cozy-mystery, female-sleuth****

It moves right along without losing the reader. The publisher's blurb is a good hook and does not mislead. The story is entertaining, characters engaging, plot twists intriguing, and circumstances fun. I really liked it.
I requested and received an EARC from Kensington Books/A John Scognamiglio Book via NetGalley.

WOW ! I LOVED THIS BOOK!

When a ghostwriter is asked to write a story for the defeated female presidential candidate it's a dream come true. The GW is a glib, sarcastic and witty woman, she lets us in on her innermost thoughts which aren't always kind or nice. It's a surprise to all when she clicks with the Former Senator and Candidate immediately. The two are similar to Thelma and Louise as they head directly into a whirlwind of a murder mystery without much of a thought for safety. This story is unique as the quick and clever talk was never "too" and the coziness of the mystery did not detract from the thrills and mystery. Kemper Donovan has written an excellent homage to Agatha Christie while maintaining his own voice and style. I cannot wait for the next in the series and would love to see the movie as well!

#KensingtonBooks #TheBusyBody #KemperDonovan

Hmmm...I have some mixed feelings about this book, but lets start with the pros -

- It was face paced, well plotted, and well thought out. The main elements were accounted for in the end. It had a strong sense of place and overall was a very fun read. I hope there is an audiobook!

Cons:

- I am not a fan of male writers writing female protagonists, and the fact this one was so poor!y developed isn't helping things. This book would have worked just as well with a male MC and would have been even better with a named, developed one at that

- It is SO derivative and I am shocked other reviewers haven't commented on it. This may as well be called "Hillary Clinton Solves a Murder". I like Hillary Clinton so I enjoyed imagining her in this setting, but I don't think all readers will. Writing Dorothy's character clearly took no imagination

- Why was there the romance element? It didn't add anything to the story and felt like a last minute addition that didn't fit in well. If it was a means to an end to reveal the 'secret' tidbit at the end, Leila, Dorothy, Sarah, or Locust could have done the same thing

- Why didn't the ghostwriter write Dorothy's book?

- There are a lot of characters and it was a little hard to keep them all straight. I think Peter and Denny could be completely removed from the book without changing anything

- How many times does an author need to use " pulchritude" in one book?

This was my first book by this author but not the last. It really kept my attention and was overall a fun read.
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.
#TheBusyBody #NetGalley

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

The Busy Body was an interesting take on a murder mystery. A ghost writer moves in with a woman who has just lost her bid for the presidency to a man who is horribly awful. From the outskirts, they imbed themselves in a murder mystery with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed this book!

This was a fun and frisky mystery that kept me engaged! A perfect read during an election year in the US.

The story is narrated by a female ghost writer who goes to Maine to write the memoir of the most talked about woman in the world, Dorothy Gibson. Just off a “so close but failed” presidential campaign, Dorothy is an interesting complex and enjoyable character. Going to a store with the ghost writer they meet a fan who’s dead by the next day. Intrigued, both Dorothy and the writer decide to solve the mystery.
I found the book to have an interesting plot, witty writing, and a great solution to the murder. To me, the ghostwriter comes across as an unlikable character. And I don't at all understand why the she did what she did at the end. If this is the beginning of a series who is it going to be about? Dorothy, who solved the murder and has an interesting life or the ghost writer who leaves us dangling as to her name, what happened to her sister, and why did the book ended as it did. Forgot to mention the book has a fabulous cover.