The moment I saw that Kemper Donovan had written another book in the Ghostwriter Mystery series, I couldn't download the audiobook fast enough!!! The first Book, The Busy Body, was me taking a chance on an author I'd never read and a description of the book I wasn't sure I would enjoy-if I remember right, it was billed as a modern cozy mystery and cozy mysteries aren't my jam. But I loved the narrator, Eva Kaminsky, and decided to take a chance. And that chance definitely paid off- the ghostwriter protagonist of The Busy Body is one of the most most hilariously snarky characters I've ever read. I love love love her!!! And she's back in Loose Lips- which is every bit as fabulous as The Busy Body. (Maybe even more...??) I'm sure I would love both as digital or paper books—but Eva Kaminsky just adds a little bit *extra* to the experience. I promise- it is not possible to hit "download" and "play" fast enough. You won't regret it! (Though your cheeks might ache from smiling at the hours of hijinks and snark.) Highly, highly, highly recommend!!!!!!!!!

As a mystery reader, the premise intrigued me. A mystery author goes on a cruise with other writes and one by one passengers keep dying! Unfortunately, this audiobook didn’t hold my attention.

The who dun it wasn’t surprising, but the why was a twist.

If you’re looking for a palette cleanser murder mystery with a slower pace and not too much thinking involved, this is perfect for you!

The narrator was great! I listened at 1.75x

Kemper Donovan's LOOSE LIPS is a locked-room mystery on a Cruise ship and the second book of the Ghostwriter Mystery series. It is an absolute pleasure, and you can also read it as a standalone book (although I highly recommend reading "The Busy Body").

Payton, a ghostwriter and author of mystery novels, organizes an all-female Get Lit Cruise. This unique cruise promises a blend of writing workshops, high-seas adventure, and a chance for female writers to connect and inspire each other in a supportive environment. The main character, our sleuth and mystery writing instructor, is so well-written, and her voice is so relatable, which confirms that you forget that she is never named. Accompanying her is a set of vivid characters that are delightful, witty, and almost an exaggerated version of real people. Their dialogues are sharp and often laugh-out-loud funny.

The book is not just entertaining; it's highly engaging. The narrative is well-paced and twisty. The denouement (or Agatha Christie's style "gather the suspects" moment) was marvelous and tidied everything up, leaving you satisfied and wanting more.

The narrator, Eva Kaminsky, used her voice masterfully. She delivers a delightful performance and brings the characters to life with dramatic flair, making it a great listen. I look forward to hearing more from her in the future!

I sincerely thank NetGalley and RBmedia for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I also thank Kemper Donovan for the fantastic book; I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, and we may finally learn the name of our sleuth!

Loose Lips was a nice mystery set on a cruise ship. I enjoyed te setting aspect and I love a good poop deck joke. The narrator did a really good job.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

3.75⭐

It's definitely giving 'Knives Out' & 'Death on the Nile' vibes, without reaching a destination, though. Plus it's a literary cruise full of women (w/ a few exceptions).

I will always eat up a good ol' "who done it" any day. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Eva Kaminsky has such a stunning voice, I could listen to her talk all day.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Get Lit Cruise has it all - mystery, murder, drama & humor on a literary women’s retreat. What an engaging and entertaining read by Kemper Donovan. Eva Kaminsky did an excellent job with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley & RBmedia for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was non stop FUN. Enjoyed every single sentence. Witty, intelligent, light, delightful, with a compelling mystery at the heart. An absolute pleasure!!

Mystery and intrigue on the high seas.

What a fun book! I came into this second installment without reading the first in the series, but I was able to quickly become absorbed without the benefit of a lot of backstory. The premise involves the concept of bringing a large group of women together for a short ocean cruise focusing on different genres of books. Organized by a prolific author, the main character, Belle, is invited to be a guest instructor in the mystery group. Not everyone in attendance is there to enjoy talking about books, eating the fabulous food, or enjoying the free bar drinks. One person, in particular, is bent on murder.

I loved Belle (not her real name) with her snarky personality and antisocial tendencies. Her clever banter and the many astute references to literature and other forms of entertainment were spot on and relevant and added to the narrative. I had to really work to figure out who and why with the motive, means, and opportunity. The denouement was quite the revelation and very well done.

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both ARCs provided by the publishers. The narrator. Eva Kaminsky, did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life with all of her accents and dramatic flair. I’ve found that listening while reading really enhances my enjoyment of a book when the narrator is good. It was an excellent production.

I’m looking forward to another in this series and I need to go back and find a copy of the first so that I am properly caught up. I feel like I might have missed out and I typically don’t read series out of order.

I listened on audiobook. The first few chapters were very descriptive to give you the feel of the cruise. There is more than natural flowing commentary on the main characters thoughts, to the point I felt it was unnecessary. At first it felt we were suppose to remember for a twist later, but nothing came to fruition. I enjoyed the characters arc and after a few chapters I was hooked!

I always enjoy a good trapped in the middle of nowhere type situation. And doing on a cruise with so many suspects is even better! I really loved how the author wrote the book and just the different way the fmc internalized things. Such a fun quick read that will have you trying to figure out the whole and why of it all. Thanks so much to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this arc!

First off thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of the audio in exchange for my honest review<3

I really enjoyed this book! If you’re a mystery loving book girlie in your 20s-30s you will absolutely love the narration! Very funny and witty and the main characters thoughts were really fun to listen to. The only reason this book got 4 instead of 5 stars was that at times it did feel long and dragged out, but all in all a really fun mystery with a great twist!

I love a locked-room mystery, and a cruise ship is the perfect setting!

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it, especially since the narrator was the same as book one. Even though this is the second book, it stands alone well—there’s no heavy exposition, so it’s easy to follow.

There are a lot of characters—authors, guests, and staff—which made it tricky to keep track of who was who. The pacing felt a bit slow at first, with plenty of description and dialogue, but once the murders started, things picked up.

Main character Belle and the ship’s head staff take on the role of amateur sleuths, questioning passengers while the ship sails back to land.

I liked that every new clue seemed to lead to more crimes—a burglary, more murders—it was tough keeping track of the victims and motives! But that just made me want to keep reading.

One of my favorite parts was the classic “gather the suspects” moment when everything is revealed. The denouement (a word I learned from this book!) was fantastic.

The ending left me smiling, especially when Belle reached out to someone from book one. I love when a mystery ties things together like that—it makes the story feel even more satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley and RBmedia for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

So over all I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the modern references and the plot was well thought out. The biggest issue that I had was that it was very clear that this was written by a male author trying too hard to sound like a woman .

Full disclosure I didn’t know the author going into this book and didn’t know his gender. But it was clear throughout the book that he was putting in things that a woman never would in describing a woman. He also seemed to want to off load facts for the sake of nothing except waxing poetic about his knowledge base. It is also filled with social media jargon, references and current hot button stances on certain issues. It’s way too much. But I wanted to rate this on the story underneath that all and how it was written which was a strong point.

I enjoyed the narrator Eva Kamimsky who did a good job. Although because of some of that cringy descriptions it sounded uncomfortable at times coming off a women’s lips. I’m not sure if this is the authors typical MO but I hope it was a one off and he learns from his mistakes.


I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from RB Media through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
The book is out now.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This just wasn't for me. I think it will probably tick a lot of boxes for the right reader, but I wasn't that person. I didn't feel especially connected with any of the characters, and the plot was just ok. I knew who the killer was pretty early, and I really wanted the cruise ship vibes to make me feel like I was on early vacation...but the atmosphere didn't really come through. As a locked door mystery, it was fine...but just fine.