The Busy Body is a traditional, play fair mystery from Kemper Donovan—host of the All About Agatha podcast. Given his knowledge of Agatha Christie, it’s little surprise that The Busy Body will appeal to fans of the Golden Age of crime fiction. The story is very modern, but the vibe is full-on retro in the best ways possible.
The Busy Body features an unnamed narrator. The reader learns that she is a successful ghostwriter, who has written many books for high-powered and famous clients, but she remains nameless. As The Busy Body opens, she receives her most prestigious offer yet—to ghostwrite the memoir for Dorothy Gibson, who recently failed in her attempt to be elected the first female President of the United States.
The ghostwriter travels to the compound in Maine where the former senator now secludes herself from both her adoring public and her vicious detractors. Spending their days in discussion seems like a dream gig until a nearby neighbor turns up dead.
Vivian Davis and her cosmetics scientist husband Walter Vogel have been staying at the Crystal Palace, a spectacular glass-enclosed residence on the property adjacent to Dorothy Gibson’s home. Her death is first assumed to be a suicide—but drowning oneself in a bathtub is challenging at best and no one seems to feel she had a reason to be depressed. Eventually, a second death all but proves there is more going on than anyone suspected.
Fear not, Dorothy Gibson and her newly-hired ghostwriter are on the case. This intelligent pair find themselves squaring off with the local authorities to find out who the murderer is. Let’s face it, a memoir ghostwriter knows what questions to ask, and a former Presidential candidate can just about open any door.
The plot of The Busy Body is structurally tight and perfectly paced, but it’s the voice of the unnamed narrator that really makes the novel sing. She’s smart, funny, flawed, and a true risktaker. Almost from the first page, readers are bonded with her and rooting for her every step of the way. Readers even get invested in her love life as she flirts—with varying levels of success—with Dorothy’s hunky bodyguard. Despite being nameless, she would make for the perfect series character—with a job that gives her access to a plethora of interesting people.
The suspects uncovered during Dorothy and the ghostwriter’s investigation are also well crafted and complex. There are no shortage of motives among this bunch of Maine citizens. Despite the over-the-top way they jump into a full-on investigation, the unfolding of clues proceeds in a logical and realistic manner, without the reader needing to overlook too many stretches of credibility.
Readers seeing a character who attempts to be the first female President of the United States, might justifiably assume the plot will be politics-heavy, but that is not the case with The Busy Body. In fact, Kemper Donovan does a really good job of not becoming overly controversial, while also not avoiding the topic completely.
By the time the reader reaches the end of The Busy Body, they will be sad to leave this world behind. There is just something comforting in this ghostwriter’s personality and her telling of the tale is just a pure delight. Whatever Kemper Donovan does next—though many will be hoping for a return of this character—his newly-made fans are sure to follow.
BUY LINKS: The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan
Disclaimer: A print galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
