When a ghostwriter is hired to write the memoir of Former Senator Dorothy Gibson, the last thing she expected was to be mixed up in a murder investigation. Setting her own work aside, she teams up with America’s most loved/hated woman (after losing the latest presidential election) to find the truth.

As Donovan is the podcast host of All About Agatha, it is not surprising that he would take inspiration from the Queen of Crime. I was also pleased to see a reference to Brides in the Bath, a true crime case that the Shedunnit Show podcast dedicated an entire episode to! While some reviewers didn’t find the sleuthing duo realistic, I did find myself enjoying their banter and investigative teamwork. And the reveal was dramatic…and kind of glorious in its melodrama.

With that said, some of the character depictions kept taking me out of the story and frustrated me, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. Fatphobia is present as is the sexual objectification of men, and these elements definitely brought my rating down.

Without the problematic content: 4⭐️
With the problematic content: 2⭐️
Original Pub Date: 23 Jan 2024
Reading Format: print + audio

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC of THE BUSY BODY by Kemper Donovan in exchange for this honest review!