The busy body by Kemper Donovan

Written by an Agatha Christie devotee, this is a murder mystery woven together with many red herrings and classic mis-directions. The central character is a ghostwriter who has won the best commission – to write the memoir of Senator Dorothy Gibson, who has just lost Presidential selection. This impressive role lands her amidst Secret Service agents and the grief-like state of loss and withdrawal from a defeated campaign within days of the loss. This just places her in the same isolated place as a neighbourhood murder and gives her the opportunity to shadow the most recognisable woman in the United States as she exercises power and curiosity in attempting to solve a murder right on their doorstep. The writer is instantly a witness to the complexities of solving a murder (and sidestepping some incompetent police investigations) while watching a woman of power use her incredible intellect and influence to unravel truth and bring justice to the fore.

Kemper Donavan hides neatly behind the unidentified ghostwriter and inhabits the female writer with her own insecurities and life problems. (I wish I had not read his biography before reading the book, only because the gender identity of the ghostwriter was not instantly clear. This may be a strength for those who do not want gender to complicate the story, but initially there may be some insecurity for some readers.) The characterisation of Senator Dorothy Gibson seemed to take inspiration from Hilary Clinton, and as readers we instantly feel her power and presence. The ghostwriter seems to have found a different path into crime writing rather than memoir writing through the course of the story, but this is obviously an opportunity for a series. This book is told in the first-person reflections of the ghostwriter and her personal story, emotions, confusions and thoughts (and also sexual desires) provide insights into her role as crime solver and sidekick. This conversational style is quite endearing and revealing. The uncovering of motives as well as the revelation of the modus operandi of the murder is also worthy of an Agatha Christie-esque story.

Themes: Murder mystery, Politicians, Writers, Actors.

Carolyn Hull