I enjoyed this book, the two timelines, the humor, not sure if my students would "get it" so to speak, might be not enough in their language/generation for them to be interested in the story. It was well written and interesting to me as an older adult

I received a free copy of, The Gossip Columnist's Daughter, by Peter Omer, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jed Rosenthal wants to solve 22 year old Karyn Kupcinet, Cookies as she was known, murder. Cookie is the daughter of Irv Kupcinet, famous columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. I remember reading his column, growing up, but I do remember that his daughter was murdered. This was an interesting read, on a case I never heard of.

This was a slow burn read but good I can see the rave of this book I will recommend as it was a bit different from my usual

In *The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter*, Peter Orner delivers a funny and touching novel that dives into memory, failure, and mystery. The story revolves around Jed Rosenthal, a struggling writer dealing with the fallout of a long "trial separation." He starts looking into the cold case of Karyn “Cookie” Kupcinet, a Hollywood starlet who was found dead in 1963. This journey is not just about solving a mystery; it’s also about uncovering personal and family grief.

Orner expertly weaves different times and tones into the narrative, covering over seventy years without making it feel clunky. His writing is clear and bright, easily moving between the past and present while mixing real events with fiction. Jed’s quest into Cookie’s death reveals deep family issues and unspoken hurts that resonate through time.

While Cookie’s tragic death—rumored to be tied to the Kennedy assassination—adds an intriguing true-crime element, Orner uses it to ask bigger questions: What do we owe the past? What stories do we carry with us, and what do they cost us?

Although the book touches on heavy themes like grief and estrangement, it's also packed with humor typical of Orner's style. Jed’s witty reflections make the narrative feel like a chat with a friend—funny, sad, and very real.

Ultimately, *The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter* is more than just a mystery or a family saga; it’s a thought-provoking look at how stories shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

I was very surprised that this was written by an author who had published multiple books. This was a very difficult book to get through. Even though I finished the book, I still have no idea what the book was actually about. The storyline was disjointed and hard to follow the back and forth of the timeline.

Every family has two stories: the one that gets retold to death and the one that never gets brought up. Our protagonist here has become obsessed with the latter, trying to fix his own life by trying to unravel his family’s history by trying to solve a sixty-year-old murder. Like Tolstoy meets James Ellroy by way of Borges, it’s as twisty, compelling, and original as it sounds. A very moving and often funny novel about the synapses that make up a family.

A Hollywood cold case. A fractured family. A past that refuses to stay buried.

Jed Rosenthal is adrift. Fourteen years since his last published book, he watches his life unravel—his longtime partner gone, their "trial separation" stretching into something permanent, their co-parenting routine a quiet, daily heartbreak. But Jed knows his personal failures are just a chapter in a much larger, more tangled family story.

The thread that might tie it all together? The death of Karyn “Cookie” Kupcinet, a young Hollywood starlet found strangled in her apartment just days after the JFK assassination. Cookie’s parents—Chicago power couple Irv and Essee Kupcinet—were once close to Jed’s grandparents, their families intertwined by history, influence, and old secrets. But after Cookie’s mysterious death, the friendship abruptly ended, with no explanation.

Decades later, Jed becomes obsessed. He combs through newspaper archives, crime scene reports, and his family’s fading memories, determined to uncover the truth behind Cookie’s death—whether it was murder, suicide, or something far more sinister. But as he unspools the mystery, he begins to see his own life reflected in its fractured pieces. What if the answers he’s searching for aren’t just about Cookie, but about himself?

Spanning over seventy years, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter is a masterful blend of true crime, family drama, and wry, self-aware humor—a novel about the stories we tell, the friendships that shape us, and the haunting weight of the past.

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