Interesting book about the death of minor actress, Karen “Cookie” Kupichek, daughter of Chicago columnist, Irv. Told as a fictional story from the perspective of a friend of the family, Jed Rosenthal, the story weaves together conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of JFK (which occurred around the time of Cookie's death) as possibly related to hers. The story also is one about the friendships of the times between the Kupichek’s and others which lends a charm to the book - kind of like listening to a 1940’s noir film being narrated by the guy who didi it. The case remains unsolved but the story here remains a decent read. I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Having grown up close to Chicago, I found many references to the city fun and nostalgic. As I got further into the story, however, the writing seemed to be going in circles without giving me any new information to move the story along. I got through about 45% of the book before giving up, as it started to feel like a chore to read. This simply was not my book

pretty fun murder mystery that generally works quite well. the mystery builds fine and the twists work wel. 4 stars tysm for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Gossip Columnist's Daughter.

I didn't realize this was based on a real life unsolved cold case.

I just saw the words 'cold case of a young Hollywood starlet’s death' in the blurb and I was hooked.

I never read the author before so I went into this with an open mind but it was clear from the start that he favors a writing style I'm not a fan of.

I despise stream of consciousness style of writing as the author writes down any random thought or anecdote that pops into his head.

The blurb is misleading because it's not about the unsolved cold case but how it ties to the author's family, their family drama and background.

If you're a Chicagoan you'll love the references and the famous names the gossip columnist and his daughter hangs out with.

I've never been to Chicago (not yet) but I recognized some of the names and landmarks.

I didn't like the writing but even worse, I didn't care about the author or his family or who they were hobnobbing with.

The disjointed writing style, random anecdotes and flashbacks and present day timeline were confusing and distracting.

What's the point of the book?

It's sad the cold case remains unsolved (among so many others) but with so many true crime aficionados out there now maybe one day Cookie's case will finally be solved.

Jed Rosenthal is struggling in life. His relationship is ailing, his career stagnant, and he feels aimless. Struggling to come to grips with his life, he dives into the history of his family, and the family of his closest friends, the Kupcinet's. At only 22 years old their daughter Karyn "Cookie" Kupcinet was found dead in her apartment in Los Angeles. On a successful track to Hollywood stardom the question of how she died continues to rage on; was she strangled or did she overdose on pills? And, did Cookie's death have anything to do with the assassination of JFK? Don't be confused though, author Peter Orner doesn't attempt to actually answer any of those questions; instead The Gossip Columnist's Daughter delves into the lives of the Rosenthal's and the Kupcinet's in a non-linear way.

If you're from Chicago, or have frequented Chicago a lot, there are references galore that will bring you delight. If you're like me, who has never been, this may be a bit frustrating. Written in snapshots of time The Gossip Columnist's Daughter is a peculiar read; I didn't fall head over heels for it, but I also didn't dislike it either. It felt like the quest of a man to find the answers to what's happening in the present by looking back and studying the future. I found sections to be more engaging than others, but I liked the varied lengths on each page because it gave the book naturally breaks.

A hard book to rate and likely need a niche type of audience to adore, I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you Little Brown Co for the gifted ARC.

I don’t know how to even give an outline of the book. It jumped back and forth in time and people. It was too confusing.

I received an ARC of this upcoming novel through NetGalley.

The gossip columnist is Irv Kupcinet, a true life Chicago legend. A man about town, he knew everyone in Chicago and loads of big name TV and movie stars. His life was jarred in 1963 by the mysterious death of his daughter, Karyn, found strangled in a hotel room in Hollywood. She was just 22 and had yet to make it big. No one has ever found the murderer.

This is an unusual book. It is full of true facts about Irv Kupcinet. But the narrator of this book is a fictional character named Jed Rosenthal, a struggling author, and the grandson of a couple who were close friends with Irv and Essie Kupcinet. His grandparents mourned the death of Karyn with the Kupcinets, but their friendship ended suddenly and without explanation soon after Karyn’s death.

The book is not organized chronologically but a series of anecdotes cover what has happened to the Rosenthal family for the past 70 years. This book doesn’t really attempt to solve Karyn Kupcinet’s cold case. It does contain an abundance of Chicago references that appeal to a lifelong Chicagoan like me.

This book is largely the family history of three generations of Rosenthals. Their story is interesting and I found the whole book fast-moving and entertaining. Highly recommend to Chicagoans.

This one had a lot to unpack. The mystery behind Cookie's murder left many questions. I enjoyed the backstory and the tie ins to actual famous people. There was a lot of emotional roller coaster ups and downs throughout this one. I liked the book made you think about the topics more thoroughly. Something was missing for me though and i can't quite put my finger on it. It was ok for me. I would try another book by this author and i would recommend this to other readers but its not one i'd rave about.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
I am not sure what I want to say about this book. The underlying story of the death of Karyn Kupcinet was one that I was completely unfamiliar with. As a Chicagoan (but not a lifelong one) I didn’t have the degree of nostalgia for Irv that others might. I did like all the Chicago references (but wonder if it’s soooo Chicago that those unfamiliar with the city would like it as much). The parallel story of the relationship between the families was somewhat less interesting, although some insights were compelling. There’s a sub-story about the narrator and his relationships which was not that interesting to me.
All in all I enjoyed the book and now want to know more about the real-life aspects but so much left open.

"The cold case of a young Hollywood starlet's death sets a contemporary writer on an epic and comic quest to uncover the truth, and its connection to his own family - a new novel by "a major talent" (New York Times) and "one of the most distinctive voices of his generation" (Granta).

Jed Rosenthal hasn't published a book in fourteen years, the mother of his child left him in a "trial separation" that has stretched on indefinitely, and he struggles to navigate the daily sorrows of their co-parenting arrangement. But the implosion of Jed's family is simply a footnote in the larger history of the Rosenthal family's decline.

Just days after the JFK assassination, Karyn "Cookie" Kupcinet was found dead in her Hollywood apartment. The press reported that the 22-year-old was strangled, yet unanswered questions linger to this day. Cookie's parents - Chicago royalty, Irv and Essee Kupcinet - had been close friends with Jed's grandparents, but in the aftermath of her death, their friendship abruptly and inexplicably ended. Decades later, Jed pores over family stories, newspaper archives, old photos, and crime scene notes, believing that if he can divine the truth of Cookie's death - whether it was suicide, murder, or part of a larger conspiracy - it might shed light on a mystery closer to home.

Spanning seventy plus years, and weaving together family drama and a true-life unsolved case, The Gossip Columnist's Daughter is a singular, wryly comic, and deeply human exploration into friendship and the bonds that sustain us."

And who knows, a struggling writer solving a cold case would sure be a bestseller...

Very slow start and had to DNF. The character's voice didn't sound interesting and the back and forth of the timeline felt confusing and more streamed consciousness instead of put together. I might try to come back to it as it had a great description and premise, but it was hard to push through the first couple of chapters and nothing happened for far too long.

Wow while reading I did a little research and discovered that this particular story had some truth to it. A lot a questions arise and this was a perfect thoughtful book,

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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