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Overview
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.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780316224659
- ISBN-10: 0316224650
- Publisher: Little Brown and Company
- Publish Date: August 2025
- Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.25 pounds
- Page Count: 448
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Peter Orner’s latest novel, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter, reads a bit like a detective novel, and a bit like a celebrity memoir. Set in Chicago and based on the real-life 1963 unsolved murder of Hollywood actress Karyn “Cookie” Kupcinet (daughter of the famed Chicago Sun-Times columnist Irving Kupcinet), the story is not only a page turner, but also a tender and moving account of grief and friendship. At the book’s heart is 50-something Jed Rosenthal. A professor in the English department at Loyola University, Jed is linked to Cookie as the grandson of Irving Kupcinet’s best friends, Lou and Babs Rosenthal. Never mind that Jed wasn’t yet born at the time of Cookie’s death; he is convinced that his spiritless career, midlife angst and failed love life are a direct result of Cookie’s untimely end. Jed believes that in solving her murder, he will somehow also solve the enigma that is his life. There is a kind of glamour to Jed’s unraveling of the Kupcinets and their connections to the celebrities of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s—an era when newspaper columns were the only social media. Even more moving is the friendship the Kupcinets shared with Lou and Babs, a bond built through decades of trust and comfort that many of us may never experience. The other Rosenthals, like Uncle Solly; Jed’s sister, Lucy; and the housecat, Rudy; add just the right amount of diversion from the murder saga and provide insight into Jed’s inner workings. The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter has a bit of self-deprecating humor that not only makes Jed likable but also enlivens the story. The intimacy of Orner’s description of Chicago over the years, too, is endearing, delivered with the level of detail that makes a good story great. And while there is no escaping the grief that comes from losing a child, or from losing a lifelong friend, Orner does a wonderful job of demonstrating how loss and grief from the past can become resilience and hope in the ones who live on. Will Jed crack the case? Turns out, for the reader, that’s hardly the point.
Peter Orner’s latest novel, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter, reads a bit like a detective novel, and a bit like a celebrity memoir. Set in Chicago and based on the real-life 1963 unsolved murder of Hollywood actress Karyn “Cookie” Kupcinet (daughter of the famed Chicago Sun-Times columnist Irving Kupcinet), the story is not only a page turner, but also a tender and moving account of grief and friendship. At the book’s heart is 50-something Jed Rosenthal. A professor in the English department at Loyola University, Jed is linked to Cookie as the grandson of Irving Kupcinet’s best friends, Lou and Babs Rosenthal. Never mind that Jed wasn’t yet born at the time of Cookie’s death; he is convinced that his spiritless career, midlife angst and failed love life are a direct result of Cookie’s untimely end. Jed believes that in solving her murder, he will somehow also solve the enigma that is his life. There is a kind of glamour to Jed’s unraveling of the Kupcinets and their connections to the celebrities of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s—an era when newspaper columns were the only social media. Even more moving is the friendship the Kupcinets shared with Lou and Babs, a bond built through decades of trust and comfort that many of us may never experience. The other Rosenthals, like Uncle Solly; Jed’s sister, Lucy; and the housecat, Rudy; add just the right amount of diversion from the murder saga and provide insight into Jed’s inner workings. The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter has a bit of self-deprecating humor that not only makes Jed likable but also enlivens the story. The intimacy of Orner’s description of Chicago over the years, too, is endearing, delivered with the level of detail that makes a good story great. And while there is no escaping the grief that comes from losing a child, or from losing a lifelong friend, Orner does a wonderful job of demonstrating how loss and grief from the past can become resilience and hope in the ones who live on. Will Jed crack the case? Turns out, for the reader, that’s hardly the point.