This is another just-plain fun mystery romp with a big personality. Big Name Fan clearly has its roots in a real-life detective dramedy that went off the air with its strongly sapphic-leaning fans upset that its leads never kissed (Rizzoli and Isles). It doesn’t matter if you’ve never seen the show – this fun read deviates from this path in a lot of fun ways, making an entertaining mystery – well, compared to the romance.

Bexley “Bex” Simon and Sam Farmer are two actresses who struck it lucky with a successful, long-lived cult detective drama called Craven’s Daughter. Five years after the show’s finale, Bex and Sam are reuniting for a podcast and a reunion special. Both will probe the murder of a crew member, Jen Arnot, their beloved makeup woman, whose inexplicable death shadowed the show’s final episodes in tragedy. Since their friendship didn’t survive the end of the show, coming back together is a huge deal for them – and fans whispering about the possibility of Bex and Sam getting together for real adds to the buzz.

As they record the podcast, Bex and Sam learn things they never knew about their co-stars and their crew members. Like how deeply one crew member was embedded in the show’s fandom, calling themselves Big Name Fan. And the fact that Bex and Sam might be into one another after all. But first they’re gonna have to find out who killed Jen – or be killed themselves.

The mystery here is what really takes this one to new heights but the romance ends up falling on the tedious side of the slow-burn type of romance. I really wanted more. Still, the mystery is a fun, slam-bang paced story, a quick read with a sense of humor and personality. 

I did like Bex and Sam, even if I couldn’t buy their romance. The book’s detour into fandom and fanfiction is amusing and well thought-out, and ties well into the central mystery. Sometimes it felt like the narrative was shooting off in too many directions at once, but the good parts are too good to discount, which is why Big Name Fan gets a solid B from me.