Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare’s Big Name Fan offers a pitch-perfect blend of mystery, romance and Hollywood drama.
For six years, Bexley Simon and Sam Farmer played detectives on the smash television hit Craven’s Daughter. The show was beloved for its celebrity guest stars, wild plotlines and the killer chemistry between Bex and Sam. But following the accidental death of the show’s makeup artist, Jen Arnot, and contentious negotiations between Sam and the network, Craven’s Daughter was canceled, and both actors moved on to other projects.
Five years later, Bex and Sam are asked to do a reunion special and podcast about their time on the show. While they navigate long-simmering feelings for each other, the actors learn that an unknown member of the Craven’s Daughter team was prolific fan fiction author Big Name Fan, who wrote real events from set into their popular stories. Bex and Sam hope to figure out who Big Name Fan was, and if they know what really happened to Jen Arnot all those years ago.
Big Name Fan brings readers to a Hollywood set rife with intrigue and tension. Arnot had a complicated relationship with several of the show’s bigwigs, including the showrunner, writer and set designer. During the show’s initial run, Bex and Sam were focused on delivering great performances while grappling with their mutual attraction; they failed to pick up on Arnot’s struggles. The podcast offers them a unique platform to investigate her death and pay their respects to their friend.
The mystery addresses big issues like queerbaiting, homophobia and the toxic nature of the entertainment industry. While solving Arnot’s murder is the first priority for both Bex and Sam, their relationship is a major element of Big Name Fan. Romance readers will especially enjoy following the actors as they uncover clues and navigate their feelings for each other. Sam and Bex are both funny, intelligent characters who are easy to root for, and their compelling romance is an enjoyable bonus to their story. Bex’s struggle to find her footing in Hollywood while also raising her young sisters is particularly engaging, and adds another dimension to her character.
Real-life couple Knox and Mare juggle a lot in Big Name Fan—longstanding feuds, burgeoning romances and the plots of Craven’s Daughter and the fan fiction it inspired—and they balance it all beautifully, creating an enjoyable read for fans of mystery and romance alike.
