One of Waterstones’ best books of 2024
Shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year 2025
Shortlisted for the Beaumont Book Award 2025
Insanely addictive. ― Laura Steven, author of Our Infinite Fates
A twisty, addictive murder mystery set in the world of fandom, fame & TV show obsession from the author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. Perfect for fans of Malibu Rising, We Were Liars and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
When Delilah meets Sawyer Saffitz (son of Anya Saffitz, aka Hollywood royalty), she becomes hooked on a decade-old scandal. In her early years as an actress, Anya Saffitz was caught up in a huge scandal when one of her co-stars on a TV show was murdered by another actor. Rob Hennings is now in prison, but his godson Sawyer is convinced he’s innocent. He recruits Delilah to help discover what really happened ten years ago.
In their quest for the truth, Delilah uncovers blogposts written by the mysterious “gottiewrites” and is soon caught up in a world of greed, fandom conspiracy theories … and murder. And the deeper Delilah digs, the more dangerous it becomes – because someone is willing to kill to hide the truth.
Meanwhile, ten years earlier, blogger Gottie is writing an Unauthorized Fan Treatise on her tumblr blog. A fangirl for Loch & Ness, a TV show about paranormal detectives, she’s convinced that two of the male actors are secretly dating. She’ll stop at nothing to prove it. When her online investigations accidentally uncover far more than she expects, she becomes complicit in secrets beyond just a romantic conspiracy theory.
As Delilah’s investigations draw her deeper into the toxic world of fandom and Hollywood glamour, she’ll discover that there’s a dark side to celebrity status, which might eat her whole.
A compulsive YA thriller set in sun-drenched LA about fame and obsession, told in a ‘true crime’ style recollection of events, the novel includes social media extracts such as modern Tumblr posts and early-noughties LiveJournal blog entries. The perfect read for fans of mysteries, true crime and Hollywood scandals.
“Wren James’s books are addictive.” Alice Oseman
“A wild trip into the world of fandom, social media and true crime.” Laura Wood
“Fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will love this twisty take on fame and fandom, told in true-crime style through blogposts, messages and a fast-paced narrative.” The Guardian
Word count: 75,000 Aimed at ages 13+
Published in August 2024 by Walker Books in the UK and Australia
Listen to the first hour of the audiobook on Youtube in the Google Play preview
Watch me talk about my inspirations for the book on TikTok
“Fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will love this twisty take on fame and fandom, told in true-crime style through blogposts, messages and a fast-paced narrative.” – The Guardian
“An absolute treat. The affection, obsession and insanity of fandom are explored. Tremendously enjoyable.” – The Irish Times
Teasers for the story:
Wren James 