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The unlikely detective is painted for the gods in this campy drag twist on a familiar trope.

When her drag mother, Lady Lady, is murdered drag queen songstress Misty Divine, aka anxious non-binary 30-something Joe, is devastated. Lady Lady was like family! When the police discover she was wearing a gown stolen by notorious local thief the Kensington Catburglar, the investigation takes a turn. It’s clear that the lead detective is prioritising the Catburglar, and if he’s managed to interview a single queen without misgendering her, well, Misty wasn’t around to hear it. Good will is fading, tension is high, someone is following her, and if that wasn’t enough, Misty is fast becoming suspect number one. With boyfriend Miles playing her cautious Watson, Misty beats her mug, dons her wig, slips on her stilettos, and serves Sherlock realness to the best of her abilities.

This was a unique take on the unlikely detective trope. Joe / Misty was a relatable central figure, and there was plenty of campy fun and drag references to be enjoyed despite the murder at the heart of the story. Some scenes were very memorable, with a strong visual sense, and Stars has a talent for describing outfits, objects, and settings.

Unfortunately, beyond that, this wasn’t an especially well written novel. The language is very simplistic, so much so that the writing style bordered on child-friendly in places, and there was an awful lot of telling, with very little showing. Joe often spoke to themself mentally, which undercut some of their intrigue as a detective figure, and the interviews they conducted, whether as themself or as Misty, were repetitive and predictable. The characters were largely 2D, beyond names, appearances, and professions, we got very little sense of who each character was. I found it difficult, even in scenes when they were all together, to tell apart Moneypenny and Plimberly, who seemed to merge together at points, trading traits. Miles, who as Joe’s boyfriend should have been a distinct character, was formless and amorphous, I couldn’t understand why they were together, although they verbalised their love for one another often, they seemed to interact very little, and when they did Miles was often critical, or fretting. Some actions were repeated in close quarters, Miles would do the washing up, and then Joe would stand up and do the washing up. Someone would move across the room, and do it again a few lines later. I think this novel has great potential, but maybe needed a little bit more polishing.

Having said all of that, I don’t think this is the worst debut I have ever read. It had strong moments, and Stars finished really well. It was also very readable, and genuinely humorous. I think future books in the series would be better, I get the sense that, like the procedural show pilots this draws from, there is great potential in this series, which has been hinted at in this first taste. I hope to get the opportunity to read future books in the series, and see how Misty develops. 3 stars.