Case #2 Britney

·49 min·4 clips

Andrea loses her mind after discovering Britney Spears carrying her unknown book in a paparazzi photo.

1. Mystery Show is a Gimlet podcast hosted by Starlee Kine; in Case #2, she investigates for writer Andrea Seigel why Britney Spears was photographed carrying Andrea's obscure second book. 2. Andrea Seigel is the author of two novels; her first sold reasonably well after a People magazine feature, but her second, To Feel Stuff, had essentially no readers or reviews. 3. The mystery's hook: Andrea's 2008 Google Alert returned a paparazzi photo of Britney Spears exiting a Malibu restaurant holding To Feel Stuff alongside cigarettes, phone, and lighter — sending Andrea into a state of excitement she ranks above the birth of her child. 4. Andrea became a Britney fan during the Justin Timberlake matching-denim era and describes Britney as a likely introvert who enjoys performing but hates everything else that comes with fame. 5. Starlee verifies Andrea's claim about the book's obscurity by calling bookstores; none have heard of it, while one accidentally bonds with Starlee over a bookseller whose parents won a million dollars in the Wisconsin Powerball. 6. Eric, one of Starlee's investigators, searches for other books Britney has been photographed with and finds she has been seen carrying Candide, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Pride and Prejudice, and Eat, Pray, Love — establishing that carrying books is a pattern. 7. A paparazzi video of the same night, posted on YouTube years after the original photo, shows Britney leaving the restaurant with her parents as dozens of cameras surround her, her mother holding up a coat to shield her from view. 8. Starlee identifies the restaurant as Paradise Cove in Malibu, the same location where Britney shot her music video Sometimes in 1999 at age 17, and concludes the family likely returned for the mother's birthday to recall simpler times. 9. At the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, which paparazzi photos show Britney visiting hundreds of times, Starbucks staff describe her as constantly mobbed; a Topshop sales clerk shows Starlee a romper Britney tried on and a blue crop top she bought, still marked with a circle-B tag. 10. Starlee purchases both items from Topshop and wears the crop top while reporting the case. 11. Every potential connection to Britney — her stylist, her former bodyguard, a forum post about a supposed cousin-in-law — goes silent once Britney's name is mentioned, with one lead dying when Auntie Mary had neither email nor phone. 12. Starlee decides to pay for access directly by buying a $2,500 VIP meet-and-greet at Britney's Planet Hollywood residency, solving a Robert Frost CAPTCHA ('I took the one less traveled by') in the process. 13. Calling Ticketmaster to ask logistics questions, Starlee ends up in a 20-minute conversation with rep Dennis about worthiness, depression, self-talk, and the purpose of life after Dennis reveals his father died when he was five and his mother raised seven boys alone. 14. Dennis tells Starlee 'the purpose of life is each other' and 'this is the most interesting moment I've had in eight months at this job.' 15. In the Vegas taxi on the way to the show, Starlee's driver reveals he once had Britney Spears in his cab when she was 12 or 13 — he called her 'the nicest, most respectful kid' and she was his favorite celebrity passenger, ranked above Magic Johnson and Kiefer Sutherland. 16. At Planet Hollywood, family friend and meet-and-greet coordinator Fee — in a custom Dickies jumpsuit with 'Team Britney' bedazzled on the back — leads an orientation using a security guard to role-play Britney, issuing rules against touching, sudden movements, and unchecked pocket-hand transitions. 17. Fee explains that Britney is shy, that she may introduce herself even though attendees already know who she is, and that if a hug impulse cannot be suppressed, it should be redirected to Fee. 18. Starlee watches each of 50 attendees get approximately three seconds with Britney before being photographed; when her turn comes, she redirects Britney away from the camera and asks about To Feel Stuff. 19. Britney confirms she remembers the book, says her assistant gave it to her, and then turns to the camera to say 'I loved it' — prompting Starlee to call Andrea from her hotel room to deliver the news. 20. Andrea tells Starlee she could sense from Britney's face in the meet-and-greet photo that the response was genuine, not performative, and says it makes her love Britney more.

As heard by us

A Britney breadcrumb trail that ends with more feeling than fanfare.

This episode follows a writer's unsold second book into a weird little celebrity mystery, and Starlee Kine treats every absurd turn as if it matters.

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Why you'd press play

A Britney sighting turns a little-read book into a strangely tender celebrity mystery.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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