LOOK FOR THE BRAND NEW PAPERBACK ON JANUARY 14!
The Princess of Las Vegas
“Bohjalian brings a propulsive vitality and a sly humor to a surprisingly moving tale.” — The New York Times Book Review
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and The Lioness, a Princess Diana impersonator and her estranged sister find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of money and murder in this twisting tale of organized crime and family secrets on the Las Vegas strip.
Crissy Dowling has created a world that suits her perfectly. She passes her days by the pool in a private cabana, she splurges on ice cream but never gains an ounce, and each evening she transforms into a Princess, performing her musical cabaret inspired by the life of the late Diana Spencer. Some might find her strange or even delusional, an American speaking with a British accent, hair feathered into a style thirty years old, living and working in a casino that has become a dated trash heap. On top of that, Crissy’s daily diet of Adderall and Valium leaves her more than a little tipsy, her Senator boyfriend has gone back to his wife, and her entire career rests on resembling a dead woman. And yet, fans see her for the gifted chameleon she is, showering her with gifts, letters, and standing ovations night after night. But when Crissy’s sister, Betsy, arrives in town with a new boyfriend and a teenage daughter, and when Richie Morley, the owner of the Buckingham Palace Casino, is savagely murdered, Crissy’s carefully constructed kingdom comes crashing down all around her. A riveting tale of identity, obsession, fintech, and high-tech mobsters, The Princess of Las Vegas is an addictive, wildly original thriller from one of our most extraordinary storytellers.
PRAISE
“Bohjalian brings a propulsive vitality and a sly humor to a surprisingly moving tale. . . The mayhem includes murder, bribery and blackmail. The bodies pile up. But underneath it lurks a poignant story of two sisters with a tragic shared history – and a clever teenager who knows her way around a computer and might well save the day.”
“The improbable heroine of Chris Bohjalian’s The Princess of Las Vegas... [is] no Blanche DuBois—she’s survived this long on her wits, and she’s not going to fold now. Chris Bohjalian is a literary chameleon who has immersed himself in many disparate worlds in the course of his 24-book career, and he knows how to seduce the reader… Mayhem lovers will be reassured to know that the book begins with a Mob hit, and the violence that erupts intermittently afterward explodes.”
“[An] engaging and imaginative thriller.”
"My money is always on Chris Bohjalian. And he never fails to deliver a winner. His latest thriller, The Princess of Las Vegas, is a fast-paced tale of murder, money and mistaken identities set in the city of sin itself . . . Bohjalian excels at creating flawed and pained women, with histories that are often shocking and always revelatory. Betsy and Crissy are in the tradition of some of his best female protagonists."
"Bohjalian's latest is a fusion of contemporary malaise and eager nostalgia — not unlike Sin City itself."
"Riveting... Same old same old isn't something you get from Chris Bohjalian. No ruts for this author... Bohjalian nails the seedy atmosphere of Las Vegas off the strip.”
"For fans of estranged sisters, obsession, and organized crime! Crissy Dowling is living a strange and downward spiraling life: she has a one-woman show in Las Vegas playing Diana Spencer. While the fans may adore her, her addiction and life-blurring identity aren’t the healthiest. It’s only about to get worse when one of the owners of the casino is murdered, her estranged sister shows up with a boyfriend and teenage kid, her boyfriend—a separated-from-his-wife Senator— goes back to his wife, and she’s asked by the other casino owner to do a dangerous favor.”
“A thrilling symphony of royal impersonators, teenage hackers and run-down casinos with multiple mysteries at its core. . . Bohjalian is no stranger to quirky folks in increasingly twisted situations. . . [and in Crissy and Betsy he] has created two distinctively fascinating narrators. . . The Princess of Las Vegas will leave the reader with both a yearning for Sin city excitement and a deep sigh of relief at being exactly where they are.”
"Crissy makes a living as a Princess Diana impersonator in Las Vegas, a glamorous one-woman act that masks the more unsavory aspects of her life. But when her boss at the Buckingham Palace Casino is murdered, Crissy finds herself in very real danger. Appealing both to readers obsessed with the British royals and to fans of mysteries and thrillers.”
“Subsisting on Adderall and Valium, a slim, beautiful Princess Diana impersonator makes a good living in Vegas until the day her estranged sister shows up, setting in motion a thriller that involves organized crime, unscrupulous cryptocurrency bros and shady politicians.”
"Chris Bohjalian has a type. His recent thrillers are about glamorous, imperiled women who may not be trustworthy but whose senses of humor makes us like them anyway…[He] writes with verve and humor, and his depiction of a seedy, past-its prime casino feels just right… [and he] keeps us guessing until the end.”
"In this literary thriller, a Princess Diana impersonator and her estranged sister get wrapped up in a series of murders at a dumpy Las Vegas casino. This book is about many things, including cryptocurrency, organized crime and family secrets. Greta calls Chris Bohjalian’s books ‘juicy but literary at the same time. They’re so smart but feel like candy.’"
“Entertaining… The untimely deaths keep coming… Bohjalian is very good at capturing both the dark underside of Las Vegas and the weird surface on which fake Arethas, Sinatras, and Michael Jacksons cavort. Diana goes Vegas… in Bohjalian’s latest lively romp”
“A wonderful book. . .I absolutely could not put it down.”
“Bohjalian’s lightning-speed page-turner delivers a dishy, twisty tale of suspense tempered with intriguing insights into the nature of ego, fame and family . . . Bohjalian offers a full deck of irresistible elements in this novel of endangered Vegas royalty.”
“The Princess of Las Vegas offers up the perfect balance of sophisticated characterization and wild, rollicking plot.”
“A “well-calibrated satire of cryptocurrency culture. . .[and] a blazing, Tarantino-esque climax.”