The Princess of Las Vegas

A Novel

By: Chris Bohjalian

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Grace Experience

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

One of Elle’s Best and Most Anticipated Mysteries of 2024 • THE PRINCESS IS FAKE. THE MURDERS ARE REAL • 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, cryptocurrency, 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.

©2024 Chris Bohjalian (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“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.”
—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times

“Crissy Dowling, who narrates much of Chris Bohjalian’s The Princess of Las Vegas…lives in semiregal isolation at her residency suite and poolside cabana, drifting through days 'in a diazepam haze' and nights in 'an Adderall buzz…' Crissy’s estranged lookalike sister, Betsy, reappears in her life....Have Crissy and Betsy become dangerously entangled with a criminal and deadly organization? The Princess of Las Vegas packs a lot...into its roll-the-dice plot....[An] engaging and imaginative thriller.” —Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

"Bohjalian’s latest is a fusion of contemporary malaise and eager nostalgia—not unlike Sin City itself.” —Lauren Puckett-Pope, Elle

Very fun!

Great characters. Solid story. Good descriptions of Nevada. A blend of mystery and reconciliation of two damaged sisters.

Entertaining but not his best.

If you can get past the very unlikely premise of the book, that is the protagonist takes on the role of Princess Diana, and the ending is suddenly rushed, patched together without hints or foreshadowing I'd expect, it is an entertaining novel. The narration is excellent.

So Different

Chris B's books are all so different in subject matter, but what this has in common with his other books is that it is engaging from the first paragraph. I loved the characters and the family dynamics. I loved the suspense. I can't wait for Chris's next book.

Great store, worse performance

You almost have to read the book simultaneously as listening to the audible production; the diction and accents are horrible. The story keeps it going and I got the book in large print from the library. It made it bearable.

Edge of your seat thriller!

Loved the relationship between the sisters . I could not wait to listen to this book and it did not disappoint. So many twists and turns and an unexpected ending. Kept me on my toes!

Fun read!

Bohjalian’s stories are often a little dark and this one is no exception. I thought the narrator who voiced Chrissy was great but the Betsy/Marissa just so so. I enjoyed the book—have read all of this author’s books.

Brilliant

I didn’t like Princess Diana, but I do very much enjoy the writings of Chris Bohjalian so I decided to give his latest novel THE PRINCESS OF LAS VEGAS a try. I chose the audiobook version because Bohjalian’s talented daughter, Grace Experience is one of the narrators.

Told from the perspectives of Vegas Diana impersonator Chrissy, her younger sister Betsy and Betsy’s newly adopted thirteen-year-old daughter Marisa readers are taken on a journey through murder, mayhem, political corruption and cryptocurrency.

Marisa was my absolute favorite character. Smart, witty and badass. I love that she was a math geek.

I liked former social worker Betsy, even though she seemed to have no ethical boundaries she wouldn’t cross, adopting one client and dating the married but divorcing father of another. She’d never have kept her license for the latter. I can understand the urge to adopt a special client. As long as she referred the client to another practitioner, she’d probably be okay. Though somewhat naive, Betsy was basically a good egg.

I didn’t like Chrissy because of her pretentiousness. She pretended she was British, even when she wasn’t performing on stage, which I found both creepy and annoying. She had good intentions and a good heart, so I rooted for her to survive unscathed.

Bohjalian proved to me I don’t have to like or respect characters to be able to root for them.

I recommend THE PRINCESS OF LAS VEGAS and everything Chris Bohjalian has written.

Loved,loved, this book.Great twists and turns. What a great read.wonderful way to spend ,an afternoon.

This book has everything, you want in a story. finished it in an afternoon. Hope you enjoy,

go9d story

the narrator for Betsy was just plain awful! towards the end, I couldn't get past the fact that Betsy & her daughter sounded exactly the same

Great story, just overlook the accent

Different from other books by the author, this one started off a little slow. Coupled with the narrator's accent that was so far from sounding like Princess Diana, I almost returned the book. In the end, I'm glad that I kept listening. The story had all the twists and turns of a Chris Bohjalian novel.