I enjoyed reading this book though I found it slow at times it would be great for any reader of Elvis or las Vegas history.

This book was terrific! I really enjoyed the buildup to Elvis arriving in Las Vegas. The history of early Las Vegas is so fascinating. Anyone who loves Elvis or history would enjoy this book. I finished it in one day. I’ll definitely read it again.

On a personal note, my husband is a huge Elvis fan. If it's the weekend and he decides to have a few beers and gets a bit maudlin, I'll find him watching an old VHS tape of "Elvis in Hawaii" or "The '68 Comeback Special" and crying...especially when Elvis sings the song "If I can Dream", the closer to "The '68 Comeback Special". Also, our wedding first dance was to "Love me Tender", and I can still see our wedding guests surrounding us in a circle, with emotional expressions. My now 18 year old son's band performs a mean "A Little Less Conversation" and "Blue Suede Shoes" which their audiences just love. I was lured into his legend back in the 80's when I read his ex-wife Priscilla Beaulieu Presley's autobiography called "Elvis & Me". It was also made into a mini-series. My gosh, that book was so juicy in details but honestly and well-written that my paperback was dog-eared before long! Elvis was such a fascinating individual, and all his friends and associates have so many interesting stories to tell. I've read many biographies about him over the years. As I sit here writing tonight, I'll be leaving for a road trip to Graceland tomorrow! I had my dream twenty years ago when I visited London and Liverpool for my Beatles/Monarchy passions, so now it's my husband's turn.

So I delved into this tome anxious to read about Elvis, not realizing that there would be a big buildup...a comprehensive overview of the entertainment industry in Vegas...years before Elvis conquered it. It covered "The Rat Pack" consisting of Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford - and most importantly - Frank Sinatra! The stories about Frank Sinatra depicting his rages when he thought he'd been slighted, and the mafia connection lingering in his background...were compelling. The book is extremely well-researched and written, much like another book I've read this year, "Castle on Sunset". Even though I wasn't that interested in some of the old entertainers covered in the lead up to Elvis's Vegas triumph, the writing was so superb that I was willing to hang in there. However, at about the 45% point I got a tad frustrated and did a fast skim to arrive at my happy place, when Elvis was to take on Las Vegas with a spectacularly planned and executed show. So, at around 50% I was solidly in Elvis land, where I wanted to be. Little anecdotes were sprinkled throughout the book about him from the beginning, but I was anxious to read about Elvis and stay there.

At this point in the book where Elvis was planning his show, calling the shots 100% about what he wanted for his musical presentation (and not cow towing to his manager Colonel Tom Parker), I got the chills...good ones! Hearing about the way Elvis coalesced his band, what songs he was going to sing (just the mention of them gave me more chills; "Suspicious Minds", "In the Ghetto", "Memories", etc.) The detailed accounts of his various stage jumpsuits, what celebrities visited him backstage, what the critics had to say. Then the years ahead where he fell into decline with obesity, drug addiction, silly banter between songs, etc., until his passing in August of 1977. I was about 85% through the book when it surprisingly ended, followed by extensive footnotes. So, I enjoyed the first half of the book, but REALLY enjoyed the next 35%. The cover of this book is brilliant, but a bit misleading if you were expecting the entire book to be about Elvis. Still, I'm going to rate this 3.5 stars bumped up to 4 because this was a quality book with great writing and historical research.

Thank you to the publisher Simon & Schuster who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I was extremely disillusioned with this book. First of all, the title is a come on. Elvis is barely mentioned in the first 30% of this book. Secondly, this is more of a history of Las Vegas entertainment. I also felt the book was extremely negative. Going on about political incorrectness about certain performers dialogues. This was over 50 years ago let it go! I could not finish the book. When the author started ripping a part the Elvis movies I enjoyed I had seen enough. This is not a book for an Elvis fan!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest opinion.

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. There were many facts that I only discovered after reading this!

As a huge fan of Elvis and the glory days of Vegas....I LOVED THIS BOOK. The look behind the "curtain" during the heyday of the Vegas was pure perfection for me. I believe that people that may not be a "fan" of the era may not be as into the details and stories...but I found it fascinating.

I recommend this book to anyone that has any interest in Elvis and this era!!!

This book is a must-read not only for Elvis fans, but for anyone interested in the history of Las Vegas. It's a fascinating insight into Las Vegas from its beginning to the present and how the city was influenced by changing times. The impact Elvis made on Las Vegas was huge - - and it was huge for his career as well. I saw Elvis live once in Las Vegas and though I've never been a huge fan, I liked him and his show was magical.

I've seen Las Vegas change since the 70's when I first visited there and it was so interesting to read how these changes came about. A tremendous amount of research went into this book and it's well worth reading.

Oh, how I love all things Elvis! I am a huge fan and have read many books on his life and its many aspects. Finding particular interest in his "Vegas Years", I was elated to be approved to read this story. What I found was a wonderful comeback story of the adventures of Elvis in not only the development and impact Vegas made on his life but what he did for Las Vegas during its "golden age" as well. For fans and non-fans (Is there even such a human who would exist?!), this is a must read. I found it incredibly well-written and insightful to many questions I have had about his years and time there. I highly recommend this!

Most people who aren't Elvis fans (and many who are) most likely don't know that Elvis actually played Las Vegas in the 1950s. His style at the time didn't fit the clientele (though he was invited back), so left it behind and moved on to mega-stardom.

Then, with his music career in danger of being forgotten, Las Vegas came calling again. This time, both Elvis and Vegas were ready for each other. The popular view of Elvis in his Vegas years is of an entertainer in decline (I've been an Elvis fan for years and somewhat shared this opinion), but this book shows how Elvis not only re-invigorated the Vegas show in a way that still resonates today (big shows rather than intimate rooms), but it gave his career a boost exactly when he needed it most. Far from being a joke, he played over 600 shows and sold out every one.

Previously a place for serious gamblers, Elvis made Vegas into the entertainment destination it is today. This book gives the real story of an entertainer and a city made for each other.

Elvis in Vegas is great exploration of the history of Las Vegas entertainment and of Las Vegas itself. It is a comprehensive journey of Elvis' return to live performing. Richard Zoglin does a fantastic job of capturing this wonderful period of Elvis Presley's epic story. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Elvis or Las Vegas. Thanks to #NetGalley for an arc of #ElvisInVegas.

If you love Vegas, Elvis, and the entertainers of Vegas, you will I’ve this book. As much a history of Vegas entertainment and the entertainers who played Vegas, as it is the story of Elvis’ Vegas comeback, this is just a great well written look at all these topics. Zoglin, who wrote a great biography of Bob Hope, really tells a great story here. Highly recommended.

Elvis in Vegas takes readers through a the history of Las Vegas from the days it basically was a junction point on a railroad line through the development of the Strip with lots of interesting stories about the entertainers brought in to draw patrons into the casinos. Readers learn about the mob connections, easy divorce laws, the rise of nudity, the humiliation early black entertainers endured. Reading this book was a wonderful trip down memory lane. It’s a who’s who of those who developed Vegas into the entertainment capital of the world. It also tells how music changed, chronicling the shifts occurring after the Beatles arrived, and pop standards began to give way to rock. Mob control and management styles began to change when Howard Hughes arrived and started buying property. Hughes brought in a bottom line corporate approach that dispensed with a lot of the perks formerly enjoyed. The author devotes many pages to Frank Sinatra, his volatile temper, his group known as the Rat Pack, and explains why even though Sinatra didn’t particularly like Elvis or have any appreciation for his music, he was instrumental in Elvis’ career. The baton truly was passed from the old Vegas king to the one and only King of rock ‘n roll on July 31, 1969, Presley’s first live performance in nearly a decade. Elvis arrived and Vegas was never the same. This is such a fun, informative and culturally significant story. For those of us who became teenagers in the fifties, Elvis was a huge part of those years. The author does a very good job describing and drawing readers into the excitement of seeing Elvis live...even when viewing him from the nosebleed section of a convention center as I was fortunate to do. There’s no way to properly do justice to this book in a review...you must read it for yourselves. My hope is the teasers given will spike your interest. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.