Chris Bohjalian always writes such lyrical and flowing stories. The Princess of Las Vegas is write up there with his others.
Crissy is a Princess Diana tribute entertainer in Las Vegas, and quite popular. Chrissy’s life includes all of the imagined Las Vegas entrapments…mobsters, criminals, politicians, the usual seedy Las Vegas bunch.
But family drama and a sudden murder threaten to bring her life crashing down.
Riveting and fast paced, a perfect mystery set in the seediness and opulence of Las Vegas.

As a fan of Chris Bohjalian I couldn't wait to request an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. I enjoyed it Combine the glitz and glam of Vegas, Princess Diana, and crypto and you have quite a story. Crissy enjoys her life in Las Vegas working as a Princess Diana impersonator. Her sister surprises her by moving to Las Vegas and taking a job with a crypto company. A string of suicides occur with people Crissy knows, or are they suicides? Is her sister involved? What about the mysterious executives from the crypto company? This book had lots of twists and turns and didn't always go the way I thought it would.

Another layered and fascinating book by Chris Bohjalian! Solid characters, Vegas backdrop and somehow I even learned about Princess Di and cryptocurrency.

Similar to his best selling novel The Flight Attendant, which was turned into an award-nominated TV series starring Kelly Cuoco, The Princess of Las Vegas is led by a female protagonist who has addictions and, though living her everyday life, albeit, in this case, as a Princess Diana impersonator in Las Vegas, becomes entangled in a web of intrigue.

“The Princess of Las Vegas,” by Chris Bohjalian, Doubleday, 400 pages, March 19, 2024.

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 Princess Diana.

Crissy is an American speaking with a British accent, with hair feathered into a style 30 years old. She also abuses Adderall and Valium. And she is bulimic.

But fans see her for the gifted chameleon she is, showering her with gifts, letters and standing ovations night after night. She performs in the Buckingham Palace Casino owned by Richie and Artie Morley. Richie is the property’s chief financial officer and Artie is the general manager.

It is the late summer of 2022. Richie Morley is murdered in his car. At first it is suspected to be suicide. Crissy’s younger sister, Betsy, is a social worker in Vermont who helps troubled teens. Then she tells Crissy that she is moving to Las Vegas because she got a job working for a financial technology company. Betsy has an adopted daughter, Marisa, 13. Soon there are more suspicious deaths and Crissy and Betsy become suspects.

Like all of Chris Bohjalian’s novels, this is multi-layered, with suspense, humor and strong characters. The plot is wild. The backstory of the two sisters adds to the overall story. Chris Bohjalian’s fans, and people who haven’t read his books, don’t want to miss this one.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The Princess of Las Vegas is another entertaining read by popular writer Chris Bohjalian who has great skill as a male who creates novels with strong female characters. The princess is Crissy Dowling, a resident Las Vegas performer who becomes Diana Spencer for sold-out audiences at a casino off the Vegas strip. Crissy has many emotional issues from a troubled childhood but has found success as Princess Di. Crissy's younger sister, Betsy, announces her move from Vermont to Vegas with her current boyfriend, Frankie, and her newly adopted thirteen-year-old daughter, Marisa. With Betsy and Frankie comes a dive into the dark side of cryptocurrency and gambling. Marisa is a smart, observant teenager whose character adds to the intrigue of this book. Recommended for a long weekend of escape reading.

I loved this so much! There were so many unexpected twists and turns that had me anticipating the next chapter. it was a little slower paced to give all the details of characters and setting, but I was thankful for that or else it would've been overwhelming. The idea of Princess Diana mixed with a Vegas mystery was brilliant.

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me to review this book!

I've been reading Chris Bohjalian's books for 20 years and I always look forward to them. This was a good, page-turning book. I kept thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, wanting to get back to it. It was very descriptive of the main character and let you really get into her Las Vegas world. There could have been more character development, to create a deeper, more richly layered story, but if you are looking for a fun, fast paced, interesting story with a good sense of place, this is a great one. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Doubleday for the advance copy.

Thank you NetGallery,publisher Doubleday Books and author Chris Bohjalian for the arc ebook,The Princess of Las Vegas.It was an ok novel that wore me down too often by one of the main characters,Chrissy who is a Princess Diana impersonator in a run down,off the strip casino in Las Vegas. Her act was ok but too repetitive for my taste to read over and over as she performs her show with her descriptions.The explanation of how cryptocurrency works was over the top!The backgrounds of Chrissy,her look-alike younger sister and niece were interesting as told by rotating chapters of the three but overall I kept forcing myself to finish it. It will be on sale March 19,2024.

Another great book by Chris Bohjalian.
As usual, there are lots of twists and turns.
But what makes this one a must read is the inside scoop of Princess Diana intertwined with a Vegas mystery.
Highly recommend this book

I loved this book!! I’m not sure what to say without spelunking it. Def worth a read and checking it out

Chris Bohjalian’s The Princess of Las Vegas has a lot going on: a Princess Diana impersonator, the mafia, a corrupter senator, cryptocurrency, and a foster child wise beyond her years, just to name some. With so many elements, it would be easy for this book to be a mess, but Bohjalian pulls it off.

Crissy, the main protagonist, has been impersonating Princess Diana for so long, it’s hard for her to know where her own personality begins. She’s built a life around this and is fine with it, content to be living in her drug addled bubble off the Vegas strip. Unfortunately, things are starting to fall apart. Her bosses are dead, and she knows neither due to suicide as reported. Now her life is in danger, and all roads seem to lead back to her sister Betsy.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Crissy and Betsy, the book takes many twists and turns. While there is a lot going on, the pacing is slow, likely because of how detailed the chapters are. The reader is given a lot of imagery highlighting the grittiness of Vegas and the fantasy of Diana in this realm.

The slow pace also allows for a character development. Crissy, Betsy, and Betsy’s daughter Marisa are all flawed in their own ways, and the author does a good job avoiding make them come across as one note. There are some details regarding their backgrounds that could be triggering, so this is something to be mindful of while reading.

This book is an enjoyable read with a cinematic feel; it would make a great pick to bring on vacation.

3 stars out of 5.

I thought this book started off a little slow and I was confused at where the story was going at some points but then it really picked up towards the end and I couldn't put it down. I liked Crissy and Marisa but didn't really care for the other characters in the book. The plot was different than anything else that I have read which is why I think it was harder to get into. One thing I thought was so out of place, was the continuous talk of the Pandemic along with the shootings in Vegas. It just didn't fit into the book.

In The Princess of Las Vegas, we meet Crissy, who is a Princess Diana impersonator with her own show at the Buckingham Palace casino. It has been a very popular show since the start but Crissy feels it might be in danger because of the deaths of the casino's owners. Betsy is Crissy younger sister who had lived in Vermont with her newly adopted daughter Marisa. Betsy ends up moving to Vegas with her boyfriend to start a new job with a company involved with cryptocurrency. Things started off great but then Betsy started to see red flags everywhere. Crissy finds herself being dragged into the mess of the crypto company too.

Overall, I think this book was just ok. Some of Chris Bohjalian's books like The Flight Attendant, are better IMO.

Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had come up on my radar while I was surfing Netgalley to find my next great read when the premise of this novel caught my eye. Crissy is a young woman who has perfected her impersonation of the late Princess Diana on the stage of the fictitious casino named Buckingham Palace. Tickets to her show are normally hard to come by and her fans adore her. She even has a home there in the casino. Everything should be great right? Not exactly. Crissy's peace is upheaved when her sister, Betsy, arrives with a teenager in tow. The two sisters have not had a relatively good relationship in the past. Crissy blames her sister for their mother's death. The reason for her sister's arrival? Her boyfriend, Frankie, who is involved in a company that deals with cryptocurrency, has plans for the three of them. When the casino's owners are found dead, the two sisters become drawn into a web of murder and the Russian mob.

This book was hard to put down. This was the first novel by Chris Bohjalian and it surprised me. What drew me was the whole Princess Diana thing. What surprised me the most was Bohjalian's ability to create complex and flawed characters that felt so real. Our protagonists are a young woman who built up a carefully crafted persona of the late Princess she played on the stage and a sister she had long since cut ties with. Sisters who have not been in touch with each other in quite some time.

Bohjalian draws us into an intricate story weaved with murder, cryptocurrency, and the Russian mob never letting go of its reader until the very last page. I am quite looking forward to reading more from this particular author.

Chris Bohjalian has been on my radar, but this is the first book of his that I have read. It won't be the last. The off-the-Strip Vegas setting, with its old Vegas influence is what drew me to it. The Princess of Las Vegas combined a view into family dynamics with shady business dealings and murder.

The two sisters featured in the book both had their own flaws, but I found myself cheering for both of them. A recently adopted teenage niece of the main character (daughter of the second sister) adds a great deal of perspective. I couldn't help but fall in love with her character.

The description of the setting was detailed and added to the story, almost becoming its own character with the strong influence it has on the story.

Sidenote: For me, a Chris Bohjalian book is a great way to expand my vocabulary. Although I wouldn't have needed to look up the meaning of some words to understand the plot, I enjoyed looking them up because the precise word choice adds to its literary merit.

Overall: I couldn't put it down, and loved the ostentatious setting.

At a run down casino in Las Vegas, Crissy transforms into Princess Diana for her show, and the persona creeps into her daily life. After adopting a teen in Vermont. Crissy's sister Betsy follows a new boyfriend to Vegas with promises of wealth through cryptocurrency. The sisters end up involved in each others lives and both are involved with the high tech mob, suicides and murders. This was a real page turner, especially the last third and the ending.

The Princess of Las Vegas immerses the reader into the setting. As someone who lives in Las Vegas, I can tell you that Chris Bohjalian did a masterful job setting the scene making you feel like you are right there with the characters. The twists and turns of this book are enough to keep you invested, the deep character exploration is just the cherry on top of this fantastic thriller treat.

I've read all of Chris Bohjalian's books and have enjoyed all of them, however. The description of this story sounded great and I was really looking forward to reading it, however, I had a hard time getting through this book - I actually started skipping chapters and found I didn't miss anything. Thanks for the advance copy.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I always find historical fiction with a mystery twist fascinating, so when I came across “The Princess of Las Vegas” on NetGalley, I couldn't resist checking it out. What made it even more appealing was that the author is someone whose work I admire; I had previously read and loved “The Flight Attendant”. I should have known that I would fall in love with this story. I enjoyed reading the story from both sisters' points of view, which allowed me to understand each character better. I particularly enjoyed reading about Crissy and Betsy's stories, and how they came together once, Betsy came to live in Las Vegas. Crissy's storyline grabbed my attention more than Betsy's, although Betsy's story improved once she moved to Las Vegas. I was completely engrossed in the book and couldn't put it down because I needed to know what would happen next.

I loved reading the story that was set in Las Vegas. Since I have previously lived in Kingman, Arizona and visited Vegas a few times, I could easily visualize everything in my mind. The complicated history between the two sisters, Crissy, and Betsy, made me curious about Crissy's reaction to Betsy's decision to move to Las Vegas. I was also intrigued to know if the sisters could bury the hatchet and reconcile their differences. However, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened with their mother that caused Crissy to hold a grudge against her sister. I wondered if there was more to the story that had led to the conflict between the two sisters. As soon as the mysterious deaths began to occur, I became engrossed in the story and had to force myself to put the book down.


I enjoyed reading about Betsy's 13-year-old adopted daughter, Marissa, in the book. The background information that was revealed about her between the chapters was very interesting. I also wondered if Marissa would realize what was happening before anyone else did. Though there is much more that I could say about this book, I don't want to reveal too much before it's released. I would highly recommend this book, especially to fans of historical fiction and suspense.

Two sisters become embroiled in gangster violence and a power struggle in the heart of Las Vegas. Crissy has a very successful nightclub act impersonating Princess Diana. She is as fragile as the real princess somewhat sheltered behind the casino walls until her estranged sister and niece come to town and instantly her house of cards begins to sway. Betsy has just taken a job working for a big cryptocurrency company which her boyfriend is also part of. What started as a great job opportunity has turned into something sinister run by some dangerous criminals. Crissy starts losing people she is close to and the smoking gun is pointed at her. Two sisters different as Las Vegas - a dangerous playground in spotlights at night and seemingly harmless in the light of day. Touches on abuse both substance and physical in a unique story that feels like THE CROWN meets THE GODFATHER. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.