Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: Thriller-Fiction
Setting: Las Vegas
Format: 📖
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Length: 400 Pages

What a way to start off 2024 with this new murder thriller, The Princess of Las Vegas. Chris Bohjalian takes on a ride to the City of Lights with its mega-hotels and dazzling array of luxurious casinos, where the bars are humming with energy and the live shows guarantees the fun never stops especially after the sunset and the strip cools down.

Crissy Dowling is an entertainer, an impersonator, she has perfected her look and her performance as Princess Diana. Tickets to all her shows in the rundown down Buckingham Palace Casino are hard to get. She has a suite in the hotel and cabana by the pool. She is adored by fans; life is good that is until her sister Betsy and adopted thirteen-year-old daughter, Marisa decide to move from Vermont to Las Vegas. There is bad blood between these two estranged sisters, they barely tolerate each other. Crissy harbors contempt for Betsy and blames her for her mother’s death. So why is Betsy moving to Vegas .. boyfriend Frankie has big plans for the three of them, he is part of the cryptocurrency group, Futurium. Therein lies the problem, what shady characters are behind this group? As more and more information comes to light about Futurium and their ties the Russian mob, politicians and police on the take; both Crissy and Betsy find themselves caught in the middle of murders, kidnapping and cryptocurrency while dealing with some serious family drama.

The Princess of Las Vegas is mostly told in the voices of Crissy and Betsy; I found both their stories fascinating. The in-between chapters we get a little insight into the sharp-witted thirteen-year-old!

If you were a fan of The Flight Attendant, The Lioness and my all-time favorite The Guest Room I think you will enjoy the fast past novel.

Thank you, Chris Bohjalian, Doubleday and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on March 19, 2024.

Crissy is a Princess Diana impersonator at a Las Vegas casino. She is not happy to hear that her estranged sister and newly adopted teenage niece are heading to Sin City. Along with family drama, there are mysterious deaths that connect to the casino. This thriller explores family secrets, organized crime, and murder in the sparkling lights of Vegas.

After enjoying several of Chris Bohjalian’s books, I was very excited to read this one. Along the same lines of The Flight Attendant, this thriller utilizes an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed the themes of luck and chance peppered throughout the story. Las Vegas was also a perfect backdrop to explore royalty, wealth, politics, and organized crime. I enjoyed the Princess Diana facts and the impersonator storyline. Though it began as a slow burn, the final chapters packed a real punch!

Thank you to Chris Bohjalian, Doubleday, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

A solid title from fan favorite Chris Bohjalian. The premise of the story follows a Princess Diana tribute performer whose life bizzarly overlaps that of the royal. When people start turning up dead she has to decide if she’s willing to let the past go and work with her nearly identical sister to save both their lives. If she doesn’t it could cost both of them everything.

I will read anything that Chris Bohjalian writes! The Princess of Las Vegas was an excellent read. Siblings, even adult siblings, make for great main characters because of the crazy dynamics there…and Crissy and Betsy are no exception. I was fascinated by Crissy’s lifestyle as a Vegas impersonator – of Princess Diana no less. What a life to lead! Her life is turned upside down when her sister Betsy arrives in Vegas with an adopted teenage daughter in tow. Betsy is now involved in the world of cryptocurrency and a heck of a lot of drama. Learning about crypto was new to me and so very interesting!! One of my favorite aspects of this book, aside from the good mystery and excellent characters, was the role that Marissa, Betsy’s adopted teenage daughter plays. Her sections each chapter added a delightful, light voice to the story and she played an instrumental role in the outcome of the book. Such a fun read! The beginning of the book was a little tough to follow but once you get going, this book is hard to put down!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I have given this book three out of five stars. This was a great book with a strong plot & engaging characters. At times, I found myself taking a bit longer to get through chapters due to some of the writing being a bit wordy. I would recommend this book as a popcorn or fun read rather then adapt it to a classroom curriculum. It had more of a fun book feel then an educational feel. This would be great in tandem to a strong history curriculum or understanding.

Fans of Chris Bohjalian will not be disappointed with his latest novel, The Princess of Las Vegas. It is a tale of two sisters- one, Crissy, has a residency in a casino in Vegas where she becomes Princess Diana for a tribute show, the other, Betsy is a burnt out social worker who decides to follow her boyfriend to Las Vegas to work for his Crypto company. As you may expect with Vegas, not everything is as it appears. Both sisters get caught up in a group of nefarious men and women all trying to put one over on everyone else. In the middle of all of this appears to be Betsy's adopted daughter, Marisa, who might just be the smartest of the whole group.
The book is a page turner and secrets of all kinds are revealed- identities, motives, occupations and motives. Along the way you also learn some family secrets amongst the sisters and in the end it is a story of how a family can overcome trauma and heal. It is a fun book that takes you on a wild ride, but in expert Bohjalian style, the characters are all truly human. The family drama is real and relatable, even if it is set in a fantastic story. You will root for this trio of women- Crissy, Betsy and Marisa, and even find a little bit of yourself in each of them.

I have loved every book thjs author wrote, and this was no exception. I loved the Las Vegas setting and the pace of the novel; there weren’t any parts that dragged. It would make a great Netflix series. Anyone who enjoys suspenseful mysteries will love this. I can’t wait to recommend on publication day. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read early!

OMG! Where do I start? How about that I ran through this action packed book, loving every word on every page? This book is a wild roller coaster ride of Las Vegas tribute performers, mobsters, cryptocurrency and “suicides”. Maybe it was because I had finished Netflix’s The Crown last week but I really loved this book. You will read each page wondering what will happen on the next page. Well done Chris Bohjalian!

I had great hopes for this book as I am a huge Chris Bohajalian fan. I eagerly anticipate his next novel and open it like a gift.

For me, this book started out strong with a captivating premise and locale. The story became convoluted long. For an author's whose words I always devoured this felt heavy. Too much of the book was spent explaining and when the book wasn't explaining I was lost in coincidence that because unreal.

I will anxiously await the author's next book and read it with an open mind. The Guest Room is one of my all time favorites. Perhaps my expectations were too lofty.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Living in Las Vegas I was hoping I would get to read this book. I loved it! I didn't expect it to be so intriguing. I was drawn in immediately and definitely recommend this book.

I’m usually a fan of Chris Bohjalian’s books, but not this one. It started slow and it was only when I was halfway through that I seemed to get into the story. The characters felt flat to me which made it hard to care about them. Casinos, cryptocurrency, Las Vegas …. none of it appealed to me. That said, this book might appeal to others.

I read an advanced readers copy of Chris Bohjalian's The Princess of Las Vegas, I have read Chris' books since the midwife, years ago. He is a talented writer, and always manages to deliver. The Princess of Las Vegas is intriguing. A woman who is a look-alike of Princess Diana lives as an impersonator at a off-strip casino. Her sister is a Vermont social worker who has adopted a thirteen year old girl, and has decided to move near her sister, with her boyfriend. Add in the mob. Add in cryptocurrency. And murder. Actually, several murders. And from there, we have a quick moving story. As someone who once lived in Vermont, I also loved some of his descriptions like the "meadow mansions" in Shelburne. That was icing on the cake of a very enoyable book.

I was excited to have received this book and tried my hardest to love it. However, I think it was just a little too slow for my liking. I had difficulty connecting with the storyline and characters. I do think Chris did a wonderful job with the descriptive writing and building the setting in which this story takes place. I think many people will love this book, so many things going on.

First of all, I am a HUGE fan of Chris Bohjalian! I have read almost every book he has written. I was delighted to receive the ARC. And he didn't let me down. I loved the clever premise. A Princess Diana impersonator in Vegas. What could go wrong? Absolutely nothing! Toss in a little underworld crime and a couple of "murders," and you have perfection. I can't wait until Bohjalian's next read!!

I was excited to read this book, especially because I really liked “The Flight Attendant,” but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I can’t really pinpoint why, but it was a struggle for me to get through. It seemed to take forever for something to happen, and there were just too many details I found uninteresting, like the cryptocurrency stuff. Maybe it would do better as a movie or TV show. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for my #gifted copy.

I was seriously sooo excited to read this book. Princess Diana impersonator set on the Vegas strip, count me in. Unfortunately, I did not love this one. There is a ton of stuff going on in this book, and I think a lot of it just went over my head. This was definitely action packed, and I think this book will be a big hit. I'm excited to see other reviews. 3 stars.

mystery, thriller, fiction, Las Vegas, casino, murder, sisters, friction, impersonation, suspense, soap-opera, social-injustice, socioeconomics, family-by-choice, family-drama, famous-persons, relationships, relatives, contemporary****

The publisher's blurb is a good hook and near overview so no need to go into all that. The story is complex yet cohesive with totally engaging characters, fun plot twists, and a lot of financial involvement. I really enjoyed it.
I requested and received an EARC from Doubleday Books via NetGalley.

This was my first book by this author, there were parts of it I liked a lot, esp the two sisters and Marisa and the quirkiness of the characters. At times the story was slow, too detailed for me and i skimmed parts of it, but a classic case of some really bad guys and the women who take them down

Lady Di is brought to life in this book that takes place in the Sin City where casinos are rolling in the cash night and day. However, this is a book that gives readers something more to think about: cryptocurrency. Are digital assets the future? Sure, I’ve heard of it but didn’t really understand it until I read this book.

The partners of a company, Futurium, had a goal to take this new system of money into one of the casinos: Buckingham Palace. And this is where Crissy performed two sell-out shows every night as Princess Diana.

The author could have used a different impersonator in this book such as Elvis, Michael Jackson or Frank Sinatra. But Lady Di was a brilliant choice. She is still loved by so many – especially women readers. It was pointed out that there were 750 million people that watched Charles and Diana when they got married in 1981. And, two billion grieved while watching when she died in 1997.

This is a page turner as Crissy’s sister, Betsy, from Vermont followed her relatively new lover to Vegas and took a job as an administrative assistant for the growing company, Futurium. She signed up to do secretarial duties for the partners. But her bosses had other plans for 34-year-old Betsy who just happened to look like her sister’s identical twin.

The book is current with politics from both sides with a Congresswoman and Senator. Readers are reminded that it’s legal for people to carry guns in Vegas which is a burning issue since hundreds were wounded and many killed in a mass shooting of 2017.

It's a story that makes you think, learn and set the book down wondering what just happened. The research was obviously intense as the author pulled us into a setting that seemed pretty real. This criminal thriller makes you aware of the possibilities of dangers in this world. It’s a book where you can’t wait for everyone else to get their hands on it. It was simply a joy to read.

My thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 19, 2024.