I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I have looked forward to author Bohjalian's releasing ever since I read The Flight Attendant; I have looked forward to his books. This one took me a bit longer to get into, but I eventually started putting the pieces together and was looking at how it would all wrap up. I loved how different the sisters were and the addition of Marissa to the story.

Chris Bohjalian's new book is such fun! This tale of a talented Princess Diana impersonator caught in a web of lies, deceit and murder will keep you turning the pages. Chris definitely knows how to spin many different kinds of stories and this is one of his best. A must read!

I really read this because I like Bohjalian’s work but I liked it much more than I thought I would. So, a Princess Di impersonator with a dark past, cryptocurrency, Las Vegas, gangstas, a lookalike sister with a wicked smart adopted daughter, a lover that could be a spy, a creepy politician that loves conspiracy theories/guns, and of course blackmail, abduction, and murders! It’s a lot. But it works.

Even after twenty-four books, Chris Bohjalian has a way of crafting a setting, building complex and believable characters, and then putting them in an impossible situation that I can't look away from. With gansters, cryptocurrency, and Vegas impersonators, what's not to love in The Princess of Las Vegas? I loved the concept of a Diana impersonator and her look-alike sister being caught-up in the evils of Vegas, but the character that stole the entire book for me? Marisa. I loved her spunk, her street smarts, and her ability to use both of them to her advantage. For fans of Chris Bohjalian, you're going to love this one!

I wasn’t quite sure what this book was about as I went in without reading the synopsis. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a book about a Princess Diana impersonator in Las Vegas.

At least, that’s where it started. Enter in mobsters, killings, cryptocurrency, a sassy 13 year old, and it was an interesting tale of what I’ve always felt the real Las Vegas was about. Or at least the old Las Vegas. I’m not sure if it’s still like the days of the mafia and Bugsy Siegel.

The characters were intriguing in this story. I can’t say I liked any of them, except for the 13 year old.

There were a few times I had to force myself to pick it back up, especially about the midway mark. But then the mobsters made their appearance and the story picked back up.

To be honest, I was over Chrissy as Princess Di when I discovered she was bulemic just like the real Diana.

Overall, I’m glad I read this. It was eye-opening to see behind the scenes of the Las Vegas impersonation world.

*Thanks to Doubleday Books and to NetGalley for the gifted eGalley!*

Crissy Dowling does two shows a night at a second rate casino that is off the strip. With her resemblance to Princess Diana, she entertains with songs and stories that bring Diana back to life for her audience. She has little contact with her sister Betsy, a social worker in Vermont. That changes when Betsy moves to Vegas with her adopted daughter and her boyfriend Frankie. He was recently employed by a cryptocurrency group that has plans to open a crypto casino. Unfortunately, the casino that they are bidding on is the Buckingham Palace, where Crissy works. It was formerly owned by two brothers who suspiciously committed suicide within days of each other. The new owners have ties to organized crime and this is the perfect front for money laundering. Betsy, who has a strong resemblance to Crissy, is gradually forced to stand in for her sister in situations that would implicate her in murder and scandal. Frankie pushes her to comply and there are threats against her daughter if she refuses. While the sisters are not close, she has to find a way to protect her daughter and Crissy.

While I am a fan of Chris Bohjalian’s books, I had trouble getting into the first part of this book. Crissy relates to Diana through her own troubles and bulimia. She survives on alcohol and pills and she often has trouble separating from her Diana persona. She blames Betsy for the death of their mother and blocks out her own childhood trauma. As Betsy transforms herself into Crissy and makes appearances in her name her anger and frustration grows. In a closing scene, fear and desperation finally bring the sisters together in a violent confrontation. While this is not my favorite Bohjalian story, the second half of The Princess of Las Vegas made this well worth reading. I would like to thank NetGalley and Doubleday Books for providing this book for my review.

Chris Bohjalian is such an incredible writer, especially of strong female characters. This storyline did not disappoint and felt very timely with all the Princess Kate rumors. Some of the crypto storyline went over my head, but I really enjoyed the sister dynamic.

I always love a Chris Bohjalian book. It started with Midwives, and I am feeling the love for The Princess of Las Vegas. A fantastic thrill ride of a story told between two sisters from Vermont. Betsy, the one that stayed in Vermont, became a social worker, and finally moved out of her horrible teen years. Crissy up and left Vermont for bigger and better things, Las Vegas. Where everyone's dreams come true?? She has the ideal life as a Princess Diana impersonator. Crissy has her own show, suite, and cabana at Buckingham Palace. What more can a girl ask for? Crissy enjoys the miles between her and Betsy. This all spins on its head when Betsy decides to move west with her newly adopted daughter, Marissa, and her boyfriend. Moving into an apartment a few miles from Crissy. The claustrophobia begins to set in.

What all starts out as a new life, in a new town, slowly begins to unwind. Betsy's boyfriend seems to have turned into a different person. Her job working at Futurium, a business that wants to change how Las Vegas gambles and put cryptocurrency everywhere. Seems to be full of questionable employees. A few miles away Crissy's boss is murdered. Leaving what might happen to her show and her life dangling in the spotlight. As more information starts to come out about Futurium and their dealings, Betsy craves the Green Mountains more and more. As the bodies started to pile up, I was left with a knot in my stomach. This is such a fun take on Las Vegas. The fun, the excitement, the shows, the food, the gambling, there is an endless supply of action at your fingertips. Gently start to dig beneath the surface of the Strip. Who are the ones in power, who has control of the puppet strings, it is a dingy, dirty world beneath the lights.

This was such an intriguing read. I do not know much about crypto, bitcoin, or how any of the digital currency works. It seems like a scary concept of being on top of the world one day and being wiped out the next. Once you start dealing with that type of money you always seem to run into sketchy people and this book was full of them. I loved the characters; they are well molded and interesting all book long. The sisters' back story was emotional and explains so much of their relationship. Thank you to Chris Bohjalian and Doubleday for my gifted copy.

If you love the bright lights, glitz, and glam of Vegas and the grit of the old you're going to love this story about a two sisters who will discover secrets, lies, and deception can either keep you alive or lead you to death.

Chrissy and Becky are both trying to move past their mother's death. What will happen when their anger and resentment leads to a moment that could ultimately destroy their lives?

Sometimes we need to dig deep to figure out the reasons why things happen.

A story of overcoming pain, loss, deception, and finding out who truly can be trusted.

Two estranged sisters living on opposite sides of the country have each learned to bury their childhood traumas and lasting secrets. One by following a social work career calling and helping lost children and teens, the other by impersonating Princess Diana as a headliner in a Las Vegas show. Little do the sisters realize that circumstances beyond either of their wildest imaginations will soon bring them together in Las Vegas, forcing them to make difficult decisions testing the strength of the bonds of sisterhood.

While I enjoyed the book and learned much about Princess Diana, this is not my favorite Chris Beaujolai Sian novel. Although the story took unexpected twists, and at times, it was hard to differentiate which characters were fighting for good versus those caught up in crime, I felt that the development and depth of the characters were lacking. As the story progressed, there were also too many subplots that seemed disconnected from the main storyline. The story also has a strong plotline around cryptocurrency, which I am unfamiliar with and may have contributed to my challenge relating to the plot line. Despite this not being my favorite novel by the author, I think it was an interesting book, and I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Readers looking for an entertaining, contemporary fiction book that keeps their attention from page one through to the very end need to read The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian. Despite the fact that there are quite a few characters, I found it easy to keep track of who everybody is since each character has a very specific role in the plot. No need to make one of those dreaded family tree charts for this novel. Although just like real-life family trees, no one in this latest Bohjalian novel is unrealistically perfect; these pages contain characters with a variety of flaws and some less-than-perfect behavior. All of the characters have struggles, whether it's struggling to make ends meet, to cheating one's way to wealth, to overcoming political scandals, to surviving a foster-care system. Set the action in the famous 24-hour-city of Las Vegas, Nevada, and you have a page-turner that you hate to see end.

There are a couple of story lines that merge together in this book. There is attractive, model-thin Crissy Dowling who is "the Princess Diana" impersonator (or rather as said in Vegas a tribute show entertainer.) Crissy has lots of fans and lots of concoctions that help her to not think about all the things that have been wrong in the past and that might go wrong in the future, and she is fairly happy living in a "just okay" hotel (where many people think all Las Vegas residents live). Hers is a casino-hotel that might have seen better days or maybe was always just a low-rung place. Weaving in and out of Crissy's life are mob-type guys, politicians behaving badly, casino owners doing some wheeling and dealing as they try to stay alive and keep the business afloat, crypto-currency criminals, and asome serious family drama. It all can seem like it is lifted right out of some newspaper headlines. That makes the action all the more fun.

Chris Bohjalian has been one of my auto-buy authors for quite a long time. I can hardly wait until this book publishes to give it as gifts to friends.

What an enjoyable ride! Crissy Dowling is a Princess Diana performer/impersonator in a Las Vegas Casino off the strip. She's happy with her life, a quiet one where she lives and works in one place and rarely leaves the Buckingham Palace Casino. Then her estranged sister from Vermont moves to Vegas with her adopted 13 year old daughter and her new boyfriend who works in cryptocurrency.

But now people start dying and there are definitely visions of a Vegas from the mid-20th century with gangsters and Russians involved. There were times when I wasn't sure which way this book was going to go, and that's good because then I didn't want to put it down. Between the crypto guys who you know are bad and the cops who you weren't sure about then the cryptocurrency and a 13 year old who knows how to hack, there's a lot going on in this fast-paced thriller. There is also a lot of history between the sisters which is slowly revealed, I won't spoil that. Another novel with a lot of flawed characters which makes it all more believable. Throw in all the British slang that Crissy uses to stay in character and it was a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received at complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
I always try to read Chris Bohjalian's new books and when I saw this one I had to give it a go. All in all I really liked it. The crypto currency parts were way over my head and I struggled a bit at the beginning. The part of the story about Crissy and Betsy and her adopted daughter Mikayla were interesting to me. The sisters had a love hate relationship that really went back to their younger years. Bohjalian finds a way to be descriptive that makes you think .The royals intrigue me and I liked hearing about how Crissy took on the story of Princess Diana and became her on stage and also a bit in her personal life. I really ended up enjoying this book and these two sisters.

Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy! This is probably one of my fav covers of the year so far! I loved the atmosphere with this. It really brought Las Vegas and the strip to life. I also enjoyed the mystery. I just wish it was a tad shorter.

The Princess of Las Vegas is the newest book by Chris Bohjalian. This one is set in Las Vegas and follows the life of a Princess Di impersonator. Crissy has been impersonating Princess Di for a number of years and fans flock to her evening shows. Crissy prefers to keep a distance between herself and her sister who lives in Vermont. Then Crissy finds out that her family is going to move to Las Vegas for new jobs. These new jobs end up having damaging effects on not only Crissy but also her sister and niece. This is a thriller and is fast-paced. I'm curious to hear what the diehard Princess Di fans will think of it. Read and enjoy!

I really enjoyed this book. The story revolves around the lives of 3 females. Chrissy is a Princess Di impersonator at a cut rate Vegas casino. Her younger sister, Betsy, lives in Vermont and has recently adopted a 13 year old girl, Marissa. Betsy is a burned out social worker and decides to move to Vegas with shady new boyfriend. Once they hit Vegas, things go rapidly downhill. Only one person ends up acting like an adult.

I absolutely love Bohjalian and everything he has written so far, and I'm relieved to report that reading The Princess of Las Vegas has changed absolutely nothing about that! I don't know how he comes up with these incredibly specific and fascinating plots, and this book is a perfect example. A Princess Di impersonator at a second rate Vegas casino, cryptocurrency, and a fractured relationship between sisters all factor prominently in this story, It's exciting but also massively interesting, and the characters are incredibly well written.

The Princess of Las Vegas, by Chris Bohjalian, is an action-packed thriller set in the always contemporary glamour of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Actress Crissy Dowling bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Princess Diana of Wales, and has a well-honed residency tribute show at the off-strip shabby Buckingham Palace Casino. Loved by her fans, she soothes her inner demons with pills, alcohol and bulimia, as well as episodic affairs. Her carefully crafted existence--5 nights a week, 2 shows a night, days off by the pool—is upended when violence affects the casino’s owners.
Her younger sister, Betsy, a Crissy look-alike and social worker in their native Vermont, adopts a troubled teenager Marisa, and moves to Vegas with her boyfriend, a player in the shadowy world of crypto-currency.
The stage is now set, and the pace of the story quickens with the involvement of an offshore syndicate, unethical politicians, and the persistent moral quandaries faced by Crissy and Betsy.
While there are a few slightly improbable scenes, the overall story is compelling and feels fresh and in the “now,” especially with the references to fintech and the casino “industry.” As a repeat visitor to Las Vegas over the past 48 years, both for fun and youth athletic events, I recognize the author’s careful research into this multifaceted city—its glamour on the Strip, its sprawling suburban normality for many families, and its proximity to the natural beauty of Red Rock Canyon State Park.
It is such a pleasure to savor the intelligent prose and character-driven nature of Bohjalian’s writing. In the end, this is the complex, yet satisfying, tale of two sisters—Crissy and Betsy—with the added clever fun of Marisa’s point of view. These well-drawn, strong female characters pull in the reader, and make this story immersive and intriguing!

Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review

3.5 stars. This book was beautifully written & rich with details. The characters were unique and interesting, and Las Vegas itself is a star in the show.

I did think it was boring though: it sets itself up as a murder mystery with a big start and then just... forgot about it for the most part until about 80% of the way through. There was more of an emphasis on vibes over moving the plot along, especially Crissy's deep obsession with Diana.

Overall I thought this was an interesting read even if I have no desire to go to a Princess Diana impersonator in Las Vegas.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chris Bohjalian, and Doubleday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lioness was one of my favorite reads a couple years ago so to say I was excited for this one was an understatement. Sadly in the end, it left me underwhelmed.

It had promise at first and then it just went too mobster/tech for my liking because it just got so bizarre.