For once a book that lives up to glitzy hype on the cover.

This new novel by Rob Rosen (his second) follows the exploits of two gay friends ‘Justin & Em’ as they go off on a seemingly innocent adventure to Las Vegas to track down a lost vase and end up getting far more adventure, passion and danger than they’d planned.

This book is seriously funny and kept me smirking as I turned the pages and also made me laugh out loud more than once. It’s tightly plotted with a outrageous cast of characters both gay and straight and is written from the perspective of  ‘Em’  one of the main characters.  It’s got elements of ‘Tales of the City’ and ‘Some Like it Hot’, but with its own delightful family of folk and modern twists and turns.  It’s full of wonderful arch and bitchy dialogue laced by the nasty warmth that only gay men with their particular sensibilities can wrap their barbs up in and enjoy.  

I loved this book and really didn’t want to finish it, even thought I stayed up till 2am to do so.  The characters and real, gay and honest in ways that I defy any gay man not to identify with. Las Vegas is portrayed in all its glittering, odd, seedy strangeness and next time I go, I'm taking this book with me as the guide.  The book builds up to a manically delightful explosive finish that kept me smiling till the very end.  There’s some very funny set pieces, laugh out loud moments & fierce drag adventures along with endless glamorous shoes and outfits and even a bareback horse chase, not to mention the steamy sex bits and tender romantic moments.

It’s fun, thrilling and not long enough by half, I hope the author isn’t going to retire these two characters too soon, I want to read more about Justin and Em  and their self medicated, po-mo-homo irony heavy, uber glamorous adventures in the modern American landscape.  

This is one of the best gay novels I’ve read for a while and I’d recommend it to anyone with a twisted sense of humour, a love of good characters and a thumping good plot.

One to buy, now!  Check out the authors website

Out now: £10.99

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