The Queen of Clubs
by Tobias International
At the far end of town is Divas cabaret bar, filled with beautiful men, drag queens, desperation and lost hope.
Step into a world beyond your wildest dreams. What price are you prepared to pay for the success you crave so much? What price are you prepared to pay for love? Watch your back, reset your mind, leave your paranoia at the door. How safe will you be when the warning bells begin to sound? Welcome to the darkness. Your secrest are safe….for now.
Switching from waspy tongued drag queen to knife edged suspense the book is a peep inside the kaleidoscopic world of performers and wanna be Glitter Diva’s and ‘look at me’ drag queens in particular. Underneath the feathers, glitter, glam and trowel thick make-up we have a series of men, some strong, some odd, some damaged, some full of love but one or two seriously deranged and willing to do anything to get what they want.
Viewing these drag queens up close is not a pleasant experience and although there are some small moments of human care there’s a lot of whip tounged lashing going on in this book and more than a fair amount of backstabbing of every variety. This a book about the unpleasent truth behind the mask and the way some folk just can’t get over an imagined or very real insult.
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But, even though these characters are unlovable in most senses they can still charm and this is the strength of the author, that underneath every performers face, especially one who’s stage presence is fierce, harsh and aggressive lies a more insecure person, one who can only function under the lights, with a microphone and the shattered reflection of their delusions in the glitter ball. This is not just about the narrative story of the book, the who does what, but it’s also a careful study of the inter dynamics of performance and gay male performance in particular. I wonder if the author actually meant to do that though, as the read comes across as a standard thriller gathering momentum as secrets are revelled, motives uncovered and a shocking event changes everything.
This is at heart a book balanced on suspense and if you’ve always wondered quote how much of that makeup, attitude and viciousness is left behind in the dressing rooms of Drag Queens then you will enjoy the rising tensions as these Drag Queens clash, wrestle and worse, and be taken up with the neat paceing as the story unfolds.
Great fun for a first book from a promising local author who might just benefit from a stricter editor and this seems to be the first book in a suggested series with some of the same characters being used again.
Out now £6.99
The books is availabe in various formats
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