Behind Sunset

by David Gordon, Stephen Bowlby (Narrator)

For generations, Hollywood has attracted all sorts of dreamers―and then has slowly crushed their aspirations. Elliott Gross is one such case; fresh out of college, he moved west from New York with hopes of writing for the silver screen and living a life of fame and fortune. A couple of years later, he's writing for an adult magazine and living in a garage. The year is 1994 and, with the rise of the internet, the era of print pornography is in its twilight, but Raunchy's owner has enough "catch-and-kill" secrets in the vault to ensure that his power will persist as long as his silence remains valuable.

When Gross is sent to write a profile on the company's newest starlet, he discovers that she has vanished seemingly without a trace. To find her, he embarks on a twisted journey through a business both seedy and carnivalesque. Rumors of a sensitive VHS tape held in the vault, which may hold the secret to Crystal's whereabouts, stir around Elliott and he stumbles into a corpse. Before his search can be concluded, Gross's position is terminated. Then he washes up at a celebrity-anchored New Age wellness brand and discovers a world far darker and more cruel than the porn industry.

Behind Sunset is a comic and noir-tinged tour through Tinseltown that uncovers darkness and lightness, in equal measure, from the most unexpected of sources.

Genres: Mystery, Crime

Audible Audio

Published July 22, 2025

About the author

David Gordon was born in New York City. He attended Sarah Lawrence College and holds an MA in English and Comparative Literature and an MFA in Writing, both from Columbia University, and has worked in film, fashion, publishing, and pornography. His first novel, The Serialist, won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. His work has also appeared in The Paris Review, Purple, and Fence among other publications.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where has this author been all my reading life?

This book was, for me an amazing seductively almost flirty read that ‘had me’ on page 1 and kept me there until the ladt word

It’s a raucous read involving Elliott Gross who is an editor on a more than well known porn magazine who gets involved in mayhem and murder ( at one point 3 sets of people are trying to kill him ) and as such the subject matter does not shy away from the world he inhabits and yet it manages not to be all sordid or offensive but real and shockingly real at that but not nasty real if makes sense, almost camp in some ways and yet serious in others as ‘why do people love sex and porn?’ is discussed within the story as is the money it makes and also the lives it can ruin

We also have cults and overbearing detectives and a running joke about how to get lost in the hills of Beverley and all of it is a love/hate letter to L.A.

It is a complex yet easy to understand book and while Elliott is so so flawed he is also lovable and ingeniously maverick

A book to make you sit up for sure that sometimes gives you raw, sometimes romantic, othertimes scary reader jangles and jingles but in every way a more than fine, very different, edgy novel novel

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscent at times of aspects of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys, season one of HBO’s Perry Mason, and Robert Wright Campbell’s 1997 novel, Alice in La-La Land, all better works. The story is very slow going and does not pick up until well into the second half. It’s amusing enough, though, if ultimately fairly unmemorable.

[Kelly]

Did not finish. Have loved the author's Joe the Bouncer books, but this one was somehow both boring and raunchy.

[Peter McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I start a lot of books these days. I don't finish so many. Tell the truth, I don't get past the first chapter or two for most of them.

David Gordon is an exception to that rule.

I was a bit disappointed that this wasn't the next episode in his stellar, 'Joe the Bouncer' series. That's how I discovered Gordon and every single one is a cracker. If you were to ask me, I'd say that comedy crime fiction isn't really my thing. Sure, along with everybody else I read Carl Hiaasen -- the Florida guy -- back in the 80's. But I haven't read one SINCE the eighties. Procedurals and noir are my thing, by and large.

But it's hard to deny that there's a comic strand in David Gordon's work, but it's not heavy handed and the jokes don't overwhelm the story. They're really just there as a product of the writer's voice. And they make me like Gordon. They make me want to turn the page and read on.

In a land where I generally lose interest after a couple of pages, that's a rare thing these days.

I particularly enjoyed this one because -- despite not being set in my beloved New York -- where all crime fiction would be set if I had my way -- it's set in a mileux that I've had a long standing interest in. The protagonist of Behind Sunset works for a pornographer who is clearly modelled on Larry Flynt. For my sins, I've read (and can strongly recommend) a whole pile of books written by people who used to work for Flynt (and other pornographers like Al Goldstein) -- see my book list for tips. Books like Prisoner of X and Tales of Times Square immediately leap to mind.

Gordon does a fantastic job of capturing the weird combination of cynical innocence displayed in the voice of these guys who somehow managed to find themselves washed up in the excesses of 1980's pornography.

I'm not saying that you'll enjoy his books as much as I do, but as far as I'm concerned there are really just two writers currently working whose books I can rely on to be a solid source of pleasure from beginning to end. One is Thomas Perry. The other is David Gordon. And I've read some Thomas Perry books that disappointed me. (The stories about the indian walking guide are somewhat meh.)

Gordon, on the other hand, has never let me down. Every one I've read has been a five star read. And this one is just as strong as all the others. Loved it.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly different vibe than usual for Gordon, or maybe back to the Joe the Bouncer books before he got a little sick of them, judging from the last couple. A lot of misdirection as to the actual plot here, though we're talking a neo-noir in early-90s LA in and around a Larry Flynt/Al Goldstein-type porn impresario/provocateur, with a Pam-and-Tommyish subplot, an antirepression queer subcurrent to which he doesn't seem all that committed, and enough jokes, turns, and reversals for anyone. Not sure what to make of the brief Holocaust bit in the background, which is used for brief plot complications but which doesn't supply anything all that resonant to the plot, aside from grounding some LA jokes. (And, I dunno: is 1994 LA really any less gritty than 1994 NYC?)

That said, though the plot is...not ramshackle, but certainly comfortable in taking its time to develop, the comic verb choices, dry asides, and poetic glimpses of LA magic (a bit diegetically confusing, to be sure, given where the narration sits) all made this a lot of fun, kind of an idea of a bricolage retro-noir (which absolutely would fit the novel's setting, as right around this time we got the rediscovery of Jim Thompson and spate of neo-noir films either using Thompson or alluding to him). Given the direct allusions to, say Miss Lonelyhearts, and a false Chandleresque false ending, maybe that's what Gordon was going for.

[TheLisaD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Sunset by David Gordon is a gritty and wildly entertaining murder mystery that strikes the perfect balance between suspense and dark humor. The story follows Elliot, an unassuming and thoroughly ordinary man whose life takes a sharp turn into chaos. As events spiral beyond anything he could have anticipated, readers are pulled into a twisting narrative that’s as unpredictable as it is fun to follow.

What makes this novel especially compelling is its cast of vibrant, offbeat characters who are as memorable as they are lovable. Their dialogue is sharp and often laugh-out-loud funny, adding levity to the darker elements of the story. Elliot’s resourcefulness is a highlight—he may be far from a traditional hero, but his quick thinking and surprising resilience keep the tension high and the reader invested.

David Gordon excels at blending crime, humor, and character-driven storytelling into a fast-paced plot that never lets up. Behind Sunset is a clever, addictive read that offers not only mystery but also personality in spades. A thoroughly enjoyable ride from start to finish.

[Tom Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read some of Mr. Gordon's Joe the Bouncer series, and though there are a few stylistic similarities, this book goes in a different direction. Here we have the usual New Yorker's reaction to Los Angeles, as a place where everybody thinks that whatever life they're living is temporary because their real(better, more famous) life is surely coming. Our hero, Elliot, a Queens native, came west to be a writer, and he is, but for a porn mag. He has three rich-girl roomies, but only in the sense that he is living in their garage. Writing opportunities come along, but they are all for naught, and somehow he is worse off than before. The twist is that he comes across two people from his NYC days;his first crush, and his best buddy. But their lives, like Elliot's, aren't what they expected. They are successful-adjacent. Whatever they all hoped for both did and didn't happen. Elliot has picaresque adventures that are challenging to say the least.
It takes awhile for this tale to get rolling, but it is very well told, comic and murderous and befuddling by turns. It's very good.

[lori pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Stephen Bowlby narrates this story and does a good job alternating between characters.

Elliot is a writer for an adult (porn) magazine that clearly doesn’t pay well and is an overall soul-sucking job. When his boss, a vile porno rag owner, asks him to write up th January cover girl who is only known by an alias and is also the boss's latest girlfriend, the story, Elliot realizes its not the girl but the tape she stole that the boss is after.

I am not sure if it was the topic of porn, the loathsome characters, or just the lack of a story for this one but I really had a hard time staying engaged in this one. It rambled a bit and I really had not a lot of interest in this one. 3 stars.

[Kendra Chura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, there were moments while listening to this audiobook when I realized I had no idea what was happening.

We follow Elliot, a writer for an adult magazine that clearly doesn’t pay well, and for a while, that’s about all I felt sure of. I thought this was going to be about him searching for a missing woman… turns out, it’s more about a missing VHS tape.

There are a few side plots that are pretty entertaining on their own, and the humor throughout definitely kept me hooked. The narrator did a great job.

Overall, I found it a little hard to follow at first, but by the end, everything came together.

I’d definitely check out more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the advanced copy.

[Viva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked David Gordon's Joe the Bouncer books so I decided to give this stand-alone book a try. It's a bit dated and it's written as a "humor" book. Writing a humorous book is one of the hardest things to do. Most authors force the humor and it doesn't come out right.

In this book Elliott Gross is an associate editor of a raunchy Playboy/Penthouse like magazine (forced ha-ha) and the author puts him through hijinks with various larger than life characters (forced ha-ha). But after reading 50% of the book and seeing no plot I dnf'd it. (Forced) humor is not plot. Setting is not plot. It felt like Gordon had a pretty good idea and hoped his pen would write the plot out for him, but it didn't.

[Aristotle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Page one line one

'Pornography was making Elliot sad.'

Well this should be an interesting read

The first porn tape I bought, yes it was a VCR tape back then, was called 'The Art of....uhm... rhymes with Aer Lingus.
Well that was an interesting and an educational tape. I have nothing interesting to say about this book.

The search for a stolen tape with a powerful actor caught in a compromising position.
A plot that was muddled and at times incoherent. Characters coming in and out of the story with little explanation of who they were. Big fan of 'Joe the Bouncer' but this is a big NO!

Euphemism
I'll go with 'Pink Palace' Interesting and funny

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. A gritty, raunchy, yet also funny book about what it takes to survive working in Hollywood — at least on the periphery of A-, B-, C-, and even D-listers. Elliot is an accomplished writer but the only writing job he can find is as an associate editor for Raunchy magazine and its Larry Flint-like, wheelchair-bound owner. He is assigned jobs such as testing the life-like sex dolls for the company. When the Raunchy owner falls for the latest cover girl, Elliott is tasked with finding her which leads him into the Valley and more shady characters. It becomes a bit madcap and mysterious at this point.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HighbridgeAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #BeyondSunset for review purposes. This book was officially published on 22 July 2025.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for the ARC! This was an enjoyable and quick read. At times it flys a little close to its influences, and gets hard not to make comparisons to books I really liked, which doesn't always work in its favor. But, I'll never say no to a fun book, with Hollywood as a backdrop.

[TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended.

Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:

https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...

[Tj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gritty Hollywood crime drama. Nods to genre classics throughout. Rightly predictable but still well done.

[Patrick Schultheis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good, but not as good as his Joe the Bouncer books

[Barondestructo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just takes to long for the meandering plot to get going.