The Sordid Secrets of Las Vegas: 247 Seedy, Sleazy, and Scandalous Mysteries of Sin City

by Quentin Parker, Paula Munier, Susan Reynolds

Whether this is your first or fiftieth visit, you'd be surprised at how much of the city's mystique you can miss while you're pulling slots until dawn. From getting comped at a casino every time to finding the best stripper to teach you how to pole dance, you'll learn all of the hidden magic that permeates this incredible city in this tell-all handbook. You'll also get an insider's take on:

- How to get invited to the Fetish and Fantasy Ball
- Why you shouldn't drink the water in Vegas
- Where to have a $5,000 lunch
- Where to find the world's biggest topless pool
- Who's been blacklisted by the Gaming Control Board

Organized according to the seven deadly sins, the hidden gems in this book are your key to uncovering the dirty secrets of Sin City!

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 1931

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sordid Secrets of Las Vegas is a fact-book, sorted into sections corresponding with the seven deadly sins, containing stories about famous Las Vegans, criminal activity, casino history, etc, etc, etc. It isn’t a book you traditionally read start-to-finish, as it literally consists of little factoids, but it is a book that moves quickly.

I’ve lived in Sin City for 7 months at this point, and honestly, the book had very little to offer me in terms of things I didn’t already know. And I’m not one of those people who is really tuned into the pulse of Las Vegas. I am spending the entirety of this weekend, as I spend most weekends, sitting in my living room watching documentaries.

Further, I didn’t like the writing style. Ryan has described it as “sassy,” but for me it came off as overly cheesy and lame. I don’t want to read a book of facts and feel like I’m hearing them from a skeevy man at a cheap bar. I don’t want to hear about a man enlisting because - FUN FACT - a prostitute at a brothel outside of Vegas gives military discounts. It just came off as creepy and unsettling.

This might be a good gift for someone who is a Vegas traveler and a bit more of a bro and can handle that kind of writing style. For a local, though, it missed its mark.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many much better guide books to Las Vegas than this one. This is more a collection of anecdotes that occasionally mentions something that may be of use when you visit Sin City. As a rule of thumb from my own experience; if a guide book says that Fremont Street is not really worth the hassle of a visit then the book is not up to much. That said though, this one is worth a read for the comedic value of some of the stories.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for what it is, it's a book with facts and stories from/about Las Vegas. I bought it for a buck and it kept me busy while in slow periods at work.