If you're a Vegas regular, this book will surprise you. If you've never been, James Patterson and Vanity Fair contributing editor Mark Seal's deluxe, emotionally compelling, action-filled tour will take you behind the scenes of this dazzling city, scaling its heights and peering deep into its beating heart. As the saying goes, once you get that desert sand in your shoes, it's hard to kick it out.

Compact disc.

Welcome to Las Vegas -- The ride -- The arrival -- The VIP host -- Wheel of Fortune -- The wedding queen of the West -- From villain to visionary -- The healer among the hustlers -- What happens here, stays here -- The queen of Las Vegas -- Unmasking the jackpot winner of The Mask -- Risk city -- The invasionof the superchefs! -- Magic -- The greatest show on earth -- The triumph of the operatic tenro -- Earning a name at the Palms -- The ghost of Elvis Presley -- The habitat of the whales -- The hustler -- Here comes the sun -- The valley of fire.