The Tuxedo Society by Paul Rudnick (2026)
Paul Rudnick, a wickedly sharp gay humorist, can reel off so many rapid fire one-liners, pop culture gags and witticisms that he can hardly get out of his own way. He could barely contain himself in this secret agent spoof. It consists of pages and pages of lengthy paragraphs crammed with run on sentences, each one loaded up with multiple jokes, and absurd metaphors.
And at long last, the LGTBIQ+ community gets not only one dressed-to-kill secret agent but an entire team of them.....globe trotting Bonds, fabulously outfitted in spiffy tuxes. Of course they have their very own 'Q' gadget master, equipping the boys (and a few sapphic girls) with loony lethal weapons that look left over from those ridiculous imitation 007 knock-offs that flourished in the 1960's.
The book not only lovingly celebrates and mocks all those secret agent tropes and conventions, it also fully delves into Indiana Jones territory. The boys are tasked with securing and uniting three long lost precious, legendary gems, each one supposedly imbued with supernatural powers. And they're up against a host of international oligarchs and homegrown fanatics who covet the jewels for themselves.
Yes, it's as crazy and laugh out funny as it sounds and we can all sleep safely at night knowing the Tuxedo Society will stand in strong defense of America, the Free World, the Tony Awards and Meryl Streep. I only wish it was a little easier to navigate through author Rudnick's dense forest of priceless zingers. At times, the book reads like its editor was busy elsewhere reading Tolstoy or taking phone calls.
But I wouldn't let that put anyone off, though. In this day and age, you can never have enough books that keep you smiling, giggling, and slyly snickering all the way through, I'd certainly be the first in line to dive right into the boys' next mission to save civilization and Ralph Lauren fashions as we know it.
And at long last, the LGTBIQ+ community gets not only one dressed-to-kill secret agent but an entire team of them.....globe trotting Bonds, fabulously outfitted in spiffy tuxes. Of course they have their very own 'Q' gadget master, equipping the boys (and a few sapphic girls) with loony lethal weapons that look left over from those ridiculous imitation 007 knock-offs that flourished in the 1960's.
The book not only lovingly celebrates and mocks all those secret agent tropes and conventions, it also fully delves into Indiana Jones territory. The boys are tasked with securing and uniting three long lost precious, legendary gems, each one supposedly imbued with supernatural powers. And they're up against a host of international oligarchs and homegrown fanatics who covet the jewels for themselves.
Yes, it's as crazy and laugh out funny as it sounds and we can all sleep safely at night knowing the Tuxedo Society will stand in strong defense of America, the Free World, the Tony Awards and Meryl Streep. I only wish it was a little easier to navigate through author Rudnick's dense forest of priceless zingers. At times, the book reads like its editor was busy elsewhere reading Tolstoy or taking phone calls.
But I wouldn't let that put anyone off, though. In this day and age, you can never have enough books that keep you smiling, giggling, and slyly snickering all the way through, I'd certainly be the first in line to dive right into the boys' next mission to save civilization and Ralph Lauren fashions as we know it.
4 stars (****).
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