Behind Sunset, David Gordon
Behind Sunset, David Gordon
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Behind Sunset

Author: David Gordon

Narrator: Stephen Bowlby

Unabridged: 10 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/22/2025


Synopsis

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.

About David Gordon

David Gordon was born in New York City. His first novel, The Serialist, won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. It was also made into a major motion picture in Japan. His work has also appeared in the Paris Review, the New York Times, Purple, and Fence, among other publications.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kendra on July 16, 2025

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 mi......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on April 21, 2025

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.......more

Goodreads review by TC on July 25, 2025

Recommended. Review posted at Tzer Island book blog: [URL not allowed]......more