A Glittering Chaos

2014 IPPY Silver Medal Winner for Popular Fiction

The adage about “what happens in Vegas” is funny precisely because we know it’s wishful thinking. A Glittering Chaos is about what happens when “what happens in Vegas” comes home to haunt you. Melusine is a German librarian whose ho-hum world wobbles after she tags along when her husband Hans attends a Las Vegas optometry conference. A newly empty nester who speaks no English, Melusine’s voyage of self-discovery is punctuated by the poetry of Ingeborg Bachmann, nude photos in the desert, a black dildo named Kurt, autoerotic asphyxia, and the unravelling of her husband’s sanity because of a secret from his youth. A smart, funny and incredibly wise novel about marriage, secrets and lies, and unusual sexual proclivities.

The Title Says It All
“A Glittering Chaos by Lisa de Nikolits is a book that lives up to its title. Set in Las Vegas and Germany, and hosting a cast of diverse characters, it never lets you get too comfortable before throwing a new and unexpected twist into the mix. Sex, intrigue, mental illness, a missing person, poetry and a touching love story travel in parallel yet intersecting lines toward a tragedy that threatens to tear apart a family. I can hardly wait to see what de Nikolits has in store for us in her next novel.”
– Liz Bugg, author of The Calli Barnow Mystery Series

A Wonderful Review by D.J. McIntosh, author of The Witch of Babylon and The Book of Stolen Tales
“I picked up A Glittering Chaos and instantly became caught up in the story of Hans, Gunther and Melusine. The story itself is engrossing with an ending I didn’t expect so it would rank high on that basis alone. it’s a mystery and also a character study and Melusine is a woman we become fascinated by. What impressed me more, however, is the author’s skill – her writing soars. Over and over again I was carried away with a turn of phrase or a perfect description. It stands on its own as a literary novel. And if that isn’t enough, the hot romance was great!”

All That Glitters Is Gold
“A Glittering Chaos is a brave, funny, poignant, exuberant romp of a novel. Brave because Lisa de Nikolits does not shy away from any of the dark corners of the human psyche that most people (let alone authors) would hesitate to talk about. Funny and poignant and exuberant because those are Lisa de Nikolits’ trademark approaches to novel writing. “Glittering Chaos” is what happens when a novel with a no-holds-barred–in fact everything bared–exploration of the wild and dark corners of human sexuality is written with the empathy and compassion and irrepressive optimism of an author like Lisa de Nikolits. You will fall in love with Melusine, the middle-aged German librarian who embarks on an unexpected and unconventional journey to sexual reawakening in Las Vegas, and even with her tortured-soul, sexually-aberrant optometrist husband. A great summer–or winter–read.”
– Brenda Missen, author of Tell Anna She’s Safe

An Expert Synthesis of Empathy and Honesty
“An innocent trip to Las Vegas sparks a series of commissions and revelations that unravel a couple’s deepest beliefs about themselves and each other. Like Madame Bovary before it, A Glittering Chaos illustrates with an expert synthesis of empathy and honesty the ways in which our fantasies can have very real, and potentially devastating, consequences.”
– Richard Rosenbaum, Broken Pencil

Poignant, Even Lyrical
“The adage about “what happens in Vegas” is funny precisely because we know it’s wishful thinking. A Glittering Chaos is about what happens when “what happens in Vegas” comes home to haunt you.
Melusine is a German librarian whose ho-hum world wobbles after she tags along when her husband Hans attends a Las Vegas optometry conference. A newly empty nester who speaks no English, Melusine’s voyage of self-discovery is punctuated by the poetry of Ingeborg Bachmann, nude photos in the desert, a black dildo named Kurt, autoerotic asphyxia, and the unravelling of her husband’s sanity because of a secret from his youth. Lisa de Nikolits manages to integrate all these surprising pieces into a jigsaw that is a poignant, at times even lyrical, story of sexual coming-of-age, and the sometimes hard price paid for the wisdom of middle-age.”
– Beverly Akerman, author of The Meaning of Children

Sometimes Comical, Sometimes Touching, Sometimes Outrageous…A Riveting Read from Start to Finish
“Lisa de Nikolits is a smart, sensitive and adventurous writer, and she pulls out all the stops in her third novel. Sometimes comical, sometimes touching, sometimes outrageous, A Glittering Chaos is a riveting read from start to finish.”
– Rosemary McCracken, author of Safe Harbor

Master Storyteller Takes The Reader On An Unforgettable Ride
“A Glittering Chaos is wonderful, dark, witty and wild. Here is a writer who is willing to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche and expose life for all its beauty and depravity. Lisa de Nikolits is a master storyteller who takes the reader on an unforgettable ride that begins with Melusine and her husband, Hans, whose trip to Las Vegas unravels their lives in ways they never would have thought possible. Stories within stories. Poetry. Madness. Illicit love. A city’s power to unleash forgotten selves. The real dangers of trying to get to the truth. A Glittering Chaos has it all. A completely riveting read that will engage the mind, body and spirit.”
– Lisa Young, author of When The Earth

Peopled With Vivid Characters Who Suprise and Delight The Reader
“In A Glittering Chaos, author Lisa de Nikolits has written a compelling, fast-paced story peopled with vivid characters who surprise and delight the reader. I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the end.”
– Caroline Clemmons, author of romance, mystery, and adventure

…The Delicious Heights of Sexual Awakening to the Hellish Depths of Human Depravity…Call It Required Reading
“In her third and most ambitious novel to date, author Lisa De Nikolits heads south of the 49th parallel to deliver a death blow to that clichéd line, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Expertly crafted, this twisted page-turner unfolds against a backdrop of arid desert and tacky pleasure palaces and carries us directly into the eye of a storm called “unrequited love.” From the delicious heights of sexual awakening to the hellish depths of human depravity, A Glittering Chaos sure blasted a hole in my ozone! Call it required reading: You simply won’t be able to put it down.”
–Kristin Jenkins, The Anglican Journal

A Rollercoaster Ride of Portentous Realizations, Consummate Emotions, Deep-seated Secrets
“Filled with intrigue, excitement, anticipation and sexual diversity, A Glittering Chaos grabs its reader from the very beginning. Lisa de Nikolits shines a light on the reality of a family who seems so perfect on the surface. Digging deeper and deeper, de Nilolits takes you on a roller coaster ride of portentous realizations, consummate emotions, deep-seated secrets and sexual relationships spanning from the reckless abandon of a spontaneous affair to the dark recesses of a deranged mind. The biggest problem with A Glittering Chaos is whether to read faster to see what happens next or slow down in order to savor every word.”
– Pam Lofton, book reviewer and blogger at oneflewovertheemptynest.blogspot.ca/

Characters Are Multi-faceted and Deep
“A Glittering Chaos provides us with just that: a maelstrom of drama, crises, self-doubt, self-discovery, failure, success and much more, against both glamorous and banal backgrounds. The characters are multi-faceted and deep, each struggling to come to terms with their own flaws and weaknesses. It is possible to both despise and adore them in equal measure. As with West of Wawa, Lisa de Nikolits has created a central female character that you cannot help but fall in love with. Melu has so much about her to make you shake your head in frustration but at the same time want to wrap your arms around her. She’s lovely and lovable, yet frighteningly frustrating. Once again, Lisa de Nikolits proves she is a master at making a reader think and feel from page 1 to the very end.”
– Donna Brown, book reviewer and blogger at tweedling.com.

The Perfect Balance of Yin Yang of Writing Shines Through
“A Glittering Chaos assures de Nikolits of her rightful place in the Literati world. The perfect balance of the Yin Yang of writing shines through in every chapter.”
– Betsy Balega, author of Being Mystic, producer/host of Tuning in with Betsy

Sexy, Mysterious, Dark and Compelling
“A Glittering Chaos grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let go! Part romance, part thriller, part mystery story, I found myself wondering what twists and turns would happen next. Nothing in this story was predictable: the book kept me guessing (and intrigued) to the final page. I was reminded of the Peter Greenaway film “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” — passionate, sexual, unusual and dark, but always very human. I believex in these characters and wanted to keep walking alongside Melusine to see where the story took her. The characters all seem to be on the high wire, criss-crossing one another in the air — sometimes naked! A strong recommend for a reader who wants a compelling read that never fails to surprise.”
– Terri Favro, author of The Proxy Bride