She flies to Las Vegas in full James Bond drag, complete with glue-on scars, padded shoulders, and Cuban-heeled Beatle boots, accompanied by the bumbling Agent Cedric Pumpernickel of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Because this is Jane’s first official G.E.O.R.G.I.E. secret mission, she is backed up by seasoned Agents Bridget St. Claire (also Jane’s girlfriend) and Bibi Gallini, who are attending the Dorothy Duncan Defrost-Off (held at the same hotel as the Spy Convention) undercover. What seems to be a straightforward secret mission turns out to be much more complex than expected when American agent Dougie Smathers appears to be murdered during a tour of Hoover Dam. But Smathers—who was James Bond’s close friend until Bond womanized his way through all of Smathers’s potential vacation flings—is only one of many plot twists in The Girl With the Golden Bouffant. Jane befriends two Las Vegas housewives with ties to the mob; Agent Pumpernickel falls in love with his clumsy American counterpart, Agent Felix Bivens; and Bridget and Bibi are forced to enter the Defrost-Off cooking competition when their original undercover plans (appearing as showgirls in a musical about frozen foods) run awry.

Unfortunately, these multiple, interconnected (to some degree, at least), and often confusing diversions from the main storyline (remember: Jane is in Las Vegas to get her hands on a top secret super-invention) make The Girl With the Golden Bouffant somewhat difficult to follow.

In addition, the vast number of minor characters involved in the shenanigans makes it hard to remember who’s who. I was disappointed that Maney didn’t focus more on developing the character of Jane Bond, who has much potential as a (satirical) heroine. But Jane herself is overshadowed by the convoluted plot and motley mix of supporting characters, and thus is more of a prop than a full-fledged character.

But despite these flaws, The Girl With the Golden Bouffant is still a funny romp through Mabel Maney’s trademark queer postwar America. Readers who are familiar with her Nancy Clue and Hardly Boys parodies (The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse, The Case of the Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend, and A Ghost in the Closet) will welcome Maney’s quick-witted descriptions of the nuclear age and all the accessories that went with it. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Maney’s writing is her attention to detail in describing the gadgets and gizmos that some people now collect as “Americana.” She is also adept at poking fun at the foods that were popular during this period, including all varieties of Jello “salad,” the disturbing beverage known as Clamato, and the once-famous Tab.

The Dorothy Duncan (think Duncan-Heinz) Defrost-Off (as in, defrosting frozen foods) provides a hilarious backdrop for satirizing the changing roles of women in 1966 (remember, this is before the Summer of Love but after The Feminine Mystique)—especially in comparison to the uber-manly Spy Convention held down the hall, complete with the “bachelor pad of the future.” In one of the campiest and funniest scenes of the book, Bridget and Bibi prepare a TV dinner to enter into a TV dinner contest that is judged by four judges seated in barcaloungers in front of TV trays, watching an episode of Bonanza.

The plot of The Girl With the Golden Bouffant may be derailed by a multitude of kitschy 1960s details, but that is part of the fun. After all, even the James Bond movies are less about saving the world from domination by an evil supervillain than they are about fancy toys for boys, beautiful but vapid girls, and drinking a lot of martinis. Mabel Maney’s parody of the James Bond flicks does more than take those toys and hand them over to the girls (although that happens, too)—she creates an entire world in which being gay is not only acceptable, it’s the only sane choice.

So the next time you’re headed out to the seashore with your sunblock, pick up a copy of The Girl With the Golden Bouffant and take your time getting to know Mabel Maney’s manic 1966 Las Vegas. James Bond (not to mention Jello) will never look the same.

Amazon.com:The Girl With The Golden Bouffant