Review of the Day: Laughing Gas

. Laughing Gas is one of Wodehouse's stand-alone novels, featuring none of his usual cast of characters up to high jinx in their usual locales. This one-off follows the adventures of Reggie, the new Earl of Havershot, who heads to Hollywood to rescue his drunkard cousin from a mis-matched marriage. The hook for the (tall) tale is that Reggie and child star Joey Cooley switch bodies while simultaneously under gas at the dentists' office. Farce ensues. The story has plenty going on and a full roster of Wodehouse's entertaining characters. But it falls short when it comes to clever, witty writing. It just is not as funny as most Wodehouse books.