NYT reviewer Janet Maslin is not amused by Ben Mezrich’s new book Sex On the Moon (Doubleday, 7/12; Large Type, Thorndike; Audio, RH Audio), calling the author a “…baloney artist whose highly speculative, Peeping Tom version of the Facebook story (The Accidental Billionaires) became, through no apparent fault of Mr. Mezrich’s, the basis for a brilliant, razor-edged movie (The Social Network).” Throughout the rest of the review, Maslin is unequivocal in her dislike of both the author and his dozen books.

In The Miami Herald, reviewer Larry Lebowitz notes that other critics have raised serious questions about the Mezrich’s approach, saying he takes “…too many dramatic liberties, blending factual events and creating composite characters for the convenience of narrative flow and storytelling simplicity. Mezrich hasn’t helped his own cause, arguing in some interviews that he’s an entertainer creating a new genre of fact-based popular nonfiction.”

But, says Lebowitz, “If you’re willing to cast aside such questions and simply want to enjoy a rollicking summertime page-turner crackling with sex, astronauts, stolen dinosaur bones and international cyber-intrigue, then Sex on the Moon is your book.”

It is also one of five titles recommended as “Summer’s Biggest, Juiciest Nonfiction Adventures” on the NPR Web site.

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