Tupelo, Mississippi is best known for being the hometown of Elvis Presley so it's only fitting that they hold the annual Elvis Festival in the King's honor. Callie is helping out by being the official Elvis hair stylist while her cousin Lovie is taking care of the catering.
Everyone who loves Elvis is there, impersonators and all. But when some of the impersonators start dropping dead out of nowhere, all eyes are on the caterer, Lovie. Callie is determined to clear her cousin's good name no matter what it takes. Helping out with the investigation is her basset hound dog Elvis, who believes he is The King reincarnated as a dog.
Will Callie and Lovie be able to find the true murderer before all the Elvis impersonators turn up dead or will they become the next victims when they get to close to solving the case?
ELVIS AND THE GRATEFUL DEAD is the second book in the Southern Cousins Mystery Series featuring two amateur sleuths that are cousins and a dog who thinks he's Elvis. The story is told in first person point of view by Callie and also by Elvis in alternating chapters. Without having read the first book in this series, I had no idea what I was in for.
At first, the abundance of Elvis details were too much for me and kind of annoying. I mean you have an Elvis festival, Elvis impersonators, the main character is styling Elvis' hair, a dog who thinks he's Elvis, etc. So after 90 pages I put this book down and gave it a rest for a little while.
When I picked this book back up, I had left off at a great part of the story. There were murders to solve and I became very interested in the outcome. There were less cutesy Elvis tidbits and more mystery for the second half of the book and that's what I liked. I was laughing hysterically over everything Callie and Lovie got themselves into.
The story reads with true southern charm so well that I could actually hear their accents in my head. So overall, even though the first half of the book didn't grab me, the second half did. If you're looking for laughs galore and a charming mystery that will make you smile, ELVIS AND THE GRATEFUL DEAD is the way to go. Just make sure you love the King and be prepared for a lot of crazy antics!
Every year, a hip-shaking herd of Elvis impersonators descends upon the King's birthplace of Tupelo, Mississippi, for the annual Elvis festival. Usually the main attractions are lot of sequined jumpsuits and even more off-key singing, but this year something much more deadly has the town all shook upβ¦
When the first Elvis impersonator is found slumped over his piano, a heart attack seems the likely suspect. But when a second keels over mid-swagger at Callie Valentine Jones's party, suspicious minds begin to wonder if something foul is afoot. Because everyone knows two dead Elvis impersonators add up to only one thing: murder.
As it turns out, Callie's cousin Lovie-a 190-pound bombshell who's had more lovers than the King had hit records-turns out to be suspect #1. Callie knows she's innocent but to prove it, she and Lovie will have to find out who the real killer is. Could it be Texas Elvis, who's sworn to out-swivel his rivals? Maybe the female Elvis from Australia, with the fake sideburns? Or one of the endlessly bickering officers of the fan club?
It's a mystery fit for a King, and with a little help from Callie's hunk-a-burnin' love ex Jack, and her talented hound dog Elvis-who's convinced he's the true reincarnation of the King-Callie and Lovie are determined to have the killer singing Jailhouse Rock. But they need to move fast and be ready for the killer's next move, because their chance may be nowβ¦or never!
Elvis Opinion #1 on Impersonators, the Valentine
Family, and Fried Pigskins
If you ask me, all these impersonators running around
Tupelo in sequined jumpsuits could use remedial voice
lessons. Nobody can hold a candle to the King. That would
be me, though these days I could pass through a crowd
unnoticed if it werenβt for my pink bow tie. I also wanted
to wear my black pompadour to the Elvis Festival, but
Callie (my human mom) said basset hounds look silly in
toupees.
What does she know? Donβt get me wrong. Sheβs the
best human mom a dog could have, but she canβt even keep
her own life straight, much less mine. If sheβd seek my
sage advice, Iβd tell her to stop trying to take care of
the world (and that includes picking up stray dogs and cats
as well as loaning money to everybody with a sob story who
walks into her beauty shop). Mostly, though Iβd tell her to
stop divorce proceedings.
If any two people belong together, itβs Callie and
Jack (my human daddy). She says they split over his Harley
Screaminβ Eagle, but I know better. They split because she
wants a family and heβs worried about having children and
then getting shot and leaving them fatherless.
Of course, heβs never told Callie the truth because
heβs never even told her about his real profession β and if
I told you, Iβd have to kill you. Suffice it to say, Jack
Jones makes Rambo look timid.
Callie and Jack are at an impasse and βAll Shook Up.β
At the rate things are going, it looks like Iβll be punted
between them for the next three years. Like a pigskin.
Speaking of which, I think Iβll mosey on over to the
refreshment booth and see whatβs cooking. Fried pigskins,
for one thing. Lovieβs in charge. She shares my opinion
that the body ought to be primed with sugar and fat...
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