"The second book in the Southern Cousins Mystery Series!"
Reviewed by Rachael Dimond
Posted November 21, 2009
Mystery Amateur Sleuth
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!
SUMMARY
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 up… 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 now…or never!
ExcerptElvis 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 weren’t 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? Don’t get me wrong. She’s the
best human mom a dog could have, but she can’t even keep
her own life straight, much less mine. If she’d seek my
sage advice, I’d 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 I’d tell her to
stop divorce proceedings. If any two people belong together, it’s Callie and
Jack (my human daddy). She says they split over his Harley
Screamin’ Eagle, but I know better. They split because she
wants a family and he’s worried about having children and
then getting shot and leaving them fatherless. Of course, he’s never told Callie the truth because
he’s never even told her about his real profession – and if
I told you, I’d have to kill you. Suffice it to say, Jack
Jones makes Rambo look timid. Callie and Jack are at an impasse and “All Shook Up.”
At the rate things are going, it looks like I’ll be punted
between them for the next three years. Like a pigskin. Speaking of which, I think I’ll mosey on over to the
refreshment booth and see what’s cooking. Fried pigskins,
for one thing. Lovie’s in charge. She shares my opinion
that the body ought to be primed with sugar and fat...
What do you think about this review?
Comments
1 comment posted.
Re: The second book in the Southern Cousins Mystery Series!
I love this Bloodhound Mystery Book. Elvis the Basset Hound who is so much Fun in this story I just watch for her next release to read what mischief he is to next. LOL Gotta Love this series...its to "Die For" ooops!! LOL
(Shirley Sego 2:48pm January 10, 2010)
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