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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great mystery with Elvis Presley investigating, January 28, 2004
A fabulous installment in this terrific series. Elvis Presley does the sleuthing! Freddy "Squirm" Littlejohn sent Elvis a letter and photo. The photo was from four years ago when Elvis was in Germany in the army. It was of Elvis singing with other Army guys at Christmas. Squirm was one of them. His letter asked for Elvis' help. Squirm was serving a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit. Holly McDougal had been strangled on the MGM lot. Elvis went to the California Correction Institution in Tehachapi to see Squirm. He met Bob Reardon, warden of CCI. After his discussion with Squirm, the warden gave Elvis a script. In a recent interview Elvis had asked for a first-class script. Then Elvis contacted Regis Clifford, Squirm's lawyer. Elvis quickly concluded that Regis was a drinker. He discussed Squirm's case. He found out that a makeup artist named Connie Spinelli had told Regis that Holly McDougal was a wild kid. She said that she `made a stripper blush to her ankles.' Unfortunately when Regis went to meet with Spinelli, she had vanished. He also told Elvis that Miss Nanette Poulette, Squirm's girlfriend, had given some damning testimony against him which seemed to seal his fate. Elvis asked around about Spinelli and finally got someone to talk to him. He then called his buddy Billy Jackson and asked for his help in contacting her. Elvis went to the stunt shack on the MGM lot. He met Will Cathcart, a stuntman and rodeo rider. He showed Elvis around including the bunk room where Holly had died. Will had not been around then. He also gave Elvis a trial ride on Nelly, the stuntman's mistrees, a harness. While dangling from the harness, he met Mickey Grieves, Squirem's good buddy who had referred Squirm to his attorney. I won't tell you anymore. You'll have to read to find out how Elvis keeps digging and digging to find out the truth behind the strangling of Holly McDougal. So many times I had to remind myself that Elvis never did all this investigation. It is written so well and with such believability and history interwoven, that I often forget it's fiction. Mr. Klein has done a great job in catching the true essence of Elvis and using it in his books. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Convincing Elvis as a detective, June 17, 2002
This review is from: Blue Suede Clues: A Murder Mystery Featuring Elvis Presley (Hardcover)
t's 1963 and Elvis Presley is so bored with movie-making that when he gets a letter from a convict claiming his innocence, Elvis decides to check things out. What Elvis finds is a Hollywood full of wanna-be stars, each willing to do anything to make it big--anything including murder. The ex-stunt man, Squirm Littlejon might not have killed his prostitute girlfriend, but he certainly did make some powerful enemies. Enemies that wouldn't stop at killing him--and destroying Elvis--to protect their secrets. Author Daniel Klein does a convincing job making Elvis both believable as a detective and likable as a person. It is amusing to think of Elvis rolling around Los Angeles in the early 1960s, solving crimes and trying to decide where to take his life. Klein adds enough topical references to satisfy the Elvis buff and to educate non-fans on this intriguing and conflicted character. With a title like BLUE SUEDE CLUES and with Elvis as detective, I was expecting something funny but, while there are definitely some light moments, for the most part, Klein plays it straight. Elvis battles pain from a sprained ankle with too much codeine, risks his life, witnesses murder and suicide, and sinks deep into a world of blackmail, prostitution, and murder. Klein's smooth writing keeps the plot moving forward and hold's the reader's attention.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis is back in the building!, April 19, 2002
This review is from: Blue Suede Clues: A Murder Mystery Featuring Elvis Presley (Hardcover)
Elvis takes on his second case in BLUE SUEDE CLUES. Bringing back some of his new friends that we first met in KILL ME TENDER along with some of the historical characters in his life like Colonel Tom Parker and Priscilla and even Ann Margaret, who I am sure would love these stories. I disagree that many who will read Mr. Klein's works are looking for him to provide "the idiosynchrasies of the superstar". Lord knows there are enough books out that deal with those. I think that Mr. Klein has tapped the real "heart" of Elvis, that he has done his homework, and that his "Elvis" isn't just "anyman amateur sleuth" but the real Elvis taking on the new role of sleuth. For any Elvis fan these stories put him "back in the building", and for those who don't know Elvis, they historically tell the story of the Elvis who wanted to make a difference, with the added fictional twist of solving mysteries on top of being a superstar, in an age where racial differences were still considered problems and Hollywood still owned the both the star and the public. When the world wasn't sure they wanted the change Elvis could bring and Elvis was sure we needed some changing. I think these mysteries, like those of Kinky Friedman, are written to be read for the pure joy of them. I have read them both and cannot wait for the third installment where I can kick back and relax and spend some more time with the king of rock 'n' roll and maybe help someone new while we're there.
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