Kill Me Tender: A Murder Mystery Featuring the Singing Sleuth Elvis Presley [Mass Market Paperback]

Daniel Klein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2002

Back from his tour of duty in Germany - and desperately missing his Momma -Elvis Aron Presley just isn't turned on by the music the way he used to be. Between his Machiavellian manager, the hangers-on and childhood pals crowding his Graceland mansion, and his own propensity for gobbling down fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, the King tries desperately to get his heart back into Rock and Roll.

But how can the King sing when young girls - the presidents of his fan clubs - are dying all over Tennessee? Elvis suspects foul play; to prove it, and to find the killer, he'll need to navigate the resentment, sqareness, and bigotry that hound-dog him at every turn. Only by allying himself with a self-taught doctor in a small black community, his alluring - and forbidden - nurse, and a mysterious early Elvis impersonator, can Presely hope to Take Care of Business in time to save the next victim.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unlike your usual celebrity sleuth, Elvis Presley makes a natural detective in this winning whodunit, set in Tennessee after the singer has returned to civilian life from the army. When Elvis Presley fan-club presidents, all teenage girls, start dying of unknown causes, Elvis becomes concerned enough to do more than just write condolence notes to the families. He personally investigates the deaths (not an easy task when you're famous), in due course determining that each victim was poisoned by a rare Chinese drug. Meanwhile, he begins to receive demo records with sinister parodies of his songs, such as "Kill Me Tender" for "Love Me Tender." In his statewide quest for the murderer, Elvis attends his high school reunion, wanders into a bar full of Elvis impersonators and finally gets arrested in a small redneck townDthe perfect setting for a real jailhouse rock. At the climax, in a suspenseful race to stop the killer from striking again, he must even pass as an Elvis impersonator. For all the novel's amusing contrivances, nothing seems forced or ridiculous, so cleverly does Klein (Beauty Sleep, etc.) use actual Elvis lore to serve his plot. The background of the early-1960s segregated South is also deftly presented, and the method of poisoning is both ingenious and fiendishly fitting. Elvis's romance with a black nurse, Selma du Pres, may be too good to be true (or to last), but Selma takes a key part in the bittersweet ending. Above all, Elvis, here at his most gentle and charming, is irresistible. This mystery has a heart as big as its humble hero's. Agent, Howard Morhaim.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"One of the best Elvis novels ever...a cleverly crafted mystery...I can't wait for the next installment."--San Francisco Examiner

"This mystery has a heart as big as its humble hero's."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Give credit to Daniel Klein...for making Elvis as credible a P.I. as Kinky Friedman's wisecracking Kinky...always true to the singer's spirit and legend. We want to believe that Elvis actually would come to the aid of his endangered flock."--Chicago Tribune

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (January 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312981953
• ISBN-13: 978-0312981952
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars To my total shock I liked this Elvis Presley mystery, June 19, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kill Me Tender: A Murder Mystery Featuring the Singing Sleuth Elvis Presley (Hardcover)

When he left to serve in the Army, Elvis loved the music. Now that his tour is over and he is back as a civilian, Elvis struggles to regain the heart and soul that made him the King.

Elvis soon becomes aware that someone is killing the presidents of his Tennessee fan clubs. He also begins to receive records parodying his top hits. Not one to sit around munching on fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, Elvis begins an investigation into the murders, using the guise of an Elvis impersonator.

On the surface, readers, including this reviewer, will think that KILL ME TENDER is a ludicrous tale using Elvis to sell books that only presleyologists would enjoy. However, do not allow the title, the lead character, or the subject to fool the reader into thinking this novel is impersonating an amateur sleuth take. Instead, Daniel Klein succeeds into turning the King of Rock and Roll into the King of amateur sleuths. The tale works because the story line intermingles irony, facts and legend to turn Elvis into a genuine person not an icon investigating murders in a very segregated south. Sub genre fans will not now or ever return this superb novel to the publisher because this entertaining jailhouse tale rocks.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He says he loves it!, June 20, 2000

By 

Thomas W. Cathcart (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kill Me Tender: A Murder Mystery Featuring the Singing Sleuth Elvis Presley (Hardcover)

"Kill Me Tender" reveals a new aspect of the King--his uncanny sleuthing ability. We true fans aren't surprised. We knew all those sheriff's badges he collected weren't just the product of a silly hobby. Now comes word that the King himself has given his blessing to "Kill Me Tender!" According to the supermarket tabloids, Elvis called from a phone booth "somewhere in the midwest" to say he's "tickled pink" with the portrayal of him as an amateur private eye. And no wonder! He comports himself with sagacity, wit, and the characteristic humility we all loved. This is a book for Elvis fan and non-fan alike: fast-paced, suspenseful, and a whole lot of fun.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elvis is investigating the deaths of fan club presidents, January 21, 2004

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kill Me Tender: A Murder Mystery Featuring the Singing Sleuth Elvis Presley (Mass Market Paperback)

What a great mystery. I loved having Elvis Presley sleuthing to unravel the mysterious deaths of the fan club presidents. He was very likeable but he also resembled the real King.

Elvis is made aware of two young girls who have apparently died in their sleep. They were both presidents of his fan club in different Tennessee cities. No one believes them to be anything but sad. No foul play is suspected. Elvis feels differently and enlists the aid of Billy Jackson, a self-taught doctor to a small black community. His nurse Selma also assists and Elvis is smitten with her.

He also has to deal with a Elvis impersonator that thinks he really is Elvis. Elvis consults with a forensic psychiatrist to try to understand the killer's mind.

Then there is another death of a fan club president. Still no one will listen to him and look into these deaths as murders. Plus Elvis keeps receiving recordings of his songs but with twisted lyrics. Who can be sending these? Could they be related to the deaths?

In the meantime, Elvis goes to his class reunion and runs into Penny Woodruff, a classmate and former girlfriend.

Things are getting complicated and Elvis is constantly missing recording sessions in his quest to find a killer no one else is even looking for. His is constantly have to deal with his manager and childhood pals at Graceland. His interest in Selma is constantly growing, but what about Priscilla.

Elvis ends up putting himself and others in danger to discover the identity of the killer before there are any more deaths.

I found this to be a delightful mystery. The Elvis character was so well constructed, I often found myself wondering if these things really happened!

This is a terrific new series and I can't wait to read them all. You will not be disappointed! You won't want to put it down until the last page! I highly recommend it!