Review of BLUE SUEDE CLUES by Daniel Klein (see his website))
A MURDER MYSTERY FEATURING ELVIS PRESLEY
Thomas Dunne, St. Martin's Minotaur, March 2002
It'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 (see his website) 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.
Three Stars
Purchase BLUE SUEDE CLUES from Amazon.com (hardback).