Such
Vicious Minds -
Daniel Klein's super sleuth Elvis Presley takes
on his latest case
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What
has three Elvis's on-stage (all the spitting image of
the other), one rogue Elvis seducing young maidens,
a busty "jail bait" blonde, more twists and turns than
a rollercoaster ride at Disneyland and large dollops
of humor?
The
answer: Daniel Klein's latest Elvis novel, Such Vicious
MInds.
Any
book that puts Colonel Parker behind bars, has a world
famous eccentric humorist as Elvis' sidekick, features
"Elvis" getting married to two different women on the
same day, and includes an underground organisation called
SWEPT (wait until you read what the letters stand for),
all in the name of discovering "whodunnit", has to be
highly commended. With strong characterisations and
a fast moving plotline, Such Vicious Minds is a highly
enjoyable fourth entry in Daniel Klein's series about
Elvis Presley, super sleuth.
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Set
in the mid 1960s after the release of Roustabout, Such Vicious
MInds submerges Elvis into a bewildering series of events
involving murder, the unusual worlds of Elvis impersonators
and plastic surgery, pornographic photographs apparently showing
"Elvis" performing a sex act on a young girl and a colorful
collection of Southern gentry and Southern rednecks hell bent
on securing their own piece of fame at Elvis' expense.
The
author weaves together, with great finesse, an eclectic set
of disparate themes, from Dr. Strangelove to the demon weed,
the offensively extreme Ku Klux Klan, orgiastic young southern
belles and more Elvises (of varying persuasions!) than you
can poke a stick at. The 'pot pourri' within Such Vicious
Minds comes together very nicely as Daniel Klein's easy flowing
writing style takes you on a rollicking "road trip" across
the Elvis landscape.
Many
fans will be familiar with the author's well constructed,
eidetic writing style: On the other hand, Elvis' own face
currently looked like it belonged to a bit player in the House
of Wax. With its scraggly three-day growth, disheveled, unwashed
hair, the remaining discoloration of his spoke-induced contusions,
and his fat lip and bruised cheekbones, plus the blotches
of iodine and Mercurochrome that Miss Amy had artfully applied
to his face, Elvis looked like a seriously substandard human
being.
The
author's frequent injections of film noiresque humor work
a treat:
That
is, until you got a little closer and saw what she was wearing
- one of those new London, England miniskirts - she was showing
more underwear than a Memphis clothesline.
No
doubt about it, Mrs. van Deusen was a living advertisement
for a T-and-A job. Between her amplified front and backside,
she offered enough shelf space to display a dozen bowling
trophies.
Verdict: Such Vicious MInds is a fitting fourth instalment
in Daniel Klein's entertaining series of murder mysteries
featuring Elvis Presley, super sleuth. With the festive season
holidays fast approaching, EIN recommends that you sit back,
relax, have a sip your favorite beverage and take in a first
rate whodunnit which will keep you smiling and guessing until
the very end. And you won't believe what they make plaster
casts of these days!
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