"Anyone who'd kill an impersonator ain't nothin' but a hound dog"
Officer Elvis
By: Gary M. Gusick
Genres: Mystery Police Procedural
Posted: October 27, 2015
Darla is an interesting character. When widowed, she met and married a doctor and clinic director in Mississippi, so even though some backward people call her a darn Yankee, she isn't going to move. She is also a hate crime specialist and a fine detective. Darla has to put up with some grotesque semi-humour which is inevitable when a man meets his maker dressed as Elvis after giving a concert in an old folks' home. But she's keen to know who had a motive and means to carry out the crime.
This setting is determinedly up to the minute, with ubiquitous cellphones, social sites and laptops besides current social issues. Darla is required to visit not only an alleged meth cooker, but the office which handles booking for Elvis impersonators. The varied people are the centrepoint of this case, from the generous to the bizarre, and Darla even takes a guided tour of Graceland. I enjoyed Darla's chats with her new partner Rita, a local lady who gets all the dates a police officer could ask for online. However, it turns out that someone very nasty indeed is prowling, and it will take the combined police department to pin him down.
The first in this series is called 'The Last Clinic'. Gary Gusick is a former advertising executive who lives in Mississippi and New Orleans. He seems to be enjoying bringing the southern landscape, music and charm to life for his readers. I don't know whether to recommend this book to those who adore the Elvis legend, or not. I would call it an adult crime story. OFFICER ELVIS is an excellent idea, well written, and I'll be interested to see what happens next in this atmospheric series.
Book Summary
In the vein of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner, Gary Gusick takes readers on an explosive ride-along with Mississippi detective Darla Cavannah, a Yankee transplant making her name in the Deep South. After performing at a local old-folks home, off-duty police officer and part-time Elvis impersonator Tommy Reylander smoothes out his pompadour, climbs into his pink Caddy, and gets all shook up—fatally so, when a bomb explodes. Whether he was killed for his police work or bad singing is a mystery that detective Darla Cavannah is determined to solve. Though it’s been several years since Darla (reluctantly) partnered up with Tommy, she convinces her boss to let her lead the murder investigation. As the new regional director of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Shelby Mitchell can think of better uses for his star detective’s time, but not even the most hardened good ole boy can resist Darla’s smart, savvy persuasions. She soon embarks on a roller coaster ride through the world of Elvis tribute artists while tracking down one of the most bizarre serial killers in the history of the Magnolia State. Aiding her pursuit of the killer is recently reprimanded officer Rita Gibbons, fresh from the trailer park and described by Shelby as “half a licorice stick short in the manners department.” But Rita’s plenty smart, even when this case takes their suspicious minds in an entirely unexpected direction.
by: Gary M. Gusick
Alibi
February 1, 2015
On Sale: February 10, 2015
Featuring: Tommy Reylander; Darla Cavannah; Shelby Mitchell
ISBN: 0553390287
EAN: 9780553390285
Kindle: B00L0EYO0W
e-Book