Chasing Elvis, by Glenn P. Marcel
Book Review by Benjamin Boulden
Have you read this book?
Chasing Elvis is the first novel featuring Weird Magazine tabloid reporter Mel Vaughn. It is written by Glenn Marcel ("Chasing the Roswell Alien") and is a terrific introduction to the likable, energetic and humorous Melissa Vaughn—a protagonist I would like to see more of.
It is 1982 and a man sits in a Coup de Ville waiting for a bank to open. On the radio plays an old Elvis tune; and as he catches a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror he admires the tight Elvis-style jumpsuit he wears. His plans are to rob the bank on that humid Tennessee morning, but anything that can go wrong does go wrong—from parking too close to a parking meter, to tearing the crotch of his jumpsuit, to a skin reaction from the latex of his Elvis mask. Once inside the bank, things don't go any better for the hapless robber and he ends up fleeing without much to show for his effort except a swollen face and a wounded ego.
That is where Chasing Elvis begins, but it is a long way from where it ends. Mel Vaughn's father Adam, a Memphis police officer, was certain Elvis—who had been dead for nearly five years—was the person responsible for the bank robbery. Unfortunately he was killed in an automobile accident before he could prove Elvis was not only still alive, but robbing banks. Then some twenty years later Mel Vaughn is pulled into the mystery and she doesn't stop, despite some surprising danger and more than a little doubt, until everything is revealed.
Chasing Elvis has a ludicrous storyline, but Marcel is able to keep the reader in suspended disbelief throughout by deftly combining a swift moving plot, with humor, odd ball characters, simple prose and genuine craftsmanship. His characters are the heart of the story. They come to life with eccentricity, humor and genuine likeability. There are several scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny, and Marcel keeps things interesting with several surprising plot twists.
I enjoyed Chasing Elvis very much, and if you like the King, a touch of conspiracy, a little mystery, or just a damned funny story, you will like it too.
It is 1982 and a man sits in a Coup de Ville waiting for a bank to open. On the radio plays an old Elvis tune; and as he catches a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror he admires the tight Elvis-style jumpsuit he wears. His plans are to rob the bank on that humid Tennessee morning, but anything that can go wrong does go wrong—from parking too close to a parking meter, to tearing the crotch of his jumpsuit, to a skin reaction from the latex of his Elvis mask. Once inside the bank, things don't go any better for the hapless robber and he ends up fleeing without much to show for his effort except a swollen face and a wounded ego.
That is where Chasing Elvis begins, but it is a long way from where it ends. Mel Vaughn's father Adam, a Memphis police officer, was certain Elvis—who had been dead for nearly five years—was the person responsible for the bank robbery. Unfortunately he was killed in an automobile accident before he could prove Elvis was not only still alive, but robbing banks. Then some twenty years later Mel Vaughn is pulled into the mystery and she doesn't stop, despite some surprising danger and more than a little doubt, until everything is revealed.
Chasing Elvis has a ludicrous storyline, but Marcel is able to keep the reader in suspended disbelief throughout by deftly combining a swift moving plot, with humor, odd ball characters, simple prose and genuine craftsmanship. His characters are the heart of the story. They come to life with eccentricity, humor and genuine likeability. There are several scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny, and Marcel keeps things interesting with several surprising plot twists.
I enjoyed Chasing Elvis very much, and if you like the King, a touch of conspiracy, a little mystery, or just a damned funny story, you will like it too.
|
Click here to buy Chasing Elvis, by Glenn P. Marcel on Amazon
|
Chasing Elvis, by Glenn P. Marcel on Amazon
| More Books You Might Like |
Comment on Chasing Elvis, by Glenn P. Marcel
| Comments on Chasing Elvis, by Glenn P. Marcel |
| There are no comments on this book. |
