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Samantha Adams #5
The King Is Dead
While at a barbecue cookoff in Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis, crime reporter Samantha Adams and her boyfriend Harry Zack encounter some eccentric southern mayhem.
First published November 1, 1992
About the author
Sarah Shankman
41 books21 followersNashville-based mystery writer Sarah Shankman is the author of the popular title I Still Miss My Man, But My Aim is Getting Better (1996), and the equally popular Samantha Adams series, the latest of which is Digging Up Momma.
a.k.a. Alice Storey Some of her books republished under Shankman.
a.k.a. Alice Storey Some of her books republished under Shankman.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 17, 2017
Good plot twists, deliciosly eccentric characters, and a wonderful homage to the King. I could really identify with the characters' devotion. For most of my young life, my mom had a little sort of shrine with two red roses and a framed vintage photo of him. Odd, but endearing.
January 26, 2022
It's not War and Peace, but you gotta have a playbook to keep up with the characters with funky nicknames, and a chart to track the jumble of scenes spilling over one another for no good reason. Funny stuff, but a pain in the butt to read. I only finished it to meet my reading challenge.
April 24, 2018
This was a strange book. It started out really well but turned weird and was way to long.
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September 23, 2019Comedy / Crime - BBQ, Elvis, Tupelo
June 3, 2020
Every book in this series is layered with detailed local color. Events and locations seem to have been well researched. That added to the humor of Shankman’s writing make for enjoyable reading.
February 29, 2024
Not too shabby for a book I grabbed from Dollar Tree.
July 8, 2008
THE KING IS DEAD - G+
Shankman, Sarah - 5th in series
Crime reporter Samantha Adams is working on a book called American Weirdwhen her boyfriend, Harry Zack, persuades her to join him at a barbecue cookoff in Tupelo, Mississippi. As Harry puts it, the King's birthplace "ought to be lousy with weird." Besides, they're driving there in a genuine pink Cadillac....
Also driving toward Tupelo is Mary Ann McClanahan, who more or less killed her worthless third husband, Carlin. She's discovered Carlin was already married to a woman in Tupelo who'll collect his life insurance—unless Mary Ann does something about it. Then an 18-wheeler driven by a novice Elvis impersonator blows Mary Ann off the road into a snake farm. Before you can say "Hound Dog," Sam's giving mouth-to-mouth to a barbecue contestant zapped by his own electric smoker. At the Elvis Memorial McDonald's, Sam's little dog has to be rescued by a Biker for Jesus. When someone takes a potshot at Sam and Harry's host, who turns out to be the meanest man in town, and Lovie Rakestraw, a junior high classmate of Elvis, is found electrocuted in her whirlpool, things really start to cook....
Somewhat better than good, it's an enjoyable book.
Shankman, Sarah - 5th in series
Crime reporter Samantha Adams is working on a book called American Weirdwhen her boyfriend, Harry Zack, persuades her to join him at a barbecue cookoff in Tupelo, Mississippi. As Harry puts it, the King's birthplace "ought to be lousy with weird." Besides, they're driving there in a genuine pink Cadillac....
Also driving toward Tupelo is Mary Ann McClanahan, who more or less killed her worthless third husband, Carlin. She's discovered Carlin was already married to a woman in Tupelo who'll collect his life insurance—unless Mary Ann does something about it. Then an 18-wheeler driven by a novice Elvis impersonator blows Mary Ann off the road into a snake farm. Before you can say "Hound Dog," Sam's giving mouth-to-mouth to a barbecue contestant zapped by his own electric smoker. At the Elvis Memorial McDonald's, Sam's little dog has to be rescued by a Biker for Jesus. When someone takes a potshot at Sam and Harry's host, who turns out to be the meanest man in town, and Lovie Rakestraw, a junior high classmate of Elvis, is found electrocuted in her whirlpool, things really start to cook....
Somewhat better than good, it's an enjoyable book.
December 29, 2013
Pretty enjoyable book. It was a little hard for me to get into because of all the many characters and an awful lot of skipping around. It got a little hard to keep track of who was who. I have to say, the ending was a real rip-snorter.
May 24, 2014
There were so many characters and so many links in the story, but that made it absolutely fascinating, plus it was often hilarious, too. It was one of the most lively books I have ever read and Sarah Shankman certainly knows and understands the South. It was a rollicking, fun read!
June 17, 2011
Hilarious!! Probably no redeeming social value...but laugh out loud funny! I even learned a few things about Elvis that I'm not sure I really needed to know if, perchance it's true!
January 31, 2012
Interesting book. Well written and worth reading.
July 25, 2012
A little hard to follow the story line at times, but I kept reading, thinking, "What could happen next?"
September 9, 2012
Oh my stars, has anyone else combined a throng of Elvis impersonators with a murder mystery? This was a really fun book!
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May 5, 2016DNF
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews