Although I was a relative late comer to this series, I am thoroughly enjoying it. Sarah Booth Delaney is likable and smart and, even better, she's surrounded by a cast of characters that are the same. Each has their quirks, some more than others, but they are well-fleshed out and add to the story, bringing their own strengths and, yes, weaknesses. Even in the short amount of time I've been working on catching up with the characters, I've come to enjoy them all. Sarah's private detective partner, Tinkie Bellcore Richmond is both tough and tender. I'm glad I tuned in in time to catch how motherhood has both strengthened her as a person as well as requiring some adjustments to her work life. It's absolutely adorable, especially in the middle of a case, to see the characters all soften up when her daughter is even mentioned. All this hasn't dulled Tinkie's sleuthing skills, fortunately, as this case involves a multi-million dollar heist and enough Elvis impersonators to make your head spin.
I'm not going to detail the plot but will say that it involves. let's see, a jewel encrusted replica of one of The King's famous belts that is worth millions, feisty pugs, artists, a ghost (or two?), insurance confusions, a dance contest or two, trivia, song titles galore, Grace Land, and, oh, yeah, was that Col. Parker? While we certainly move away from the investigation at times, it's to overdose on all things Elvis. One has to wonder how many credible impersonators there are for Elvis? Heck, there are even Priscilla lookalikes. But, would any of these people who seem to so adore Elvis have stolen the belt? How did they do it? It isn't like it wasn't being guarded. Or monitored. It's well enough known, too, that it'll be a tough sell to even the most shady dealer. Sarah and Tinkie have the hands full but first, of course, they have a trivia contest to enter. Will they be victorious? Not telling. Seriously, there' are no dull moments in this book and even if you're not an Elvis fan, you'll marvel at the virtual display that will probably be dancing around in your head. Yeah, the same head already spinning from being surrounded by so many Elvis impersonators.
Bottom line, this one is both a good mystery, with well-played baddies, humor, and relatively non-stop action. Even better, you'll get to spend some time with not only Sarah and Tinkie but their extended families of friends. Boyfriend Coleman definitely gets to play a part in the action, too, I should note, so the ladies don't hog all the action. And, oh, dog fans. Wait until you meet Avery and Kathleen. They are a terror but, oh, so dang cute. Thanks #StMartin'sPress - "MinotaurBooks for sharing this early peek at what Sarah and Tinkie are up to both family and professionally.
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