August 27, 2012
In Webbâs ditzy fifth Southern Cousins cozy (after 2011âs Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble), Webbâs titular hero, Elvis reincarnated as a basset hound, continues to seek to protect his owner, hairdresser Callie Valentine Jones, from the errors of her ways. An electrical mishap at a Santa display in a Mooreville, Miss., mall injures Callieâs Uncle Charlie, who owns âthe best funeral home in Mississippiâ and is playing Santa, and kills Steve Boone, aka Rudolphâbut was it an accident or murder? And if the latter, just who was the intended victim? Callie and her zany companionsâplus-sized cousin Lovie Valentine, mother Ruby Nell, and fountain of malapropisms Fayrene Johnsonâinvestigate. Webb packs almost every other page with a reference to an Elvis song or factoid as the snack-loving basset shares narration chores with Callie. Elvis fans in need of a deep-fried farce may find this finger-lickinâ good, but the extremely broad humor wonât work for everyone. Agent: Jane Rotrosen, Jane Rotrosen Agency.