Mesopotamia

Review

Thoroughly entertaining, with an offbeat sense of humor . . There''s a solid mystery here, underneath the goofiness

(Booklist).

Plot

Things have not been going well for journalist Sandy Bloomgarten. Her job went down the drain and her marriage quickly followed. After a lengthy bender, she awakens one morning to the stark realization that she is flat broke. Nonetheless, she''s still a crack reporter, and when a tabloid offers her a freelance assignment in Memphis—just a stone''s throw from her childhood home in Mesopotamia, Tennessee—she takes it.

Though sent there for one story, she winds up tracking down another: someone is killing Elvis impersonators who perform at the annual Sing-the-King festival. The few available clues lead her to several unlikely characters: a cheating local minister constantly on the make, a strange band of misfits who only cover Elvis tunes, and a small-town private eye who blew himself up along with his crystal meth lab. As Sandy''s investigation closes, she realizes that she is sitting on what could be the story of the century. The only problem is she can never reveal what she has found . . .

Commentary

The immortal shadow of Elvis Presley gyrates wildly through this satiric exploration of America''s fascination with tabloid journalism.

—Publishers Weekly