Blue Christmas Bones
Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries Book 28
Carolyn Haines
Minotaur Books
October 15 th , 2024
“Blue Christmas” Bones by Carolyn Haines is a play on the famous song by Elvis Presley. Sarah
Booth Delaney and her friends “can’t help falling in love” with Christmas this year, which they
plan to spend celebrating the King of Rock n’ Roll at the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo. The
main attraction is an Elvis impersonator competition, drawing impersonators from all over the
world to honor the king.
“I grew up in Lucedale, Mississippi with three older female cousins who loved Elvis. I
listened to him and fell in love a little bit myself. He was something Mississippi could be
proud of, a man with talent and a generous heart. Elvis was born in Tupelo, and each
summer they have a big Elvis festival, complete with hundreds of impersonators. I
thought this was so cool, but I moved it to Christmas so it would fit in with the Zinnia
gang’s regular holiday mystery! I love the name Grace Land because I am silly like that.
And I didn’t want a violent crime so I thought a theft might be fun. But it had to be
something big and expensive. What’s better than a replica of Elvis’s belt. That was the
seed of the story, and then I just had a blast with Jitty appearing as various Vegas acts.
I had such a good time writing this and I hope readers enjoy it too.”
But before the revelry can get underway, a priceless jewel-encrusted replica of a belt once
worn by Elvis is stolen from its display case. Private investigators Sarah Booth and Tinkie are
roped into one of the biggest heists in the history of Mississippi. Soon “Suspicious Minds” are
lurking around every corner, with one eyewitness even claiming to have seen Colonel Tom
Parker, Elvis’s long deceased and highly questionable manager, prowling around the festivities.
Sarah Booth will have to find the devil in disguise, or she might just end up singing “Jailhouse
Rock” herself.
“Blue Christmas” is not my favorite Elvis song, but it lent itself perfectly for a title. My
favorite Elvis song is “Love me Tender,” but Tender Bones sounded a little cannibalistic!
LOL. This will be the 28 th Bones book and while I also include things about Mississippi
that aren’t so positive, I also like to include the best things, and Elvis is one of the best.”
“The stolen belt is the reason to engage Sarah Booth and Tinkie in the Elvis festival.
The girls are in Tupelo to compete for the amateur title of best Elvis performance, but
that’s not a big enough stake to hang a mystery novel on. To be a compelling book,
there must be more at stake than a simple contest. So the stolen belt, which is very
valuable, becomes that.”
Fans of Elvis and cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.
