Sidetracked Sunday - A Special Kind of Annoying

So for this month I am sharing the 4th installment of the Southern Cousins Series which I have slowly but surely been working my way through.  I can't lie, the main reason I still read this series is because of Elvis, the Basset, and I have to admit, I found this installment somewhat more annoying than the past ones.  Originally published in 2011, I just recently grabbed it from my library.

TITLE: Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble

AUTHOR: Peggy Webb

PUBLISHER: Kensington

PUBLISHING DATE: October 1, 2011

FROM GOODREADS: It's two times the turmoil for mayhem magnet Callie, her curvaceous cousin Lovie, and Elvis, the King reincarnated as nothin' but a hound dog. This time they're finding a lot more than relics on an archeological dig that could truly be their ruin....Forced to choose between one man who wants to marry her and another who already did, Callie Valentine Jones can't think of a better way to check out of her personal Heartbreak Hotel then to get way, way out of town. So when Lovie invites the whole Valentine clan to visit her brainy new beau's worksite near Cozumel, Callie packs up her crooning basset hound and heads straight for the airport --- But the moment they arrive at the dig, Elvis sniffs out T-R-O-U-B-L-E, in the form of a skeleton too fresh to be part of the research and too dead to spell anything but homicide. 

Suspicious minds blame ghosts and gods, but Callie knows the guilty party is all too human --- and for once, she's determined not to get involved. That determination goes right out the window when Lovie and Elvis go missing. It's now or never, if Callie wants to save her cousin and her canine from someone who's got murder always on his mind. And when her sexy ex arrives to save the day, she'll have to keep her head together, because her love won't wait --- but neither will a killer with something deadly to hide.

MY THOUGHTS: So the Valentine clan head to Cozumel - Lovie, to see her boyfriend at his archaeological dig, Callie and her Uncle Charlie to attend a mortuary conference, and Mama and Fayrene, who knows.  And of course, we can't forget Elvis.  Look at him on that cover looking all handsome and courageous.  So early on, Lovie is kidnapped and Elvis follows her because he doesn't want her to be alone.  That leaves the rest of the crew looking for them during the remainder of the book.

This is the 4th installment of The Southern Cousins Mystery Series and I have to admit, I didn't enjoy it as much as the others.  Now basically all of these books contain some kind of annoyance.  Lovie is obsessed with having sex with her boyfriend, who is truly devoted to her but just thinks there are other things they could do.  Fayrene and Mama are pretty comical, but about half way through, I wanted to smack them - hard.  And Callie, she is so indecisive between her soon-to-be ex and her new boyfriend that I have no idea which way she's going to sway.

But then there is Elvis.  Since he is along for the kidnapped ride with Lovie, there are even more chapters told from his point of view which are absolutely precious.   Elvis is pretty much the main reason I continue with this series and yes, I will be continuing.  Just because I want more of that lovable pooch. However, hopefully the Valentine clan won't be as obnoxious once they are back on their home turf.

RATING: 3 PAWS