cover image The FBI Files on Elvis Presley

The FBI Files on Elvis Presley

Thomas Fensch. New Century Books, $35 (176pp) ISBN 978-0-930751-03-6

As part of its Top Secret series, New Century (P.O. Box 7113, The Woodlands, Tex. 77387-7113; 936-295-5357) presents The FBI Files on Elvis Presley. Editor Thomas Fensch (Conversations with John Steinbeck) introduces the book ominously: ""Elvis Presley never committed a crime. Elvis Presley was never accused of any crime. But for decades the FBI kept a file...."" The target of death threats, a paternity suit and public complaints about his performances, Elvis Presley kept J. Edgar Hoover and his agency busy. In the dramatically serious tone of Sergeant Friday (""just the facts, ma'am""), Fensch alleges that these files, representing a ""microcosm [of Presley's] behind-the-scenes life,"" will inform Presley's countless devotees about the uglier side of fame. ( Aug. 20)