Strange Angels by Andy Bull Reviewed by Steve Rudd

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Books come no more riveting than this mini-masterpiece that reads both as an eye-opening travelogue and close analysis of the lives - and deaths - of four all-American icons. Marilyn Monroe. Elvis Presley. James Dean. JFK. Their names and images are known the world over, and - as British-born author Andy Bull discovers - they will quite simply never be forgotten. First and foremost, on each of their death-days there are hordes of people who congregate in a location of prime importance to mourn the passing of the relevant star.

For starters, James Dean tragically died whilst driving his beloved Little Bastard motor car, and in remembrance of him a number of die-hard fans of the rebel without a cause actually turn up at the actual site where he crashed and burned: at the exact time, and on the exact day, that the accident occurred.

Even more intriguing and fascinating are the number of conspiracy theories that are still flying about concerning the suspicious deaths of Marilyn, Elvis and good old JFK. I guess nobody will ever know if Marilyn committed suicide or if there was some foul play in her death. Likewise, Elvis might still be alive and kicking somewhere (there's always a chance).

Still, most conspiracy theories relate to the fatal shooting of President Kennedy back in 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald was convicted of the killing, yet a shocking number of people still believe that there was a huge conspiracy and that there could have been anything up to six gunmen that sunny day in Dallas. Andy Bull gets to meet some true characters through his research into such theories surrounding the ever-enduring mystery surrounding the murder of JFK.

Still, perhaps the most bizarre theory uncovered in this book is that Elvis could have been some sort of messenger from God. One lady's case is almost convincing once she points out that God placed Elvis beside Jesus.

If you're a fan of anagrams then you best brace yourself. Just look more closely at the declaration Jesus Lives. Yes, Lives is actually an anagram of Elvis. What's even spookier is the fact that Elvis (or his career at the very least) metaphorically rose from the dead in 1968 with his Comeback show. At the time Elvis was 33 ... The same age as Jesus when he rose from the dead. Also, in a life that rather bizarrely did seem to run in a somewhat parallel manner to Jesus' life, Elvis' parents fled with their son from Mississippi to Tennessee after he'd been born, just like Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus from Israel to Egypt.

Oh, and that's not to forget about the possible belief that Elvis actually knew when he was going to die and foretold the exact date through the intro music that he used in his show. He used the theme music from 2001. Bear in mind that Elvis died for real on 16-8-1977, and then do the simple arithmetic: 16 + 8 + 1977 = 2001. Well, you could say from this kind of sinister evidence that the plot has indeed thickened...

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