The 'Killing' Series (Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard)

I am reading the "Killing" Series by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. The books are easy to read and give the reader a glimpse into the history of the subject matter.

So far, I have read:

Killing Kennedy

Killing Jesus

Killing the Mob

Killing the Legends (I am halfway through)

Killing Crazy Horse

Killing the Witches

I highly recommend this series of 18 books (so far). They can be found used on Amazon and are more-than-likely in the library.

Killing the Legends is about Elvis, Ali, and Lennon.

I am reading about Elvis Presley. Something I didn't know, that might be key to Elvis's demise was the history of Colonel Tom Parker.

According to O'Reilly's research, Parker's real name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk.

Excerpt from the book (page 23):

Kuijk is a fifty-year-old Dutch carnival barker who may have been involved with a murdered woman in Holland. The suspicion was raised because, soon after she was killed, van Kuijk left town, finding work on a vessel headed for the United States. Eventually, he jumped ship in Mobile, Alabama, and entered the USA illegally. Soon, he enlisted in the US Army, though he had no passport. The sergeant at the recruiting center was named Tom Parker. The make caught Kuijk's eye and led him to change his name legally to Tom Parker.

In 1932, Parker went AWOL and was charged with desertion. He spent several months in a military prison, finally receiving a dishonorable discharge--but not before the army had him confined to a psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed as a psychopath.

Side note: Colonel Tom Parker NEVER applied for a US passport. (He couldn't. He was in the US illegally that whole time.) That's why he never let Elvis sing across the pond. He didn't want to lose control by not going with him. Elvis had no idea the man didn't have a US passport. There was always an excuse why anywhere out of North America was out of the question for touring.