Midnight Louie Series by Carole Nelson Douglas

(Previously published as PUSSYFOOT) A Book of the Month club featured selection. “a breezy style...a nice mystery...fun to read”—Indianapolis Star"a dandy puzzler that is pure catnip for mystery connoisseurs.”—Melinda Helfer, RT Book Reviews 4½ stars The second Midnight Louie mystery, now in eBook, takes petite but feisty PR freelancer Temple Barr to a Las Vegas coed stripper competition where exotic murders stalk the contestants... more(Previously published as PUSSYFOOT) A Book of the Month club featured selection. “a breezy style...a nice mystery...fun to read”—Indianapolis Star"a dandy puzzler that is pure catnip for mystery connoisseurs.”—Melinda Helfer, RT Book Reviews 4½ stars The second Midnight Louie mystery, now in eBook, takes petite but feisty PR freelancer Temple Barr to a Las Vegas coed stripper competition where exotic murders stalk the contestants. You can bet Midnight Louie is there to save his Miss Temple and, his lost, platinum-blond Persian love, the Divine Yvette, a witness to one of the murders. Temple and Louie will leave no rhinestoned G-string unturned to catch a serial killer.“Las Vegas' feline detective extraordinary returns...an excellent follow-up...The characters continue to be the fascinating, slightly wacky folks one expects...and Louie is an irresistible combination of Nathan Detroit and Sam Spade...plenty of interest here for a lengthy, fun-filled series.”—Mostly Murder“just about everything you might want in a mystery; among other things, glitzy Las Vegas, great bodies (male and female), real characters, suspense, a tough puzzle, and...a finicky feline. On top of it all, it has a fine sense of humor and some illuminating social commentary.”—The Prime Suspect “If it's murder, it must be Midnight Louie time! Carole Nelson Douglas's cool dude feline detective pulls off some fancy footwork when he matches wits with a murderer...Written with stylish zest and irresistible panache, this clever tale operates on a multiplicity of levels, cloaking provocative and uniquely feminine insights.”—Melinda Helfer, RT Book Reviews 4½ stars less

Midnight Louie, the best tomcat in the crime-solving business, and his human partner, petite redheaded publicist Temple Barr, are once again in the thick of things in the city of sin. The manager of the Crystal Phoenix, one of Las Vegas's premier vacation spot, has hired Temple Barr to help clean up the hotel's image, but soon more than the Phoenix's reputation is in danger. The phoenix becomes prey to mysterious saboteurs whose little pranks just happen to keep endangering Temple's life... moreMidnight Louie, the best tomcat in the crime-solving business, and his human partner, petite redheaded publicist Temple Barr, are once again in the thick of things in the city of sin. The manager of the Crystal Phoenix, one of Las Vegas's premier vacation spot, has hired Temple Barr to help clean up the hotel's image, but soon more than the Phoenix's reputation is in danger. The phoenix becomes prey to mysterious saboteurs whose little pranks just happen to keep endangering Temple's life. When Temple tangles with ex-priests, local police, FBI agents, obnoxious reporters, and a pasell of semi-reformed mafiosi who wear pastel zoot suits, it's up to Midnight Louie to get her out of knot....before it's too late. less

“TEMPLE BARR, public relations whiz, rocks Las Vegas with her sleuthing grit, wacky friends and sexy guys, cool cat sidekick, fast-paced action and laughs. And Midnight Louie is the funniest, hairiest hard-boiled PI on the planet!”—JANET EVANOVICH, NYT bestseller Calling Mr. Spock! Temple Barr must find a murderer among a cast of thousands of costumed Science Fiction characters and fans at Titanicon, the world’s largest SF convention... more“TEMPLE BARR, public relations whiz, rocks Las Vegas with her sleuthing grit, wacky friends and sexy guys, cool cat sidekick, fast-paced action and laughs. And Midnight Louie is the funniest, hairiest hard-boiled PI on the planet!”—JANET EVANOVICH, NYT bestseller Calling Mr. Spock! Temple Barr must find a murderer among a cast of thousands of costumed Science Fiction characters and fans at Titanicon, the world’s largest SF convention. When not herding trekkies, she finds murder also strikes the local university campus. Midnight Louie’s twelfth adventure examines a whole new world of crime and punishment in another witty, imaginative puzzler from New York Times Notable Book of the Year author (Good Night, Mr. Holmes) Carole Nelson Douglas. “There’s really only one cat writer in North America. That’s Carole Nelson Douglas, a Texas writer who has created, next to Sylvester, one of the world’s more famous cats —Midnight Louie. Now this jet-black feline sleuth strays into an alien world of science fiction and fantasy while pursuing a puss-in-kinky-boots. Lurking among the trekkies, elves, aliens and other-worldly creatures . . . is a murderer. We can only be thankful cats have nine lives.”—Ottawa Citizen “There is no finer amateur sleuth than Midnight Louie, the feline equivalent to Spencer (or perhaps Hawk). Carole Nelson Douglas infuses humor throughout her storyline, which keeps readers alternating between grinning and laughing. Told from the various perspectives of the major players, a dangerous technique for a lesser talent, the plot contains snappy insight that leads to multiple surprises. Cat in a Kiwi Con is one of the better works in this long running series, which is filled with superb novels. Midnight Louie’s charm and appeal still wins readers’ hearts.”—Alternate Worlds “Carole Nelson Douglas carries her readers into the world of science fiction conventions and vendors, science fiction writers, television series and fans Truly another world, one with which Douglas is familiar, having written both science fiction and fantasy. More importantly, she takes her readers deeper into the world of her Las Vegas mystery series, returning characters from earlier books, answering some questions and creating even more. . . .Carole Nelson Douglas knows how to hold the reader’s attention, whether with witty observations about the worlds of fandom, science fiction and fantasy or about the world she creates with Midnight Louie and company. Dive in, explore, experience and enjoy.”–Mostly Murder “Although Runyonesque street-cat Midnight Louie tracks a feline in his 12th appearance, he and feminine amateur sleuth Temple Barr, the cozy-noir partners who launched the Douglas series, take a backseat on this ride through Oz Vegas. Surrealistic in any case, Las Vegas goes nova when the kiwis invade: the fruit, the birds, and New Zealand’s virtual products, Xena and Hercules, hit town for TitanicCon, the biggest science fiction/fantasy convention ever. When the daughter of working mom and tough cop Carmen Molina is desperate to go . . . Molina needs help from all the regulars in this bizarre, jam-packed, postmodern-Dickensian series…Character confusions proliferate in this masked world where the “real” Khatlord looks exactly like costumed fans . . . When UNLV Professor Jefferson Mangel is sliced a by a real replica of a prop knife, the case enters another, more dangerous, dimension, bursting the bounds of a single book and single genre. If Midnight Louie prowled only the predictable streets of genre fiction, all the murders in his ersatz world would be resolved. less

Murder shows its teeth and claws for Midnight Louie readers when that jet-black feline sleuth who thinks he's Sam Spade returns to delight his legions of fans. This time, not only does Louie have to bail out his favorite investigative partner, public relations woman Temple Barr, but he has to save a fellow feline from a charge of Murder One. When a big-game hunter is found dead with only a leopard for company, all of Louie's and Temple's allies and enemies converge on the case... moreMurder shows its teeth and claws for Midnight Louie readers when that jet-black feline sleuth who thinks he's Sam Spade returns to delight his legions of fans. This time, not only does Louie have to bail out his favorite investigative partner, public relations woman Temple Barr, but he has to save a fellow feline from a charge of Murder One. When a big-game hunter is found dead with only a leopard for company, all of Louie's and Temple's allies and enemies converge on the case. And the fun really begins when the unofficial investigators learn the leopard is Osiris, a performing Big Cat who was kidnapped from his magician owner only days before the murder. Things get really wild when a cadre of ardent animal rights protestors secretly stakes out the premises, determined to stop the illegal killing at any price, even their own lives.... Or someone else's. less

Temple Barr is a sharp and sassy public relations ace in Las Vegas whose life is finally taking a turn for the better. Hard-nosed homicide lieutenant Carmen Molina is too busy chasing after her own ex-lover, rogue L.A. cop Rafi Nadir, to pursue Temple's boyfriend, sexy magician Max Kinsella, and nobody Temple knows has been murdered... at least, not in the past few weeks... moreTemple Barr is a sharp and sassy public relations ace in Las Vegas whose life is finally taking a turn for the better. Hard-nosed homicide lieutenant Carmen Molina is too busy chasing after her own ex-lover, rogue L.A. cop Rafi Nadir, to pursue Temple's boyfriend, sexy magician Max Kinsella, and nobody Temple knows has been murdered... at least, not in the past few weeks. Temple takes this downtime as a signal she should buy a new pair of Jimmy Choo spike heels, and accept the job of planning a glitzy week of opening events for a trendy new furniture showroom. Dealing with temperamental décor mavens is no problem for a woman who's saved leopards from big game hunters, tracked killers through strip clubs, calmed the cantankerous owners of Las Vegas's most glamorous hotel, and seen the ghost of Elvis-until the life of feng shui expert and media-crowned domestic dominatrix Amelia Wong is threatened. Suddenly Temple is neck deep in trouble... and bodies. And Temple has one more problem-one she doesn't even know about: her roommate Louie, and his maybe-daughter Louise, have decided to make sure that Temple's search for a killer furniture arrangement doesn't mean curtains for her. Midnight Inc. Investigations, their PI firm, is on the case. The catch? Louie is Temple's cat. less

What's a Girl to do when she's forced to be, well, a girl? That's what's hot shot freelance PR woman and amateur detective Temple Barr has to do when as a favor to top cop Carmen Molina she goes undercover at Teen Queen , the newest pop star-search reality TV show, all in the hopes of protecting Molina's 13-year old daughter. It's no picnic trying to be a teenager again, even after a punk makeover... moreWhat's a Girl to do when she's forced to be, well, a girl? That's what's hot shot freelance PR woman and amateur detective Temple Barr has to do when as a favor to top cop Carmen Molina she goes undercover at Teen Queen , the newest pop star-search reality TV show, all in the hopes of protecting Molina's 13-year old daughter. It's no picnic trying to be a teenager again, even after a punk makeover. To make matters worse, Temple's in danger of being uncovered by the show's celebrity judges, including her romance novelist aunt and her arch-enemy, Crawford Buchanan. And just to make life more interesting there are her fellow contestants, unnatural blondes aplenty who are all too willing to sabotage and backstab their way to the top. Unfortunately, someone has a real knife out for Las Vegas's young women, and it's up to Temple and her underfoot undercover partner, Midnight Louie, to ferret out the killer. less

Cat in a Red Hot Rage is the nineteenth title in Carole Nelson Douglas's sassy Midnight Louie mystery series. This tough talking twenty-pound tomcat PI is playing at the top of his game as he walks the walk and talks the talk on the mean streets of Las Vegas.   Temple Barr and Midnight Louie are up to their tails in froufrou, chapeaux, and murder when the Red Hat Sisterhood convention hits Las Vegas. Electra Lark, Temple's spirited landlady, has dragged her to the con... moreCat in a Red Hot Rage is the nineteenth title in Carole Nelson Douglas's sassy Midnight Louie mystery series. This tough talking twenty-pound tomcat PI is playing at the top of his game as he walks the walk and talks the talk on the mean streets of Las Vegas.   Temple Barr and Midnight Louie are up to their tails in froufrou, chapeaux, and murder when the Red Hat Sisterhood convention hits Las Vegas. Electra Lark, Temple's spirited landlady, has dragged her to the con. Accused of murder after a woman is found strangled with an official Red Hat Sisterhood scarf, Electra begs Temple to clear her name by posing as a pink-hatter, an under-fifty member of the organization.    Louie and his partner in Midnight Investigations Inc., Midnight Louise, join the hunt for the killer at the Crystal Phoenix. They find old friends already there, including C-movie actress Savannah Ashleigh, and her Persian cats, Louie's ex-love, the Divine Yvette, and her sister Solange.   As Temple and Louie dig under all the makeup and shopping bags it becomes clear that a whole lot of folks want to crush or cash in on the red-hot rage of female empowerment that is the Red Hat Sisterhood. less

Cat in a Sapphire Slipper is the twentieth title in Carole Nelson Douglas’s sassy Midnight Louie mystery series. The tough-talking, twenty-pound, tomcat PI is as feisty as ever as he and his gang try to keep his favorite roommate from losing her man.   PR honcho Temple Barr’s romance novelist aunt Kit has wound up in a romantic plot of her own... moreCat in a Sapphire Slipper is the twentieth title in Carole Nelson Douglas’s sassy Midnight Louie mystery series. The tough-talking, twenty-pound, tomcat PI is as feisty as ever as he and his gang try to keep his favorite roommate from losing her man.   PR honcho Temple Barr’s romance novelist aunt Kit has wound up in a romantic plot of her own. She’s snagged one of the most eligible bachelors on the Strip, one of the elder Fontana brothers, a silver-tongued reputed ex-mobster with a heart of gold.   There is to be a wedding…and where there is a wedding there is usually a bachelor party. Things go disastrously wrong when the entire party is hijacked and taken to a remote ranch out in the Nevada desert, a place where the women are wild and the sex is legal. And among the group?  None other than Temple’s own Matt, an ex-priest.   Truly a fish out of water, he soon comes upon a beautiful young woman who is quite naked and most thoroughly dead. Given the remoteness of the location with very few suspects on hand (plus the Fontanas' shady reputation) this could be a very bad thing indeed.    And Louie?  Well, he managed to go along for the ride and once again it’s up to that big old tomcat to bail out his humans and save the day.   Cat in a Sapphire Slipper is a fast-paced, racy mystery with a loveable cast of characters and one terrific tough dude to keep them all in line. less

Temple Barr and Matt Devine make a cozy engaged couple, and the feisty redhead is all for her handsome radio host fiance staring in a week-long televised Las Vegas charity event, "Dancing with the Celebs." But while ex-priest Matt struggles to master the sexy moves of the tango, a killer stalks the dance floor. Not only is Matt in danger, but so is the lovely tween Mariah, daughter of homicide cop C. R. Molina, who is dancing in the Junior Divison of the show... moreTemple Barr and Matt Devine make a cozy engaged couple, and the feisty redhead is all for her handsome radio host fiance staring in a week-long televised Las Vegas charity event, "Dancing with the Celebs." But while ex-priest Matt struggles to master the sexy moves of the tango, a killer stalks the dance floor. Not only is Matt in danger, but so is the lovely tween Mariah, daughter of homicide cop C. R. Molina, who is dancing in the Junior Divison of the show. And so Temple gets dragooned into resurrecting her kicky teen persona, Zoe Chloe Ozone, now an Internet hottie, to ensure Matt and Mariah don't foxtrot into a fatal mistep. Where is Louie in all this? Well, he's out and about, proving that he's still the cat's meow. But he's got his paws full as he tries to keep all the various players in his little troupe from dancing right into death's arms.... less

Temple Barr, publicist extraordinaire, is itching to bring off her most dangerous and exciting assignment, helping to launch an endeavor that many a Vegas showmen have dreamed of: a Las Vegas mob museum/casino... moreTemple Barr, publicist extraordinaire, is itching to bring off her most dangerous and exciting assignment, helping to launch an endeavor that many a Vegas showmen have dreamed of: a Las Vegas mob museum/casino. While city powers-that-be hem and haw over doing an official project on the subject, the Family Fontana plans to connect two hotels with a  "Chunnel of Crime" featuring an underground speakeasy,  a fast "ride" through Vegas crime history by Gangsters custom limo sevice, and other fun attractions. Temple's grand scheme to do a live "opening Bugsy Siegel's vault" media event built around a huge safe found buried underground produces a two-day-old body wearing white tie and tails. With Temple's magician-counterterrorist ex-lover, Max, gone missing and her new fiance, radio shrink Matt Devine, in Chicago for week-long media gig, Temple must depend on "the Vegas Strip Irregulars," a posse of cats, to solve murders old and new that smack of mobs vintage and all too contemporary. Success, or failure, could cost Temple her life, and all nine of Louie's. less