PRAISE FOR MIDNIGHT LOUIE & COMPANY
ATTENTION! All you ailurophiles addicted to Lilian Jackson Braun’s THE CAT WHO mysteries can latch onto a new purrivate eye: Midnight Louie... slinking and sleuthing on his own á la Mike Hammer.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“[Perhaps] there should be only two categories of mysteries: those with cats and those without. This is a ‘with’, big time. Midnight Louie [is] one of my favorite hep cats. Douglas has always written strong women characters and has always been before her time... Several thumbs up.”—Mystery News
“After garnering considerable acclaim for her delicious Irene Adler historical adventures, Ms. D. reveals yet another brilliant facet of her amazing versatility in this equally delightful contemporary puzzler.”—Melinda Heifer, RT Book Reviews
“Carole Nelson Douglas takes anthropomorphism to elegant heights as Midnight Louie, a tom who’s a private dick, harries Las Vegas malefactors.”—Publishers Weekly
“MIDNIGHT LOUIE IS ONE HEAVY DUDE. Gourmand, ladies’ man and world-class dog-baiter, this feline detective attacks crime tooth and nail. But if he lays a paw on my lasagna, he’ll tangle with a real heavyweight.”—GARFIELD, as told to JIM DAVIS
“Move over, Koko and Yum Yum (and Sneaky Pie too): Midnight Louie’s back, prowling the sin-soaked streets of Las Vegas once again.”—The Purloined Letter
“Midnight Louie’s off his leash for the first time since CAT IN AN ALPHABET SOUP with his own superbly funny side of the tale...”—Mystery News
For Anne Perry, phenomenal mystery and fantasy writer and cat lover,
for her support of my fictional worlds
CONTENTS
Cover
Back Cover
About the Midnight Louie mysteries
Copyright
Start Book
Cat in a Blue Monday preview
About the Author
Also by Carole Nelson Douglas
CHAPTERS
Prologue: The Life That Late He Led
Chapter 1: Electraglide in Black
Chapter 2: A Crummy Encounter
Chapter 3: Dial “M” for Matt
Chapter 4: Crawford Sees Red
Chapter 5: Sick to Death
Chapter 6: No Love Lost
Chapter 7: The Cookie Crumbles
Chapter 8: Dance of Death
Chapter 9: Perfect Recall
Chapter 10: Vamp of Savannah
Chapter 11: The Naked and the Dead
Chapter 12: WOE vs. WHOOPE
Chapter 13: The Naked Nose
Chapter 14: Kitty City Nitty-Gritty
Chapter 15: Little Girl Lost
Chapter 16: Crime and Punishment
Chapter 17: Official Abuse
Chapter 18: A Roommate to Die For
Chapter 19: A Kinky Cat-tail
Chapter 20: The Sweet Smell of Success
Chapter 21: A Walk on the Wild Side
Chapter 22: Golden Girls and Boys...
Chapter 23: Nursery Crimes
Chapter 24: Poster Boy
Chapter 25: The Kitty City Connection
Chapter 26: ...All Must Come to Dust
Chapter 27: Louie in a Jam
Chapter 28: Louie Takes a Powder
Chapter 29: Born to Be Child
Chapter 30: A Stitch in Time...
Chapter 31: ...Saves Nine
Chapter 32: Louie Bows Out
Chapter 33: Electra City
Chapter 34: Little Cat Feet
Tailpiece: Midnight Louie Lets His Hair Down
Carole Nelson Douglas Untangles Some Snarls
CAT IN AN AQUA STORM
(formerly titled Pussyfoot)
THE MIDNIGHT LOUIE ALPHABET SAGA CONTINUES . . .
Follow the clues from the foundation “Alphabet” novel through a colorful kaleidoscope of crimes as the bestselling cat mystery series moves to A to Z
Cat in an Alphabet Soup... Cat in an Aqua Storm... Cat on a Blue Monday... Cat in a Crimson Haze... Cat in a Diamond Dazzle... Cat with an Emerald Eye... Cat in a Flamingo Fedora... Cat in a Golden Garland... Cat on a Hyacinth Hunt... Cat in an Indigo Mood... Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit... Cat in a Kiwi Con... Cat in a Leopard Spot... Cat in a Midnight Choir... Cat in a Neon Nightmare... Cat in an Orange Twist... Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit... Cat in a Quicksilver Caper... Cat in a Red Hot Rage... Cat in a Sapphire Slipper... Cat in a Topaz Tango... Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme... Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta... Cat in a White Tie and Tails... Cat in an Alien X-Ray... Cat in a Yellow Spotlight... Cat in a Zebra Zoot Suit
CAT IN AN AQUA STORM
(formerly titled Pussyfoot)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Since Midnight Louie’s mystery adventures began in 1992, the soon-to-be 27-book series in a retro-modern saga that portrays twenty-five years of amazing Las Vegas Strip reinvention from the early 1990s to today. Yet, the foreground story only covers a couple of years in the characters’ lives. Think of the vintage movies that filmed a couple walking on a treadmill against a constantly changing background.
So be warned: you will see “dead people” in the pop culture references, and also see how the Las Vegas Strip, cell phones and recent technologies evolved as they happened. And even the irreverent rascal, Midnight Louie, will become politically correct in one key department.
Previously in Midnight Louie’s
Lives and Times
The Life That Late He Led
Even the darkest day begins with a dawn.
This one starts with me lounging on the second-story patio of my pied-à-terre as the sun rises over Muddy Mountain. Clouds shift against the distant peaks like Sally Rand’s famous ostrich fans teasing the notorious, apparently naked foothills of her form.