Midnight Louis and Carole Nelson Douglas

I have been reading a mystery series over the past 4 months. I am now finishing the 23rd book in the series and am eagerly waiting for the 24th one to be published in September. Midnight Louis is a black cat living in Las Vegas who becomes the pseudo-narrator of the series. He has moved from being the "house P.I." at the Crystal Phoenix Hotel and Casino after the first 4 books to living at with Temple Barr, a free-lance public relations person at the Circle Ritz. Over the 23 books, Louis and Temple have met a variety of characters: Matt, an ex-Catholic priest, C. R. Molina, the female head of Homicide for the Las Vegas Police Department, Electra Lark, the flamboyant owner of the Circle Ritz, Midnight Louise, Louis' presumed daughter and new house P.I. at the Crystal Phoenix, and Max, Temple's former live-in love. And last but not least, an assortment of crimes and murders.

What I have loved most about these books is that each book does not answer all of the questions asked during the story but continues to the next one as if no time has lapsed. Murders that occurred several books ago may get solved and people met show up much later in a totally different book. There is also a level of humor that allows the reader to continue to journey and there is a level of romance that drives the story. I should mention that this series did start as a 4-book series for Harlequin Romances as one of the first in the romantic suspense genre. Douglas has taken this clever cat and made him a hero. Check out some of Midnight Louis's escapades:

Cat in a Midnight Choir By Douglas, Carole Nelson 2002/05 - Forge 9780312857974 In this 14th Midnight Louie mystery, the black cat detective is hunting a mysterious and possibly murderous organization of renegade magicians called the Synth, which has been making Las Vegas too hot for some of Louie's human friends. ...More

Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit By Douglas, Carole Nelson 2006/05 - Forge 9780765352682 As a favor to homicide lieutenant Carmen Molina, amateur detective Temple Barr agrees to go undercover as a contestant in a TV reality show. The lieutenant is worried because someone is threatening the contestants--including her own 13-year-old daughter. ...More

Cat in an Orange Twist By Douglas, Carole Nelson 2005/05 - Forge 9780765345936 Starting a new story arc, this latest mystery is ideal for new readers to begin the Midnight Louie series, as it focuses on private investigator Temple Barr and the love triangle between her, her magician boyfriend, and her neighbor, a former priest. ...More