Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit: A Midnight Louie Mystery (Midnight Louie Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Carole Nelson Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Midnight Louie Mysteries | Publication Date: November 8, 1999

Midnight Louie, returns for an eleventh outing in Carole Nelson Douglass acclaimed cozy-noir series. This time his human partner, Temple Barr, learns that the remodeling of the Crystal Phoenix Hotel is being held up by a ghost: the workmen swear its Elvis. The opening of Las Vegass first Elvis, themed attraction might explain this unscheduled appearance. But what of the death threats against the Priscilla Presley-esque daughter of Crawford Buchanan, Temples professional enemy?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Douglas aims at two subcultures in addition to her usual target of cat lovers in her latest Midnight Louie caper (after Cat in an Indigo Mood, Forecasts, Mar. 15). This time, Temple Bar's all-black, crime-solving tomcat finds his whiskers twitching in Las Vegas, where the Kingdome, an Elvis-inspired mega-shrine, is opening. As Louie pads knowingly through all the gaudy paraphernalia and Elvis look-alikes, construction at a nearby hotel is halted as the crew claim sightings of the King. Public relations expert Temple must investigate the bejeweled and becaped phenomenon. Everybody gets shaken and rattled (and some get rolled) as Elvis sightings abound. Temple's close friend, radio shrink Matt Devine, receives a call one night from the man from Tupelo, and the daughter of Temple's nemesis, Crawford Buchanan, is dressed like Priscilla and getting death threats. Douglas regularly slips between narrative voices: a possibly real Elvis talks some, as does Midnight Louie. Most of the Elvis lore is common knowledge and bloats the tale. The plot progression is staggered even if the accompanying banter is often cute. Cat-crazy readers with a thing for both Elvis and Vegas will enjoy Douglas's blend of goofball coziness and Midnight Louie's mock noir slinkings and sleuthings.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The opening of an Elvis-based attraction in Las Vegas apparently gives rise to the sighting of his ghost. Cat-sleuth Midnight Louie and partner Temple Barr become involved when someone kills a real-life Elvis. Purchase for series fans.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (November 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312868170
• ISBN-13: 978-0312868178
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With her home office a Twilight Zone landscape of mannequins in vintage dress, no wonder award-winning ex-journalist and novelist Carole Nelson Douglas's 55 novels range from historical and contemporary mystery and romance to science fiction thrillers to high and urban fantasy. They include two Las Vegas-set series: the Midnight Louie, feline PI, mysteries partially narrated by a "Sam Spade with hairballs" and the Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator, noir urban fantasies of werewolf mobsters and Silver Screen zombies in a paranormal Vegas.

Douglas was the first author of a Sherlockian series with a female protagonist, diva-detective Irene Alder, the only woman to outwit Holmes, debuting with the New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Good Night, Mr. Holmes. Rachel McAdams plays Irene in the Dec. 25 film with Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock. Douglas says if she has a literary muse, it's definitely feline: mysterious, wise, playful, and packing sharp shivs in velvet gloves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Louie, Temple and Carole Forever!, April 8, 2000

By 

kay m. Roam (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit: A Midnight Louie Mystery (Midnight Louie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I returned home from a recent trip to Memphis, where we toured Graceland, to find "Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit" in the mail awaiting my arrival. The coincidence was amazing. Finished reading it last night and think it is one of the best books I have ever read. The author's thought process gets deeper with each book and her exploration of the never-ending Elvis mystique casts an accurate eye on the sociology of the 50's and 60's and the perception of those times having been so innocent. Having been a teenager in the 1950's, I could also totally relate to the Electra character. The author's use of words gets cleverer and funnier with each book. As with any "whodunit," you have to keep reading to find out who was the perp, but you finish the book with sadness because there will be no more show-stoppers on each page. Thank you, Carole, so much for Temple and Louie and Chatter and all the rest of them!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat They Call the King and the King of the Cats Rock!, November 12, 1999

By 

E. A. Scarborough "eas" (Western Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit: A Midnight Louie Mystery (Midnight Louie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Carole Nelson Douglas' Temple Barr and Midnight Louie investigate the ups and downs of glamor and glitz when they meet Elvis?, Elvis's ghost? and a company of Elvis impersonators. I think my favorite parts were those that involved Matt and his enigmatic guest on his new call-in radio show. I found the conclusion to this particular subplot satisfying enough to put a Cheshire Cat smile on my face. Louie's snake charming techniques for interviewing anacondas worked like a--er--charm--for me. Eschewing her usual series characters' entanglements and troubles, Douglas focuses in this book on having her protagonists and even one of the antagonists pull together to solve a mystery with their usual panache, and more importantly to seek resolution for the troubled soul of the charismatic entertainer. I never liked Elvis in his heyday but I must say, after reading this book, I feel much more kindly toward him now. I also LOVED the Fontana Bros. as Full Spectrum Elvis impersonators. The only problem with this book for me is that it seems to have been too short because I keep wanting to read some more and wondering what the people are doing NOW. I'd love it if Elvis's ghost turned up now and again in later books, just to give the little lady (Carmen Molina) a hand now and then.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gold Star Review for Jeweled Jumpsuit, October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit: A Midnight Louie Mystery (Midnight Louie Mysteries) (Hardcover)

It was inevitable. Who better than one legend to delve into the mystery of another legend?

Thus, it is only fiting when the ghost of Elvis is spotted lurking about the Crystal Phoenix construction site that Midnight Louie himself take up the case of the mysterious apparition.

It is surely no coincidence that a super new casino dedicated to the King is celebrating its opening with an Elvis impersonator contest. As a wild assortment of Elvi congregate in rehearsal, it becomes clear that someone is out to rig the competition with malice aforethought, including murder.

Miss Temple Barr, pet human of Midnight Louie, is no slouch in the sleuth department either. Determined to protect the daughter of a friend participating in the pageant, she brings in the big guns -- nine Fontana brothers all dressed as the King! Meanwhile, her friend Matt, a former priest turned radio talk show host, is fielding calls purportedly from Elvis himself, sparking a bevy of newspaper headlines and much heated debate.

Just what is going on? Only the anaconda knows who... And only Midnight Louie can find out why!

Integrating the extraordinary power of the Elvis phenomenon into a cleverly conceived mystery, Ms. Douglas takes her artistry to a higher level as she views past and present through this uniquely American prism. The end result is as haunting in its intensity as the legend himself.

Romantic Times, 4 1/2-star Gold

M. Helfer