Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives [Hardcover]

Carole Nelson Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

Midnight Louie is the savvy black tomcat who stars in his very own series by Carole Nelson Douglas. One tough hombre, he knows the score and always gets his man or rat. Louie's hot on a new case, a whole bunch in fact, in Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives. He's pulled together stories of mystery, murder, and mayhem to bring us some of the wildest; and furriest; cases around, written by today's most prominent authors. With an introduction from Lawrence Block and all-new stories from such masters of the mystery as Dorothy Cannell, J.A. Jance, Nancy Pickard, and Ann Perry, as well as a reprint from Lilian Jackson Braun, Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives is a treat for mystery readers and animal lovers of all flavors.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This robust collection of animal-related mysteries, supposedly chosen by the feline star of Carole Nelson Douglas's popular series, should appeal to mystery fans and animal lovers alike. Authors include Anne Perry, Carolyn Wheat, Jean Hager, and Douglas herself.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Purportedly chosen by Las Vegas PI Midnight Louie, himself the feline protagonist of nine mystery novels, these 17 stories--with the exception of a 1966 reprint by Lilian Jackson Braun--all boast a 1998 copyright date. In addition to the usual cats and dogs, furred and feathered creatures featured here run the gamut from lovebird to screech owl and from hamster to elephant, with a Tasmanian devil thrown in. Human characters include not only a common wife abuser and perhaps not-so-common cat-loving cop but also Oscar Wilde and Sherlock Holmes (the latter with Sara Bernhardt as client!). Brief introductions to the selections and succinct bibliographic notes on contributors, mostly veterans such as Bill Crider, Ed Gorman, Nancy Pickard, and Barbara Paul, among others, add fun and interest--and editor Douglas' afterword offers some serious thoughts on human cruelty to animals. An unabashedly anthropomorphic, wonderfully diverse assortment for animal/mystery lovers. Barbara Duree

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312864353
• ISBN-13: 978-0312864354
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,878,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this one to your own pet detective . . ., November 22, 2000

By 

kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives (Hardcover)

Anthologies are very popular these days, providing delightly appetizers that amuse and enlighten and tease while introducing readers to new and wonderful authors. An anthology may be considered successful if there are just one or even two terrific stories contained in its pages. This particular one succeeds admirably, as nearly all seventeen of them are wonderful. Two in particular stand out, however. Suppose you were asked who, of all the currently published mystery writers with whom you might be familiar, would be best suited to write a short mystery in the voice of a Tazmanian Devil? If you said Barbara Paul, you'd be absolutely correct. GO TO THE DEVIL is truly hilarious, and well worth the cost of the entire book, even if you didn't read any of the others.

But if you did that, you'd miss out on FINAL VOWS by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, in which more cats than not do have nine lives, and even if you don't particularly like cats, you'll still enjoy this whimsical bit of fantasy, in which all the neighborhood's cats (living and otherwise) catch the culprit.

Other stories (by such mystery luminaries as Anne Perry, Dorothy Cannell, and Nancy Pickard) feature other cats or kittens, a couple of dogs, a hamster, and an owl. It's a very pleasant and enjoyable read, not least of which are the terse introductory comments from the title character himself--Midnight Louie!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Louie hosts different animal-sleuths in this A-one anthology, September 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives (Hardcover)

Who in the world can be more deserving to edit an animal mystery anthology than Mr. Midnight Louie's alter-ego, Carole Nelson Douglas. Although Ms. Douglas credits Lillian Jackson Brown as the first lady of feline felony fiction, many a reader will beg to disagree because Louie is the Sherlock Holmes of the animal sleuthing universe.

The detectives, suspects, and villains of these short stories are not limited to canines and felines. An elephant, an owl, and even the Tasmanian devil, etc. star in this collection. The contributors include such luminaries like Dorothy Cannell, Ed Gorman, Nancy Picard, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Toni Kelner, Jean Hager, Carole Nelson Douglas, and Midnight Louie, etc. provide wonderful tales that will thrill fans of the sub-genre with its diversity, intelligence, and superb short stories. One last comment is that readers will hopefully heed the closing message of Ms. Douglas that humans must stop animal abuse.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Meows Have It, September 13, 2000

By 

Cynthia Mathieu (Ventura, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives (Mass Market Paperback)

Midnight Louie has done it again! Not only is he a sleuth extraordinaire but now an editor and reviewer of short stories with animals (not only cats) as the featured heros. If you love the Midnight Louie series here is a way to get to know him better and enjoy new stories by excellent authors!