New Orleans Confidential [Hardcover]

O'Neil De Noux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Come prowl the lonely, sometimes violent streets of America's most exotic city, the city that care forgot, New Orleans, with a lone-wolf private eye named Lucien Caye. Caye lives and works in the run-down New Orleans French Quarter of the late 1940s. Women float in and out of Caye's life, like the alluring brunette who wants him to bodyguard her while she poses for sexy pictures. Murder is often the name of the game and Caye sometimes leaves town for the gulf coast or the swamps of southern Louisiana in pursuit of the truth, usually aiding a pretty woman in need of help, in more ways than one. Unfortunately, the truth is often ugly, often dangerous and usually resides on the loneliest part of town.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former homicide detective De Noux turns out an engaging, fast-paced collection of stories featuring private eye and womanizer extraordinaire Lucien Caye as he tracks philandering husbands, possible murderers and missing cats. Set predominantly against the rich backdrop of 1940s New Orleans, these stories-abounding with ample bosoms and willing women-are fun, and the author knows his stuff when it comes to the Big Easy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

O’Neil De Noux writes realistic crime fiction featuring the accurate dialogue of the street and strong settings, primarily New Orleans. He also writes scintillating erotica and science fiction adventure stories. His publishing credits include seven novels, six short story collections and over two hundred short stories published in multiple genres. His published novels include GRIM REAPER, THE BIG KISS, BLUE ORLEANS, CRESCENT CITY KILLS, THE BIG SHOW, MAFIA APHRODITE and SLICK TIME. His short story collections include NEW ORLEANS MYSTERIES, HOLLOW POINT/THE MYSTERY OF ROCHELLE MARAIS, NEW ORLEANS NOCTURNAL and LASTANZA: NEW ORLEANS POLICE STORIES, which received an “A” rating from ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY MAGAZINE. De Noux adapted one of the LASTANZA stories “Waiting for Alaina” into a screenplay, which was filmed in New Orleans and broadcast on local TV in 2001. THE BIG KISS was translated into Swedish and published in Sweden in 2006, under the title TVÅ HÅL I HUVDET (TWO HOLES IN THE HEAD). A Lucien Caye story, “The Heart Has Reasons” (which appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine’s September 2006 Issue), won the Private Eye Writers of America’s prestigious 2007 Shamus Award for Best Short Story. The Shamus is given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. In 2009, the Short Mystery Fiction Society awarded the Derringer Award for Best Novelette to another Lucien Caye story, “Too Wise” by O’Neil De Noux (which appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine’s November 2008 Issue). The Derringer Award is given annually to recognize excellence in the mystery short form. In May 2006, NEW ORLEANS IRRESISTIBLE, a collection of erotic detective stories by O’Neil De Noux, was published by EAA Signature Series Books. AMERICAN CASANOVA – The New Adventures of the Legendary Lover, A Collaboration of 15 Writers Directed by Maxim Jakubowski was also published in 2006 (Avalon Publishing, New York). O’Neil De Noux’s short stories have been published in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden and Ukraine. From 1993 to 2005, De Noux taught creative writing and mystery writing at Tulane University, University of New Orleans and Delgado Community College. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, De Noux taught creative writing at McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA. He based his non-fiction ‘how to’ book A SHORT GUIDE TO WRITING AND SELLING FICTION from his lesson plans. He is the founding editor of two fiction magazines, MYSTERY STREET and NEW ORLEANS STORIES. O’Neil De Noux has worked as a homicide detective and organized crime investigator. He has also been a private investigator, U.S. Army combat photographer, criminal intelligence analyst, newspaper writer, magazine editor, computer graphics designer. As a police officer, De Noux received seven commendations for solving difficult murder cases. In 1981, he was named ‘Homicide Detective Of The Year’ for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. In 1989, he was proclaimed an ‘Expert Witness’ on the homicide crime scene in Criminal District Court, New Orleans, LA. Mr. De Noux is a graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, LA, Alabama’s Troy University, and The Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville, KY (Homicide Investigation). After his home was seriously damaged by Hurricane Katrina, O’Neil De Noux re-settled on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain in 2006 and returned to law enforcement. He is currently a Police Investigator with the Southeastern Louisiana University Police Department in Hammond, LA. In 2008, De Noux was awarded the department’s highest decoration, the Chief’s Award of Excellence for outstanding service. In September 2009, O’Neil De Noux received an Artist Services Career Advancement Award for 2009-2010 from the Louisiana Division of the Arts for work on his forthcoming historical novel set during The Battle of New Orleans. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Point Blank (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080955688X
• ISBN-13: 978-0809556885
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,421,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

O'Neil De Noux
brief bio

Born in New Orleans, O'Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories. Although much of De Noux's fiction falls under the mystery genre (character-drive crime fiction primarily), he has published stories in many disciplines including historical fiction, children's fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica.

At the World Mystery Convention in 2007, The Private Eye Writers of America awarded its prestigious Shamus Award for BEST SHORT STORY to "The Heart Has Reasons" by O'Neil De Noux (the cover story of the September 2006 Issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine). The Shamus Award is given annually recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. "The Heart Has Reasons" features De Noux's private eye Lucien Caye. De Noux is also the 2009 Derringer Award winner for BEST NOVELETTE (stories between 8,001 and 17,500 words) for "Too Wise" - another Lucien Caye private eye mystery. The Derringer Awards are given annually by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to recognize excellence in the short mystery fiction form. Another De Noux story, "The Bonnie and Clyde Caper" featuring New Orleans Police Homicide Detective John Raven Beau was runner up in the Derringer Best Long Story category.

In 2009, De Noux tapped his history background to pen a 320,000 word historical epic set during The Battle of New Orleans and received an Artist Services Career Advancement Award for 2009-2010 from the Louisiana Division of the Arts for his work on this upcoming book - BATTLE KISS.

Recognizing the future of publishing, De Noux made a move to eBooks and print-on-demand books in 2010, teaming with other artists in the art co-op Big Kiss Productions. Slick Time, a sexy caper novel, was published by Big Kiss Productions via amazon.com (CreateSpace print-on-demand and KINDLE). New Orleans Nocturnal is a collection of nine crime stories featuring John Raven Beau. Big Kiss Productions released the second edition of New Orleans Confidential, adding the two award-winning private-eye stories, "The Heart Has Reasons" and "Too Wise." Additionally, De Noux began selling previously published and unpublished short stories on Amazon KINDLE directly to the public as eBooks via his web site - http://www.oneildenoux.net

Also in 2010, De Noux's long-awaited erotic-thriller, Mafia Aphrodite, was published by British publisher Xcite Books.

In March 2011, the novel John Raven Beau was published by Big Kiss Productions. A hyper-realistic crime story, John Raven Beau provides an intimate look into the beleaguered NOPD Homicide Division, a story that begins in the French Quarter and ends in a swamp, all within the city limits of America's eternal city, a city that cannot be destroyed - New Orleans. Also in 2011, the short story collection New Orleans Prime Evil (ten historical mysteries) was published.

Bibliography
Novels
* Grim Reaper (Zebra Books, 1988)
* The Big Kiss (Zebra Books, 1990)
* Blue Orleans (Zebra Books, 1991)
* Crescent City Kills (Zebra Books, 1992)
* The Big Show (Pontabla Press, 1998)
* Mafia Aphrodite (Xcite Books, 2010)
* Slick Time (Big Kiss Productions, 2010)
* John Raven Beau (Big Kiss Productions, 2011)
* BATTLE KISS (Big Kiss Productions, 2011)
Short Story Collections
* LaStanza: New Orleans Police Stories (Pontabla Press, 1999)
* Hollow Point & The Mystery of Rochelle Marais (Gryphon Books, 2000)
* New Orleans Irresistible (EAA Signature Series Books, 2006)
* New Orleans Mysteries (Big Kiss Productions, 2009)
* New Orleans Confidential (Big Kiss Productions, 2010)
* New Orleans Nocturnal (Big Kiss Productions, 2010)
* New Orleans Prime Evil (Big Kiss Productions, 2011)
Non-fiction books
* Specific Intent (Pinnacle Books, 1993)
* Building Believable Characters - Contributing Writer (Writer's Digest Books, 1996)
* A Short Guide to Writing and Selling Fiction (Big Kiss Productions, 2010)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Mix of Noir and Heartfelt Stories, May 2, 2006

By 

Tracy H (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Orleans Confidential (Hardcover)

An interesting and outstanding short story collection, NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL is a mix of noir mysteries and heart-wrenching tales with two common threads: First, the stories are set in the late 1940s New Orleans (with realistic descriptions of that exotic city long before the levees broke); Second is the leading character, Private Eye-Lucien Caye, a tough guy with a heart.

Caye, a WWII vet and former NOPD cop, is now a PI, living and working in the shabby lower French Quarter after the war. He is different from the your typical PI. He doesn't smoke, drinks only on occasion, rarely wears a hat because it messes up his hair and will bend (and sometimes break) the law to mete out his own form of justice.

The cases come to him in classic PI fashion - pretty damsels in distress, jealous spouses, dangerous femme fatales with murder and lust in their hearts, sexy women with an eye for good looking men (like Caye) and precarious situations. The cases come with heartfelt appeal - a little girl looking for her lost cat, a boy looking for his runaway father, a letter from a child asking Santa to take him to the angels because his parents haven't enough food and daddy won't eat, giving his food to the boy and his mommie. Lucien Caye attacks these cases with determination. There's even a ghostly trek into the swamps and a love sorceress. He won't give up and you won't put this book down.

While some of the stories are G-rated enough to have been published in airline magazines, some are violent, profane and extremely erotic.

O'Neil De Noux's talent goes beyond the penning of the stories. This reviewer has learned the photo which adorns the cover of the book was taken by De Noux. It is the photo of the building on Barracks Street in New Orleans where Lucien Caye's office and apartment are located, a building thankfully spared by Hurricane Katrina. It's a the corner of Barracks and Dauphine Streets.

Don't miss this exceptional collection.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Woman Pleaser, May 4, 2006

By 

Lydia Xiao (Metairie, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Orleans Confidential (Paperback)

I have to thank a Louisiana State Trooper for alerting me to this book, which has just about everything that'll please a woman reader like me.

If you're in a maternal mood, then private detective Lucien Caye is very good with kids, working cases for them pro-bono. If you're in a frisky mood, then this is definitely your kind of man. Lucien is a turn-on as he helps women with their problems in more ways than one. If you're in the mood for a good detective story, check out "Hard Rain," a genuine murder mystery. If you're in the mood for a little romance, there's "Expect Consequences."

I'm sure men will see Lucien Caye as a man's man, but I really think he's a woman's man. These stories seem to have everything: mystery, intrigue, sex, violence, love, even swamp monsters.

It is a great book about New Orleans.