MIDNIGHT LOUIE

Cat on a Hyacinth Hunt

Temple gets accosted by Effinger and leaves a warning with her for Matt.  Temple gets contact lenses. Kitty O'Connor becomes Kitty the Cutter.  Midnight Louie and Louise uncover a mummy-wrapped body on the prow of an Egyptian barge and it turns out to be Effinger.  Temple (and Midnight Louie) gets kidnapped and her opal ring is stolen. 

Panama Purple and Hyacinth   

I checked several drug lists and did not come up with a hit on these names.  Perhaps it's a local name, or perhaps CND just made them up.  There is a Panama Red and a Panama Gold, also known as marijuana.  Perhaps Panama Purple is a cat's version of marijuana.  Perhaps Hyacinth (hyasinth) is marijuana mixed with digitalis from the hyacinth plant.

Handles in Chapter 26

Flack=Temple, Hattrick=Max, Roadkill=Effinger, Lady Copperhead=Molina, Poor Relative-Matt

Victim:

Cliff Effinger, Matt's step father.  Two men arrested for drug running and suspicion of Effinger's murder, who are also identified by Temple as the two men who beat her in the parking ramp six months previous (in Pussyfoot).  Later we find out there's not enough evidence to hold them for murder.  So who is the man who fell out of the ceiling earlier with Effinger's ID?

Cat in an Indigo Mood

    See this book reviewed by Crescent Blues:

   This is the book that started it all for me, the first one I read by CND.  And now I've read it thrice.  There are three murders in this book, only one of them solved.  Midnight Louie does a lot of cat-tecting in this one and ultimately causes the culprit to be pawed, er clawed.  I think the other two murders will be solved in future books.

   Matt gets a job a WCOO radio, and saves a young woman giving birth and her baby on his very first night as a radio counselor as Mr. Midnight in The Midnight Hour.  Molina asks Max to find out about Rafi Nadir.  Max get grazed in the back of his head by a bullet.  Matt goes to an ex-priest's support group.  Midnight Louie does all the organizing to provide clues to solve one of the murders.  Temple and Matt and Max start sharing information, even as Molina starts using them for her own purposes.

Victims:

1. Monica Orth, former Nun, found strangled and stabbed by Molina's car, the strawberry lady, and her Cat, Wilfrid.  Solved

2. Gloria Fuentes, former magicians assistant of Gary Randolph (Gandolph), the Leopard Lady, found in a church parking lot, with Temple's stolen ring nearby.  Unsolved

3. Cher Smith aka Mandy, Max rescues from Secrets, a stripper joint, in hopes of getting info on Rafi Nadir, only to be nurdered the next night at Baby Doll's.  Unsolved. (Solved in Midnight Choir)

Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit

Elvis is the Cat in the jumpsuit, and there are a hundred imitators of him, including the Fontana brothers, and possibly the King himself in this great story.  Beginning with an Elvis sighting at the Crystal Phoenix, Temple visits the Kingdome, to check out the Elvis competition and to look after Qunicey, who is imitating Priscilla. Two of the Elvi become victims.  The best imitator disappears and someone else gets the award.  Someone like Elvis calls in the Matt's new radio talk show, The Midnight Hour, Matt gets his first car, and a ticket to ride.  As usual, Midnight Louie does a lot of cat-ecting that is pivotal to solving the case.

Victims:

Clint Westwood, small time crook, solved

Lyle Pervisse, aka KOK (King of Kings), (his name is an anagram for Elvis Presley) strangled with a scarf. solved

Cat in a Kiwi Con

The New Millenium Hotel and Casino opens in Las Vegas with a sci-fi and fantasy convention, Titanicon. Midnight Louie sees that the cat Hyacinth is going to be there, so he breaks in and discovers a body on a catwalk. Matt goes on a date with Janice Flanders and visits the Las Vegas Hilton and the Star Trek: the Experience.  Molina asks Matt to take Mariah to the convention, which he does, and runs into Temple and Shirley from his old job at Contac.  Rafi Nadir is also working there as security.  Midnight Louie provides the impetus to solve the killing of the Khatlord.  Kitty the Cutter shows up and threatens Max.  She wants his soul.

   Midnight Louie claims to be a Scorpio, born Oct 31. 

   In addition to the many references to existing sci-fi/fantasy realms, CND also makes up new ones, namely the Kohl Kompendium, Space Trooper Bazaar, Khatlord Suzerain, and Uthrellian Lionx.

Victims:

Robbie Weisel, found in the catwalk by ML, worked for the cloaked conjurer, called Barry in this book.  We find out his real name in Midnight Choir.  Unsolved

Jefferson Mangel, professor at UNLV.  Unsolved

John Gersohn, imitator of the Khatlord.  Solved