Cat in a Crimson Haze

Carole Nelson Douglas

Temple Barr, Midnight Louie and Matt Devine are dealing with new issues. Temple has been offered a potential public relations job in remaking the look at the Crystal Phoenix Hotel. She is also dealing with her relationship with Matt. Matt is following up on an accusation made against the priest at the local parish and is reconciling his ex-priesthood and relationship with Temple. Midnight Louie is trying to figure how to deal with the new cat in the apartment building, his daughter Caviar.

Temple gets involved with the Fontanas at the Crystal Phoenix. While touring the casino, a body falls out of the ceiling onto a craps table. Once again Detective C.R. Molina is wondering what involvement Temple has with the murder. It was similar to one that had happened a few months earlier. C.R. thinks Temple may have had ties to the prior murder. This time the deceased person may have ties to Matt instead.

That body does not have anything to do with the mystery that Temple ends up following in this story. It is part of the overlying story that is continuing from novel to novel of this series. The mystery in this one is so so. It is really the backdrop of what is going on with Temple, Matt, C.R., Louie, and Caviar. I am very pleased with how Douglas is dealing with Matt's issues of being an ex-priest and how to blend in with the normal world again. I feel she is handling this sensitive issue quite well and believably. This novel is more for the characters than the mystery.

Oh, it's also to showcase the Gridiron, an annual satiric show for newspeople. Temple is helping with the annual Gridiron in Las Vegas which is being held in the Crystal Phoenix this year. This is a tradition I knew nothing about before reading this novel but found interesting.

While it could stand alone, I find this novel to be a bridge in the series. It's light, average reading, best read if you've already met the characters in the earlier novels, starting with Catnap.

Midnight Louie Series:

Catnap
Pussyfoot
Cat on a Blue Monday
Cat in a Crimson Haze
Cat in a Diamond Dazzle
Cat with an Emerald Eye
Cat in a Flamingo Fedora
Cat in a Golden Garland
Cat on a Hyacinth Hunt
Cat in an Indigo Mood
Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit
Cat in a Kiwi Con
Cat in a Leopard Spot
Cat in a Midnight Choir
Cat in a Neon Nightmare
Cat in an Orange Twist
Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit
Cat in a Quicksilver Caper
Cat in a Red Hot Rage
Cat in a Sapphire Slipper
Cat in a Topaz Tango
Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme
Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta
Cat in a White Tie and Tails