SMFS Member Publishing News: Smooth: A Private Eye Mystery by O'Neil De Noux

SMFS list member O’Neil De Noux’s latest book, Smooth: A Private Eye Mystery is now out in print and eBook formats. This is the seventh book in the Lucien Caye Private Eye Series that began with New Orleans Rapacious. The read is available at Amazon.

 

Amazon Description:

SMOOTH gives 33 days in the life of New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye and his wife and sometimes partner Alizée in the autumn of 1952. The cases roll in: The repeated burglary of a wine distribution company; A missing person case from New York City; The systematic theft of farms in the semi-rural Florida Parishes across Lake Pontchartrain.

Alizée juggles private eye work with her songwriting career, writing a novel and modeling – she models stockings and underwear in ads for catalogs of top-line department stores. Modeling draws out her lustful, erotic nature, which she uses in her PI work.

Lucien catches the burglar in the first case but the case is not over. Across the lake he tries to build a case against the white collar gangster using his business and a shadowy government administration to misappropriate small farms from struggling farmers using the old tried-and-true crime of loansharking. As Lucien and Alizée close in on the loan shark and the missing person from New York, they are confronted by thugs with baseball bats and a murderer with a stiletto.

Lucien Caye became a private eye in 1947, after his second stint as a New Orleans Police Officer. He returned from WWII with a purple heart medal and silver star medal for gallantry, set up his office at the corner of Barracks and Dauphine Streets in the old French Quarter – office on the first floor with his apartment on the second floor of a two-story blond brick building with a black wrought-iron balcony wrapping around the second floor overlooking Barracks Street with Cabrini Park (neighbors called it Cabrini Playground) across the street.

Lucien built his PI resume catching Public Enemy #1 Lou Jacoby and the elusive marriage swindler, solved intricate cases – the Magnolia Murders, the mystery of the Red Witch, tragic cases like the Gungirl Case, the Peeschwet, the Love Pirate, the tragic Tenderless Night Case, the Erotophobia mystery, a Dreamboat Gambol case, a Kissable Cleavage case and a case known as A Jelly of Intrigue, tracking down killers in a Hard Rain case and covering a Little Iréne Escapade. He caught a killer who was guilty of dust and sin. A lone wolf, Lucien romanced pretty women along the way, some who thought him a Cary Grant lookalike, while others claimed he favored Gregory Peck. A working relationship with NOPD helped Lucien, who in turned assisted his buddy Lieutenant Frenchy Capdeville solve a number of murder cases.

In 1950, Lucien’s life changed when a seven-year-old girl was dropped off at his building with a small suitcase which included her birth certificate in the name of Jeannie Marie Caye. The result of a brief affair before the war, Jeannie was raised by her mother until her mother did not want her anymore and dropped her off to be raised by her father who did not know she existed. One look into the little girl’s eyes and Lucien knew this little girl would be in his heart forever. He would do everything he could for her. He had no idea how he would be able to raise her, but he’d find a way. Gone were the carefree days and torrid bachelor nights. Lucien had a daughter to raise. Not long after, a young woman entered Lucien’s life, a doe-eyed, auburn haired beauty named Alizée and by 1951, Lucien was married with a young daughter.

The cases keep coming as Jeannie’s precocious nature emerges and Alizée initial shyness fades. A songwriter, Alizée’s songs are picked up by top performers – Lena Horne, Fats Domino, Doris Day, Dina Shore, Tony Bennett, Patti Page and Frank Sinatra. She decides to write a novel, becomes a lingerie model and a part time private eye, bringing her sharp mind to the Caye Detective Agency. Alizée’s erotic past and Lucien’s acceptance of her sexy nature spices up Lucien’s life.

Lucien Caye novels NEW ORLEANS RAPACIOUS, ENAMORED, HOLD ME BABE, DAME MONEY, WALKIN' THE BLUES, and THE SPY WHO USED MY LOVE.

SMFS Member Publishing News: New Orleans Hardboiled by O’Neil De Noux

SMFS list member O’Neil De Noux's latest book, New Orleans Hardboiled, is now out in print and eBook formats. This is the seventh book in the Lucien Caye Private Eye Series that began with New Orleans Rapacious. The read that is of twelve short stories is available at Amazon. 

 

Synopsis:

A collection of 12 crime fiction stories featuring New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye.

Come prowl the lonely, sometimes violent streets of America's most exotic city, the city that care forgot with lone wolf private eye Lucien Caye.

Unlike most 1940s PI's, Caye rarely drinks, doesn't smoke or wear a hat (it messes up his hair). He's six feet tall with wavy, dark brown hair, a cleft chin, standard-issue Mediterranean brown eyes, a sly smile and a clever mind that often gets him into trouble. Caye lives and works in the lower-class French Quarter of the late 1940s. He has a weakness for women, children and fellow WWII veterans. He makes a living but sometimes works pro-bono.

Born in New Orleans of French and Spanish descent, Caye attended Holy Cross High School before working as a copy boy and cub reporter for The New Orleans Item. A stint as a crime reporter drew Caye to law enforcement and he joined the New Orleans Police Department in 1939 where he was a patrol officer until December 7, 1941. He joined the U.S. Army and served in North Africa, Sicily and the subsequent Italian Campaign at Anzio and Salerno. At the Battle of Monte Cassino, Caye met and befriended journalist Ernie Pyle during the bitter stalemate. Leading an assault on the infamous monastery, Caye was seriously wounded by a German sniper and sent home with a Purple Heart Medal and Silver Star for bravery.

After the war, he returned to NOPD, working the French Quarter beat until deciding he preferred working along and set up in an apartment building at the corner of Barracks and Dauphine Streets, not far from the fictional residence of Tennessee Williams' Stanley Kowalski. Living upstairs, Caye's office faces Barracks Street and the small Cabrini Park Playground across the narrow street where he usually parks his pre-way 1940 two-door DeSoto coach.

Murder is often the name of the game as Lucien Caye often aids pretty women in need of help, in more ways than one. Unfortunately, the truth is often ugly, often dangerous and usually resides in the lonliest part of town.

The stories in his collection have appeared in top mystery magazines like Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and The Strand Mystery Magazine, as well as a number of mystery anthologies.

"Sac-a-Lait Man" was awarded the 2020 Private Eye Writers of America's prestigious SHAMUS AWARD for BEST PRIVATE EYE SHORT STORY. The SHAMUS is given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction.

"A Dreamboat Gambol" was a finalist for the 2021 SHAMUS AWARD for BEST PRIVATE EYE SHORT STORY.

"Effect on Men" was a finalist for the DERRINGER AWARD for BEST LONG STORY. The DERRINGER awards are given annually by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to recognize excellence in short mystery fiction.

Set between 1947 and 1950, these stories sometimes reflect the political incorrectness of that era. African-Americans were referred to as Colored or Negroes (and worse) and women were often seen as dames and broads. Some of the stories are properly hardboiled while others are gentle enough for magazines.

Hope you enjoy this stroll along the wild side of New Orleans.

For additional O'Neil De Noux material, go to: www.oneildenoux.com

SMFS Member Publishing News: O'Neil De Noux

SMFS list member O’Neil De Noux latest book, The Spy Who Used My Love: A Private Eye Mystery is now out in print and eBook formats. This is the sixth book in the Lucien Caye Private Eye Series that began with New Orleans Rapacious. The read is available at Amazon.

 

Synopsis:

The wife of an old army buddy hires New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye. She knows her husband has the occasional girlfriend, but he might be doing something dangerous at work, something that might land him in jail or worse. Lucien confirms there’s a girlfriend involved but the case rapidly whirls out of control with lies, deceptions, espionage, a murder, a suicide, a Soviet spy and a mystifying femme fatale. The confusing case draws in the FBI and CIA as Lucien is interrupted by another friend who found $20,000 hidden in a window seat of his apartment and a strange man who hires Lucien to investigate the growing Beat Generation in New Orleans as well as a nudist colony across Lake Pontchartrain. Lucien and his alluring wife, the exquisite Alizée – now a PI – need all their moxie to sift through these cases before someone else dies.

About Lucien Caye: Lucien Caye works in the run-down New Orleans French Quarter of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Unlike most P.I.s, Caye rarely drinks, doesn’t smoke and only wears a hat only when necessary (it messes up his hair). He’s six feet tall with wavy, dark brown hair and standard-issue Mediterranean-brown eyes, a sly smile and a clever mind that often gets him into trouble.He has a weakness for women, children and fellow World War II veterans, down on their luck. He knows how to make a decent living but often finds himself working pro-bono – in one case working to find a little girl’s missing cat, in another searching for a boy’s runaway father and in yet another, canvassing the Quarter for the child who wrote a note to Santa Claus, asking Santa to take him to live with the angels so his mother and father didn’t have to buy food for him anymore. They don’t have much money.Born in New Orleans of French and Spanish descent, Caye attended Holy Cross High School before working as a copy boy, then cub reporter for The New Orleans Item. A stint as a crime reporter drew Caye to law enforcement and he joined the New Orleans Police Department in 1939 where he was a patrol officer working uptown until December 7, 1941.Caye joined the U.S. Army serving in North Africa, Sicily and the subsequent Italian campaign at Anzio and Salerno. At the Battle of Monte Cassino, Caye met and befriended journalist Ernie Pyle during the bitter stalemate. Leading an assault on the infamous monastery, Caye was seriously wounded by a German sniper and sent home with a Purple Heart medal and a Silver Star for bravery.After the war, he returned to the police department, working the French Quarter beat until deciding he preferred working alone and set up shop in 1947 in an apartment building at the corner of Barracks and Dauphine Streets, not far from the fictional residence of Tennessee Williams’s Stanley Kowalski. Living upstairs, Caye’s office faces Barracks Street and the small Cabrini Playground Park across the narrow street.In 1950, Lucien falls in love three times (see novel ENAMORED) as a seven year old girl changes his life. In 1951, an alluring, auburn-haired, doe-eyed beauty named Alizée enters Lucien’s life and things change again for this hardboiled private eye (see novel HOLD ME, BABE). ENAMORED and HOLD ME, BABE were finalists for the Private Eye Writers of America SHAMUS AWARD – awarded annually by the Private Eye Writers of America to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. Other Caye books include the collection NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL and novels NEW ORLEANS RAPACIOUS, DAME MONEY and WALKIN’ THE BLUES.

SleuthSayers Blog: A little about Private Eyes by O'Neil De Noux

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SMFS Member Publication News: O'Neil De Noux

SMFS Member O'Neil De Noux latest novel featuring New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye is DAME MONEY. 

From the author:

Lucien Caye stories have won the Short Mystery Fiction Society DERRINGER AWARD and the Private Eye Writers of America SHAMUS AWARD. Two Caye novels were also finalists for a SHAMUS in 2016 and 2017. 

The cases come quickly this time around – 
1. Catch a cat burglar too slick for the police to catch. 
2. Look into the case of a dipso business man accused of murder. 
3. Help a teary-eyed woman solve the murder of her uncle. 
4. Take a pro-bono case of vandals terrorizing a nearby neighborhood. 

All this while juggling a home life that includes raising an 8-year old daughter on his own and romancing an alluring, auburn-haired, doe-eyed beauty, with frequent interruptions from a rambunctious kitten. 

“You brought a date?” the police lieutenant asks as Lucien is joined by his new operative, the same alluring beauty named Alizée – who uses her sharp mind to get the facts and wears a sexy sarong to get closed-mouth men to talk. 

It’s not easy being Lucien Caye. Yet, if anyone can solve these mysteries, he’s the man. Threats, gunplay, police corruption, sex and violence – New Orleans style – inexorably draws Lucien to the chilling secret of Dame Money. 

DAME MONEY is available as a trade paperback and eBook at Amazon.

SMFS Member Publication News: O'Neil De Noux

SMFS Member O'Neil De Noux has a historical mystery short story in the new issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue 2. “The Gorilla Murders” was first published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: July/August 2004 (Volume 49, Nos. 7 and 8) and is set in 1889 New Orleans. Detective Jacques Dugas (also seen in The French Detective published in 2014 by Big Kiss Productions) investigates a series of murders in the French Quarter where witnesses describe a gorilla as the killer.

SleuthSayers: Just the instrument

SleuthSayers: Just the instrument: by O'Neil De Noux 2:46 a.m., and I lift my fingers from the keyboard and look at what I've just written on the screen in front o...