Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing outing for Midnight Louie
Review: Although the premise is fascinating - is Elvis alive and appearing at a competion for Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas? I found the execution of this installment somewhat dull. This was due mainly to the absence of the usual supporting cast for most of the book. Where is Temple's nemisis - Molina? And half the fun (Okay, more than half) of these books comes from the ongoing romantic triangle between Temple, Max and Matt. This has been diminished in recent installments by having Temple return to her former flame, the Mysterious Max, but it was totally absent from this book. Max is missing in action for most of the story and Matt is around only to serve as a call-in radio sounding board for the possibly living King of Rock and Roll. I also was disappointed that this installment did nothing to explore the growing relationship between Matt and Carmen Molina. Even Midnight Louise, Louie's daughter and favorite sparring partner, is suprisingly absent for most of the novel. Interesting in parts, but not the best effort in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cat They Call the King and the King of the Cats Rock!
Review: Carole Nelson Douglas' Temple Barr and Midnight Louie investigate the ups and downs of glamor and glitz when they meet Elvis?, Elvis's ghost? and a company of Elvis impersonators. I think my favorite parts were those that involved Matt and his enigmatic guest on his new call-in radio show. I found the conclusion to this particular subplot satisfying enough to put a Cheshire Cat smile on my face. Louie's snake charming techniques for interviewing anacondas worked like a--er--charm--for me. Eschewing her usual series characters' entanglements and troubles, Douglas focuses in this book on having her protagonists and even one of the antagonists pull together to solve a mystery with their usual panache, and more importantly to seek resolution for the troubled soul of the charismatic entertainer. I never liked Elvis in his heyday but I must say, after reading this book, I feel much more kindly toward him now. I also LOVED the Fontana Bros. as Full Spectrum Elvis impersonators. The only problem with this book for me is that it seems to have been too short because I keep wanting to read some more and wondering what the people are doing NOW. I'd love it if Elvis's ghost turned up now and again in later books, just to give the little lady (Carmen Molina) a hand now and then.
Rating:
Summary: The Cat They Call the King and the King of the Cats Rock!
Review: Carole Nelson Douglas' Temple Barr and Midnight Louie investigate the ups and downs of glamor and glitz when they meet Elvis?, Elvis's ghost? and a company of Elvis impersonators. I think my favorite parts were those that involved Matt and his enigmatic guest on his new call-in radio show. I found the conclusion to this particular subplot satisfying enough to put a Cheshire Cat smile on my face. Louie's snake charming techniques for interviewing anacondas worked like a--er--charm--for me. Eschewing her usual series characters' entanglements and troubles, Douglas focuses in this book on having her protagonists and even one of the antagonists pull together to solve a mystery with their usual panache, and more importantly to seek resolution for the troubled soul of the charismatic entertainer. I never liked Elvis in his heyday but I must say, after reading this book, I feel much more kindly toward him now. I also LOVED the Fontana Bros. as Full Spectrum Elvis impersonators. The only problem with this book for me is that it seems to have been too short because I keep wanting to read some more and wondering what the people are doing NOW. I'd love it if Elvis's ghost turned up now and again in later books, just to give the little lady (Carmen Molina) a hand now and then.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story- too much trivia
Review: enjoyed the book, but it was so wordy and loaded with trivia that I found myself skimming and skipping a lot just to get to the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Good story- too much trivia
Review: enjoyed the book, but it was so wordy and loaded with trivia that I found myself skimming and skipping a lot just to get to the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit
Review: Great book for Louie lovers & Elvis fans. And for those who aren't Elvis fans or too young, there's something to be learned. Another fun adventure for Louie, Temple & you.
Rating: 
Summary: Least favorite in the series
Review: I have read all the books in the Midnite Louie series, and this one was definitely my least favorite. Maybe because I was never an Elvis fan, but I just didn't find all the Elvis trivia and impersonator stuff interesting. Like several other readers, finishing the book was a chore, not really a pleasure like usual. I hope the next book gets back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Least favorite in the series
Review: I have read all the books in the Midnite Louie series, and this one was definitely my least favorite. Maybe because I was never an Elvis fan, but I just didn't find all the Elvis trivia and impersonator stuff interesting. Like several other readers, finishing the book was a chore, not really a pleasure like usual. I hope the next book gets back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Louie, Temple and Carole Forever!
Review: I returned home from a recent trip to Memphis, where we toured Graceland, to find "Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit" in the mail awaiting my arrival. The coincidence was amazing. Finished reading it last night and think it is one of the best books I have ever read. The author's thought process gets deeper with each book and her exploration of the never-ending Elvis mystique casts an accurate eye on the sociology of the 50's and 60's and the perception of those times having been so innocent. Having been a teenager in the 1950's, I could also totally relate to the Electra character. The author's use of words gets cleverer and funnier with each book. As with any "whodunit," you have to keep reading to find out who was the perp, but you finish the book with sadness because there will be no more show-stoppers on each page. Thank you, Carole, so much for Temple and Louie and Chatter and all the rest of them!
Rating:
Summary: Weakest entry in the series
Review: I've read all the Louie mysteries up through this one (awaiting my copy of "Kiwi Con") and this one was, as another reader said, much more of a chore to finish than the others.IMO, all the Elvis trivia and the sheer amount of time spent on the Elvis con/competition/hotel opening was filler for what was a thin plot to begin with. I normally enjoy spending a few hours with Temple, Louie, Matt, et al, but this time there was none of the internal dialogue or the conversations that really make each of these people "spark". Temple seemed to be there just to help move point A to point B or ask the pertinent question that would let the Elvis information pour forth. Matt was much too one note; his sole purpose seemed to be to show up, wonder about being a local media star for a few moments and then disappear again. It was like reading a book where all the main characters were reduced to cameo appearances by an unwieldy, boring plot that forced its way to center stage like a 300 pound diva. One of the things I've really enjoyed about the series is the way Douglas lets us into Matt's, Temple's and C.R. Molina's minds. It makes them much more well-rounded as characters and I feel I "know" them. This book was incredibly short on that aspect as compared to the other novels in the series. I'm also very tired of Max/Matt/Temple triangle. I suppose the main reason is I don't care for the Mundane Max very much. I find him more a convenient plot point than anything else. Need something that might be a little extralegal? Max shows up! Need to remind everyone there's a romantic triangle? Max pops up out of nowhere! *yawn* I find him to be the weakest character in the series because I have very little to base him on in my mind. I don't know whether it's Douglas' intention to make him appear mysterious or what, but one or two glimpses into what Max is thinking other than "Kinsella thought that he had the upper hand" type stuff or appearing to be jealous when Temple seems to have Matt foremost on the mind would go a long way towards filling him out as a character and making him seem more like a real person than simply someone invented for those times when you need someone with extralegal access to the info needed to move the plot along. The background she gives him doesn't ring very true to me for several reasons too long to go into here. I will say that it just ended up feeling like another smokescreen. I generally end up skimming the Max chapters for the necessary info and then jumping back into the story. All in all, I enjoy the Louie series immensely. They may not be entirely logical at times or gritty and real, but they're (for the most part) well-written, fun, full of people with very individual voices (including Louie), and I think Douglas has done a fantastic job with the character of Matt and showing what it might be like for someone to try and become part of a world that he never really knew. But after such great previous novels, I found "Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit" to be below the standard of the other Louie books.
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