Lucien Caye Private Eye Books
Rapacious defined – aggressively greedy, ravenous, plundering, taking by force, subsisting on live prey. New Orleans, 1947 It starts as a wandering daughter case when a sexy widow hires New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye to find her twenty-two year old daughter. The date is April 10, 1947, and Helen Croix walks into Caye’s office with a picture of her missing daughter, a note her daughter left saying she plans to kill a man and then herself, along with a list of fifty-six names of her daughter’s lovers. Helen and Lucien go through the list, eliminating names. The hours after that are spent on the over-sized sofa in his office as they give in to their mutual lust. After, Helen warns Lucien about her daughter, knowing he’ll be tempted when he finds the alluring, strawberry-blond, temptress. Madelyn Croix will most likely seduce him. Helen describes her daughter as rapacious. Lucien has to look up the word to discover it means avaricious, greedy, ravenous – subsisting on live prey. On the list of names, Lucien comes across a love-sick lawyer, a photographer specializing in nude pictures of women, a suspicious psychiatrist, a jealous husband. Included in the story is the worst private eye in New Orleans, a mischievous black kitten and a bevy of pretty women more than willing to bed Lucien. Shortly after the love-sick lawyer is murdered, Madelyn Croix comes to Lucien one night with that curvaceous body and Prussian-blue eyes that blinks ever so slowly, precisely, like a falcon and he realizes – rapacious, like a raptor, a bird of prey. Madelyn hires Lucien to protect her. Someone is trying to kill her. This first novel in the Lucien Caye Series precedes ENAMORED (2012), which was nominated for the SHAMUS AWARD by the Private Eye Writers of America for BEST INDIE PRIVATE EYE NOVEL. The collection of Lucien Caye short stories, NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL (2010), features eleven stories, including two award-winning stories: “Too Wise” – awarded The Short Mystery Fiction Society’s DERRINGER AWARD for BEST NOVELETTE and “The Heart Has Reasons” – awarded The Private Eye Writers of America’s SHAMUS AWARD for Best Short Story. A third novel in the series will be out soon.
Enamored A New Orleans Crime Novel She crossed Canal Street from the neutral ground, walked right past me and I watched her come and go, both views unforgettable. I’m not kidding. A woman can do that on occasion, sear an indelible image in a man’s mind. She was the woman in gray. That’s how I thought of her the following days as she popped in and out of my mind, tapping me on the shoulder over coffee, whispering in my ear, “I was real.” I didn’t obsess over her image. It just came and went, more like a photograph than a motion picture, although she had moved quite nicely. She remained a snapshot, the woman in gray, until a week later when she stepped from the darkness beneath the balcony of my building shortly after midnight, on a sultry Thursday night – Thus begins the most elusive case in New Orleans private eye Lucien Caye’s career, a case of lust and murder, a case that will baffle him, intrigue him, make him fall in love – three times. The case of a desirable woman enamored of a undesirable man defies understanding, yet the human heart rarely listens to the human brain. A smart guy like Lucien should know better, but his mind has trouble controlling his libido, much less his heart.
Two women calling themselves ‘wives-in-law’ hire Private Eye Lucien Caye to find their missing husband. They unknowingly married the same man and want him found. It doesn’t take long for Lucien to discover this marriage swindler married seven women in New Orleans and is about to marry number eight. When you mix seven jilted wives with a lothario – you have a recipe for murder with Lucien Caye in the middle of it. The exploits of New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye can be found in the short story collection NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL and novels NEW ORLEANS RAPACIOUS, ENAMORED and the forthcoming HOLD ME, BABE. Lucien Caye stories have been awarded The Private Eye Writers of America’s prestigious SHAMUS AWARD and the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s DERRINGER AWARD. Born in New Orleans, O’Neil De Noux writes character-driven crime fiction, although he has been published in many disciplines including historical fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, children’s fiction, young adult, religious, romance, humor and erotica. His fiction has garnered several awards: the SHAMUS AWARD for Best Short Story, the DERRINGER AWARD for Best Novelette and the 2011 POLICE BOOK OF THE YEAR. Recurring characters in his work include New Orleans Police Detectives Dino LaStanza (1980s), Jacques Dugas (1890s), John Raven Beau (21st Century) and as well as Private Eye Lucien Caye (1940-50s). De Noux served as Vice-President of the Private Eye Writers of America in 2013. Historical novels include BATTLE KISS, an epic set at the Battle of New Orleans, USS RELENTLESS, a nautical saga of a US Naval officer during the Barbary War of 1803 through the War of 1812 and DEATH ANGELS, a novel of World War II. Other non-series novels include MISTIK (young adult), BOURBON STREET (crime), SLICK TIME (caper), MAFIA APHRODITE (erotica). Collections include NEW ORLEANS MYSTERIES, NEW ORLEANS IRRESISTIBLE and BACKWASH OF THE MILKY WAY (science fiction). His web site is www.oneildenoux.net.
On a lazy spring evening in 1951, two cases arrive at Private Eye Lucien Caye’s office in the New Orleans Lower French Quarter. The first is a murder case already solved by the New Orleans Police Department. The client believes NOPD arrested the wrong man. Yeah. Right. The second case – find who wrote a song recorded by a now defunct record label eleven years ago here in New Orleans, a song that is now a hit. There are royalties. It is slow, plodding work, sifting through slim leads of a murder case full of deception and misdirection as the song from the second case, How Could You Leave Me, haunts Lucien. When a young, alluring, doe-eyed woman with auburn hair steps into Lucien’s life, trouble soon follows – gunplay, murder, mayhem, lust, maybe even love as Lucien learns why the song’s original title was Hold Me, Babe. This is a classic 1950s private eye novel with good old American sex, violence and humor. A murder mystery featuring a character whose stories have won the The Private Eye Writers of America’s prestigious SHAMUS AWARD for BEST PRIVATE EYE SHORT STORY and The Short Mystery Fiction Society’s DERRINGER AWARD for BEST NOVELETTE. Lucien Caye novels include New Orleans Rapacious and Enamored and the short story collection New Orleans Confidential. Born in New Orleans, O’Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories. Much of De Noux’s writing is character-driven crime fiction, although he has written in many disciplines including historical fiction, children’s fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica.
DAME MONEY The cases come quickly to New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye. 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. About Lucien Caye Lucien Caye is a lone wolf private-eye living and working 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 rarely wears a hat (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. 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 and the long, tall blonde seeking to discover the secret of the “red witch” living down the street from Caye, a woman calling herself a love sorceress. On a case in 1950 (see novel ENAMORED), Lucien falls in love three times 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. Murder is often the name of the game in post-war New Orleans, truth the most elusive goal. Unfortunately, the truth is often ugly, often dangerous and usually resides on the loneliest part of town.
The cases come quickly to New Orleans Private Eye Lucien Caye in the spring of 1952 –1. A missing person case involving deception, greed and a possible murder.2. A nosy father wants to know about his daughter who joined the beat generation.3. A vengeful father wants to locate the photographer who took lurid pictures of his adult daughter.4. Men in a black Chrysler Imperial accost women on the street, leading to bloody violence.Lucien’s new wife, the alluring Alizée, is on a roll – writing and publishing songs, modeling, becoming a PI, bringing her sharp mind and knockout-looks to the agency. It takes a cool head to be a good private eye, along with quick wits. As usual in New Orleans, gunfire echoes, leaving the innocent to mourn lost loved ones.The Lucien Caye New Orleans Private Eye books include the short story collection NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL; and novels NEW ORLEANS RAPACIOUS; ENAMORED; HOLD ME, BABE; DAME MONEY.ABOUT THE AUTHORBorn in New Orleans, O’Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories with 42 books published, over 400 short story sales and a screenplay produced in 2000. Much of De Noux’s writing is character-driven crime fiction, although he has written in many disciplines including historical fiction, children’s fiction, mainstream fiction, mystery, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica.Mr. De Noux is a retired police officer, a former homicide detective. His writing has garnered a number of awards including the UNITED KINGDOM SHORT STORY PRIZE, the SHAMUS AWARD (given annually by the Private Eye Writers of America to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction), the DERRINGER AWARD (given annually by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to recognize excellence in short mystery fiction) and POLICE BOOK of the YEAR (awarded by PoliceWriters.com). Two of his stories have been featured in the prestigious BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES annual anthology (2003 and 2013).O’Neil De Noux was named the 2015 Literary Artist of the Year by the St. Tammany Parish Art’s Council, St. Tammany Parish, LA. He is a past Vice-President of the Private Eye Writers of America.
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 CayeLucien 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
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