It's certainly possible to read these books out of sequence and enjoy them on individual merits, but reading them as a big, 27-chapter Uber-Novel is absolutely the way to go! "Cat in a Midnight Choir" probably doesn't stand very well on its own as a single book, as there's no core to it that exists in this book alone, but as a chapter in the overall Uber-Novel, it's positively an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The bodies are all leftover from previous books (the "Stripper Killer," the mystery of the murdered professor); the mystery, likewise, is a continuation of the Big Story with loads of new information and only one loose end wrapup. But the life, joys, and definite pains of Louie, Temple, Max, Matt, and C.R. Molina are truly starting to get harsh and gritty, now. We've met them, we know their back stories now (with perhaps a few holes here and there), and we're hurtling toward their future and possibly, possibly, some resolution for their lives. Whoever one roots for (Max or Matt?), or believes (Molina or Max?), or worries about, one can always count on Midnight Louie for clear-headed cat-logic and dauntless determination to keep his "little doll," Miss Temple Barr, out of trouble. With his cat-eyed views and hilarious malaprops (well, he IS a cat, he can't be expected to be a Rhodes scholar), Midnight Louie always sets a terrific pace. It's very hard to stop reading these books once started.

I'm so glad that Carole Nelson Douglas is an amazingly prolific writer. I'm eager to dive into "Cat in a Neon Nightmare" and can't wait for letters O - Z. Yes, indeed, this is one series of novels (chapters) that won't be a chore to re-read time and again as I wait for each new chapter to come out, because the real mystery is how she's managed to make me care so much for these desert-dwelling folks and our Runyonesque cat-hero.

(One note: I'm not sure why, but Matt Devine works for WICC radio -- stations West of the Mississippi start with a "K"; Eastern stations have the "W" designation. It's bothered me since Matt took the radio job, back a few "chapters.")

Not all the chapters have been 5-star winners -- but I have to admit a fondness for these ones that give us so much important information for the overall story arc. Keep 'em coming, Miss Carole!