Carole Nelson Douglas (born November 15, 1944) is an American writer of sixty novels and many short stories. She has written in many genres, but is best known for two popular mystery series, the Irene Adler Sherlockian suspense novels and the Midnight Louie mystery series.
Douglas was a theater and English literature major in college. After graduation, she worked as a newspaper reporter and then editor in the [Minneapolis-St. Paul] area. During her time there, she discovered a long, expensive classified advertisement offering a black cat named Midnight Louie to the "right" home for one dollar and wrote a feature story on the plucky survival artist, putting it into the cat's point of view. The cat found a country home but its name was revived for her feline PI mystery series many years later. Some of the Midnight Louie series entries include the dedication "For the real and original Midnight Louie. Nine lives were not enough."
She began writing fiction in the late 1970s. The late director/playwright/novelist Garson Kanin, a pleased interview subject, took her first novel to Doubleday and it sold shortly after. Amberleigh is a post-feminist historical Gothic novel. Douglas has always addressed women's issues in her fiction and preferred mixing genres from contemporary to historical mystery/thriller, romance and women's fiction, and high and urban fantasy.
Douglas lives in north Texas with her husband, Sam Douglas, and adopted cats.
Amberleigh (1980), ISBN 0-8125-2264-8Fair Wind, Fiery Star (1981)ISBN 0-8125-2266-4In Her Prime (1982), ISBN 0-345-30523-XHer Own Person (1982), ISBN 0-345-30733-XBest Man (1983), ISBN 0-345-30914-6Lady Rogue (1983), ISBN 0-8125-2265-6Azure Days, Quicksilver Nights (1985), ISBN 0-553-21705-4The Exclusive (1986), ISBN 0-345-31993-1"Catch a Falling Angel" (novelette) (1995), printed in Angel Christmas, ISBN 0-451-40628-1Sword and Circlet series
Six of Swords (1982), ISBN 0-345-29836-5Exiles of the Rynth (1984), ISBN 0-345-30836-0Keepers of Edanvant (1987), ISBN 0-8125-3594-4Heir of Rengarth (1988), ISBN 0-8125-0046-6Seven of Swords (1989), ISBN 0-8125-0324-4Probe (1985), ISBN 0-8125-3587-1Counterprobe (1988), ISBN 0-8125-3596-0Cup of Clay (1991), ISBN 0-8125-1248-0Seed Upon the Wind (1992) ISBN 0-8125-1249-9Crystal Days (1990)Crystal Nights (1990)Cat and a playing card series
Cat and the King of Clubs (1999), ISBN 0-7862-1920-3Cat and the Queen of Hearts (1999), ISBN 0-7862-2173-9Cat and the Jill of Diamonds (1999), ISBN 0-7862-2540-8Cat and the Jack of Spades (1999), ISBN 0-7862-2896-2Catnap (1992) ISBN 0-7927-1644-2Pussyfoot (1993), ISBN 0-312-85218-5Cat on a Blue Monday (1994), ISBN 0-312-85607-5Cat in a Crimson Haze (1995), ISBN 0-8125-4414-5Cat in a Diamond Dazzle (1996), ISBN 0-8125-5506-6Cat with an Emerald Eye (1996), ISBN 0-312-86228-8Cat in a Flamingo Fedora (1997), ISBN 0-8125-6535-5Cat in a Golden Garland (1997), ISBN 0-312-86386-1Cat on a Hyacinth Hunt (1998), ISBN 0-312-86634-8Cat in an Indigo Mood (1999), ISBN 0-312-86635-6Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit (1999), ISBN 0-312-86817-0Cat in a Kiwi Con (2000), ISBN 0-8125-8425-2Cat in a Leopard Spot (2001), ISBN 0-8125-7022-7Cat in a Midnight Choir (2002), ISBN 0-312-85797-7Cat in a Neon Nightmare (2003), ISBN 0-7653-4592-7Cat in an Orange Twist (2004), ISBN 0-7653-4593-5Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit (2005), ISBN 0-7653-1399-5Cat in a Quicksilver Caper (2006), ISBN 0-7653-1400-2Cat in a Red Hot Rage (2007), ISBN 0-7653-1401-0Cat in a Sapphire Slipper (2008)Cat in a Topaz Tango (2009)Cat in a Ultramarine Scheme (2010)Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta (2011)Cat in a White Tie and Tails, 2012Cat in an Alien X-Ray, 2013Cat in a Yellow Spotlight, 2014Cat in a Zebra Zoot Suit, 2015Cat in an Alphabet Endgame, 2016- Dancing with Werewolves (2007) ISBN 978-0-8095-7203-8
- Brimstone Kiss (2008) ISBN 978-0-8095-7304-2
- Vampire Sunrise (2009) ISBN 978-1-4391-5677-3
- Silver Zombie (2010) ISBN 978-1-4391-6781-6
- Virtual Virgin (2011) ISBN 978-1-4391-6779-3
Good Night, Mr. Holmes (1990) ISBN 0-312-93210-3Good Morning Irene, ISBN 0-8125-0949-8 reissued as The Adventuress(1991), ISBN 0-7653-4715-6Irene at Large, ISBN 0-8125-1702-4 reissued as A Soul of Steel (1992), ISBN 0-7653-4790-3Irene's Last Waltz, ISBN 0-8125-1703-2 reissued as Another Scandal in Bohemia (1994), ISBN 0-8125-1702-4Chapel Noir (2001), ISBN 0-7653-4347-9Castle Rouge (2002), ISBN 0-7653-4571-4Femme Fatale (2003), ISBN 0-7653-4594-3Spider Dance (2004), ISBN 0-7653-4595-1"Maltese Double Cross" (1992), printed in Cat Crimes II, ISBN 0-7858-0203-7, and Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, 2nd Annual Edition, ISBN 0-7867-0571-X"Sax and the Single Cat" (1993), printed in Danger in D.C., ISBN 1-55611-374-9, A Treasury of Cat Mysteries, ISBN 0-7867-0541-8, Felonious Felines, ISBN 0-7862-2689-7, and White House Pet Detectives, ISBN 1-58182-243-X"Coyote Peyote" (1994), printed in Mysterious West, ISBN 0-06-017785-3, and Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, 4th Annual Edition, ISBN 0-7867-0251-6, reprinted as Coyote Peyote"Dog Collar" (1996), published in Great Writers and Kids Write Mysteries, ISBN 0-679-87939-0"Iä Iä Iä Iä Cthulouie!" (1997), published in Cat Crimes for the Holidays, ISBN 0-8041-1830-2, reprinted as Something Fishy, ISBN 0-9744742-0-7"The Mummy Case" (1999), printed in Cat Crimes Through Time, ISBN 0-7858-1407-8 and The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Fourth Annual Collection, ISBN 0-7653-0849-5"License to Koi" (2004), printed in Death Dines In, ISBN 0-425-19262-8"Junior Partner in Crime" (2005), printed in Creature Cozies ISBN 0-425-20127-9"The Riches There That Lie" (2006), printed in Poe's Lighthouse, ISBN 1-58767-128-X"Parris Greene" (1992), printed in Malice Domestic 2, ISBN 0-671-73827-5, Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, Third Annual Edition, ISBN 0-7867-0141-2, First Cases, Vol. 2, ISBN 0-451-19017-3"Dracula on the Rocks" (1995), printed in Celebrity Vampires, ISBN 0-88677-667-8"The Thief of Twelfth Night" (1996), printed in Holmes for the Holidays, ISBN 0-425-16754-2"Mesmerizing Bertie" (1998), printed in Crime Through Time II, ISBN 0-425-16410-1"A Baker Street Irregular" (1998), printed in Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives, ISBN 0-425-16410-1"The Private Wife of Sherlock Holmes" (2009), printed in Sex, Lies, and Private Eyes, ISBN 1-933076-45-3Marilyn, Shades of Blonde (1997), ISBN 0-312-85737-3Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives (1998), ISBN 0-312-86435-3White House Pet Detectives (2002), ISBN 1-58182-243-X