Lucien Caye

Created by O’Neil De Noux
(1950–)

LUCIEN CAYE is a WWII vet (he’s got a Purple Heart medal and a Silver Star for bravery to prove it) and a former New Orleans Police Officer in this solid private eye series set in post-World War II Louisiana, and he’s one Big Easy eye who doesn’t mind getting a little, uh, sweaty.One of the most persistent writers in the genre and a long-time contributor to this site, O’Neil De Noux is a New Orleans writer with over forty books published, and an astounding 400 short story sales. He writes crime fiction, historical fiction, children’s fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, young adult, religious, romance, humor and erotica. His fiction has received several awards, including Shamuses and Derringers, and two of his stories have appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories anthology series (2013 and 2007). He’s also responsible for several other series characters, mostly police officers (or former police officers) with the NOPD, such as 1890’s detective Jacques Dugas and contemporary detective John Raven Beau, but also private eyes such as LaStanza and possibly his best known character (and my fave), former NOPD Homicide Detective turned 1940s private eye Lucien Caye.  O’Neil has also served as a vice-president of The Private Eye Writers of America.

He first appeared in an erotic detective short story, “Erotophobia” in Kiss and Kill (1997), and has since appeared in several more (sometimes adult, sometimes not but always entertaining) short stories in various anthologies and even several novels.

He’s a good-looking son of a bitch–tall, dark and handsome, with “Mediterranean brown eyes,” and women certainly find him rather attractive, often wanting to get to know him a little better. And Lucien’s generally more than eager to return the favour. But cut the guy some slack — he rarely drinks, doesn’t smoke and never wears a hat (it might muss up his hair). He tools around the Big Easy in his gray, pre-war DeSoto poking his nose where it doesn’t belong, while his author regularly racks up nominations

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

One of the most persistent writers in the genre and a long-time contributor to this site, O’Neil De Noux is a New Orleans writer with over forty books published, and an astounding 400 short story sales. He writes crime fiction, historical fiction, children’s fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, young adult, religious, romance, humor and erotica. His fiction has received several awards, including Shamuses and Derringers, and two of his stories have appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories anthology series (2013 and 2007). He’s also responsible for several other series characters, mostly police officers (or former police officers) with the NOPD, such as 1890’s detective Jacques Dugas and contemporary detective John Raven Beau, but also private eyes such as Dino LaStanza, although his best known character (and my fave) is Lucien Caye.  O’Neil has also served as a vice-president of The Private Eye Writers of America.

SHORT STORIES

• “Erotophopia” (1997, Kiss and Kill: Hot Blood 8)
• “Hard Rain” (1999, Pontalba Press Presents Short Stories: Volume 1)
• “Friscoville” (April 1999, Hemispheres; 2001, The Thrilling Detective Web Site; aka “The Problem on Friscoville Avenue”)
• “Lair of the Red Witch” (2000, The Mammoth Book of Erotic Short Stories)
• “St. Expedite” (September 2001, Hemispheres)
• “Bluegums” (February 2003, City Slab) | Kindle it!
• “The Iberville Mistress” (2003, Flesh & Blood: Guilty As Sin)
• “Expect Consequences” (2003, Fedora II)
• “The Heart Has Reasons” (September 2006, AHMM)
• “Christmas Weather” (2006, New Orleans Confidential)
• “Kissable Cleavage” (2006, New Orleans Confidential)
• “Too Wise” (November 2008, EQMM)
• “Guilty of Dust and Sin” (2009, New Orleans Mysteries) | Kindle it!
• “They Called Her the Gungirl” (July/August 2010, AHMM)
• “Tenderless Night” (October 2010, digital) | Kindle it!
• “She Gleeked Me” (August 2011, digital) | Kindle it!
• “Blue Gums” (February 2012, digital) | Kindle it!
• “They Called Her the Gungirl” (January 2014, digital) | Kindle it!
• “The Marriage Swindler” (June 2016, digital) | Kindle it!
• “Effect on Men” (May 2018, digital) | Kindle it!
• “Sac-A-Lait Man” (September/October 2019,  EQMM)
• “Love Pirate” (September 2020, Black Cat Mystery Magazine)
• “The Dreamboat Gambol”  (November-December 2020, AHMM)
• “A Jelly of Intrigue” by O’Neil De Noux (2022, Edgar & Shamus Go Golden)
• “The Little Irene Escapade” (September/October 2023, EQMM)
• “My-O-My” (2024, Pulphouse Fiction Magazine)

COLLECTIONS

• New Orleans Confidential (2006; revised 2010) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
  Featuring an intro by fellow New Orleans P.I. writer James Sallis.

NOVELS

Listed in series order, not publication order.

• Rapacious (2014; aka “New Orleans Rapacious”) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Enamored (2012) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Hold Me, Babe (2016) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Dame Money (2018) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Walkin’ the Blues (2020) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• The Spy Who Used My Love (2021) | Buy this book  | Kindle it!
• Smooth (2024) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Golden Dandelions (2024) | Buy this book | Kindle it!

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• O’Neil’s Big Easy Favourites
  And Other Louisiana Eyes

THE DICK OF THE DAY

• June 26, 2021
  The Bottom Line: 1940s New Orleans PI & one slick, handsome SOB. The novels are good; the short stories even better. The Shamus-nommed “Dreamboat Gambol” is one of my all-time faves.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.