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A Nick Williams Mystery #1
The Unexpected Heiress
May 11, 1953
The richest homosexual in San Francisco is a private investigator.
Nick Williams lives in a modest bungalow with his fireman husband, a sweet fellow from Georgia by the name of Carter Jones.
Nick's gem of a secretary, Marnie Wilson, is worried that Nick isn't working enough. She knits a lot.
Jeffrey Klein, Esquire, is Nick's friend and lawyer. He represents the guys and gals who get caught in police raids in the Tenderloin.
Lt. Mike Robertson is Nick's first love and best friend. He's a good guy who's one hell of a cop.
It's late at night when Nick's evil father, Dr. Parnell Williams, calls to inform his son that Janet, Nick's sister, has been in a freak automobile accident and is fighting for her life in the hospital. With Carter, his loving husband, in tow, Nick arrives just in time to say goodbye.
The next morning, Nick discovers that Janet's death wasn't an accident. It was premeditated murdered. Nick goes poking around and uncovers a family secret. Can he find the killer and prevent the next obvious murder from happening?
The Unexpected Heiress is where the adventures of Nick, Carter, Marnie, Mike, and all the gang truly begin. Read along and fall in love with the City where cable cars climb halfway to the stars.
Long before the Summer of Love, pride parades down Market Street, and the fight for marriage equality, San Francisco was all about the Red Scare, F.B.I. investigations, yellow journalism run amok, and the ladies who play mahjong over tea.
The richest homosexual in San Francisco is a private investigator.
Nick Williams lives in a modest bungalow with his fireman husband, a sweet fellow from Georgia by the name of Carter Jones.
Nick's gem of a secretary, Marnie Wilson, is worried that Nick isn't working enough. She knits a lot.
Jeffrey Klein, Esquire, is Nick's friend and lawyer. He represents the guys and gals who get caught in police raids in the Tenderloin.
Lt. Mike Robertson is Nick's first love and best friend. He's a good guy who's one hell of a cop.
It's late at night when Nick's evil father, Dr. Parnell Williams, calls to inform his son that Janet, Nick's sister, has been in a freak automobile accident and is fighting for her life in the hospital. With Carter, his loving husband, in tow, Nick arrives just in time to say goodbye.
The next morning, Nick discovers that Janet's death wasn't an accident. It was premeditated murdered. Nick goes poking around and uncovers a family secret. Can he find the killer and prevent the next obvious murder from happening?
The Unexpected Heiress is where the adventures of Nick, Carter, Marnie, Mike, and all the gang truly begin. Read along and fall in love with the City where cable cars climb halfway to the stars.
Long before the Summer of Love, pride parades down Market Street, and the fight for marriage equality, San Francisco was all about the Red Scare, F.B.I. investigations, yellow journalism run amok, and the ladies who play mahjong over tea.
180 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2016
64 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
Frank W. Butterfield
123 books106 followersFrank W. Butterfield, not an assumed name, loves old movies, wise-cracking smart guys with hearts of gold, and writing for fun.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
April 10, 2019
***4.5***
A few weeks ago I read An Enchanted Beginning but his is the beginning, proper, of the Nick Williams Mysteries, and it serves as a set up, for what I suspect, will be the series as whole. In essence it's a bit of a gay fantasia of the 50's etc., or a could've, should've been of our recent past. What I mean by this is that though Nick et al. inhabit a recognizable, rooted in reality, and history San Francisco, he's also set up, and by extension his near & dear ones, as an openly gay man who, due to his socio-economic class, is almost immune to the repercussions of being "a lover of men".
Nick very firmly exists in 1950's America, and as such he's a witness or is on the receiving end of injustice, bigotry, and hatred, but thanks to his $$$$$ and Frank W. Butterfield warm heartedness, he's able to be a bit of a Faery Godmother to a group of men who thought themselves without family and friendless due to whom they love. Nick, along with his inseparable Carter, provide a soft landing for many, and Nick indulges in matchmaking.
This first installment, more than a mystery, is a ground laying for a couple of different interlocking stories some of which I'm sure will continue to play out in subsequent books. The heiress of the title is Nick's sister, who like most of the Williamses, has a colorful and sad story. Meanwhile, after another raid at a known gay meeting spot, Jeffrey, an attorney, Nick's former boyfriend, and stalwart friend, tasks P.I. Nick with finding out who, within the SFPD, is leaking information to the press. The publishing of photos on the front pages ruins people's lives, and Jeffrey has been an unwavering defender of these unfortunate souls. He also has skin in the game, as his current paramour, one Taylor Wells, is among the victims. The third strand has to do with the Hearst corporation and their brand of yellow journalism which Nick won't stand for. Like in RL all of these stories intersect, and weave. There is no real mystery and yet I had a satisfied smile.
Nick and Carter will go on with their adventures, their chosen family, and friends. I like that Frank Butterfield has given these people a place where they're able to carve out a slice of happiness, one which was infuriatingly denied to many in real life, so why not? However don't think that it's all wine and roses. Nick is cantankerous, stubborn, and sometimes wrong; he and Carter sometimes have blowouts but later work them out. Their friends have ups and downs and though cushioned to the harshest of societies irrational judgments they still have toe a few lines and cross some Ts. Spending some time in Nick's world is just a nice respite where you know acceptance and the possibility of true love are around the next corner.
***For those looking for smex this is not the place, and I didn't miss it. The stories are told in the manner of B&W movies of yore, everything is more than suggested, with some heavy kissing, and some "rolling around", but nothing descriptive. When the lovin' time comes it's curtains and walking up in each other's arms. Perfect.***
A few weeks ago I read An Enchanted Beginning but his is the beginning, proper, of the Nick Williams Mysteries, and it serves as a set up, for what I suspect, will be the series as whole. In essence it's a bit of a gay fantasia of the 50's etc., or a could've, should've been of our recent past. What I mean by this is that though Nick et al. inhabit a recognizable, rooted in reality, and history San Francisco, he's also set up, and by extension his near & dear ones, as an openly gay man who, due to his socio-economic class, is almost immune to the repercussions of being "a lover of men".
Nick very firmly exists in 1950's America, and as such he's a witness or is on the receiving end of injustice, bigotry, and hatred, but thanks to his $$$$$ and Frank W. Butterfield warm heartedness, he's able to be a bit of a Faery Godmother to a group of men who thought themselves without family and friendless due to whom they love. Nick, along with his inseparable Carter, provide a soft landing for many, and Nick indulges in matchmaking.
This first installment, more than a mystery, is a ground laying for a couple of different interlocking stories some of which I'm sure will continue to play out in subsequent books. The heiress of the title is Nick's sister, who like most of the Williamses, has a colorful and sad story. Meanwhile, after another raid at a known gay meeting spot, Jeffrey, an attorney, Nick's former boyfriend, and stalwart friend, tasks P.I. Nick with finding out who, within the SFPD, is leaking information to the press. The publishing of photos on the front pages ruins people's lives, and Jeffrey has been an unwavering defender of these unfortunate souls. He also has skin in the game, as his current paramour, one Taylor Wells, is among the victims. The third strand has to do with the Hearst corporation and their brand of yellow journalism which Nick won't stand for. Like in RL all of these stories intersect, and weave. There is no real mystery and yet I had a satisfied smile.
Nick and Carter will go on with their adventures, their chosen family, and friends. I like that Frank Butterfield has given these people a place where they're able to carve out a slice of happiness, one which was infuriatingly denied to many in real life, so why not? However don't think that it's all wine and roses. Nick is cantankerous, stubborn, and sometimes wrong; he and Carter sometimes have blowouts but later work them out. Their friends have ups and downs and though cushioned to the harshest of societies irrational judgments they still have toe a few lines and cross some Ts. Spending some time in Nick's world is just a nice respite where you know acceptance and the possibility of true love are around the next corner.
***For those looking for smex this is not the place, and I didn't miss it. The stories are told in the manner of B&W movies of yore, everything is more than suggested, with some heavy kissing, and some "rolling around", but nothing descriptive. When the lovin' time comes it's curtains and walking up in each other's arms. Perfect.***
July 15, 2016
The Unexpected Heiress
By Frank W. Butterfield
June, 2016, 116 pages
ASIN: B01GGXAJZK
Four stars
Oh boy, another new author to keep tabs on! Frank W. Butterfield has begun a series of short novels that are, by his own admission, satirical riffs on Earl Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason novels. Set in San Francisco, “The Unexpected Heiress” is the set up for the time, lace and the people.
Nick Williams is the richest man in San Francisco. He got that way in spite of being disinherited by his family for being homosexual. But his reprobate of a gay uncle Paul left him a vast fortune in an unbreakable trust. Now Nick works as a private eye, and lives quietly but comfortably with his fireman husband Carter Jones in a bungalow in Eureka Valley, a neighborhood now known as the Castro.
So we are meant to see this is as a fantasy, both tongue in cheek and wistful. Imagine being so rich that the prejudices of the world couldn’t hurt you. It is a reminder (not the first I’ve read, by the way) that San Francisco was not always friendly to its gay citizens, and that post-McCarthy America was a nasty place for anyone who didn’t conform. Butterfield gives us a series of interlocking stories: a tragic death, a raid on a local gay bar, a group of gay friends coping with a hostile world. He writes the lingo of the early 50s detective novel convincingly and with wit, and he also paints us a picture of a group of people who we also wish were our friends. Perhaps the worst part of being gay in the bad old days was loneliness. These folks aren’t lonely, and that makes a huge different.
The mystery is solved rather easily, and the other plotlines are really used mostly a set up for the premise for the rest of the series. But that didn’t stop me from really enjoying this, and buying book two, “The Amorous Attorney.” Can’t wait to read it.
By Frank W. Butterfield
June, 2016, 116 pages
ASIN: B01GGXAJZK
Four stars
Oh boy, another new author to keep tabs on! Frank W. Butterfield has begun a series of short novels that are, by his own admission, satirical riffs on Earl Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason novels. Set in San Francisco, “The Unexpected Heiress” is the set up for the time, lace and the people.
Nick Williams is the richest man in San Francisco. He got that way in spite of being disinherited by his family for being homosexual. But his reprobate of a gay uncle Paul left him a vast fortune in an unbreakable trust. Now Nick works as a private eye, and lives quietly but comfortably with his fireman husband Carter Jones in a bungalow in Eureka Valley, a neighborhood now known as the Castro.
So we are meant to see this is as a fantasy, both tongue in cheek and wistful. Imagine being so rich that the prejudices of the world couldn’t hurt you. It is a reminder (not the first I’ve read, by the way) that San Francisco was not always friendly to its gay citizens, and that post-McCarthy America was a nasty place for anyone who didn’t conform. Butterfield gives us a series of interlocking stories: a tragic death, a raid on a local gay bar, a group of gay friends coping with a hostile world. He writes the lingo of the early 50s detective novel convincingly and with wit, and he also paints us a picture of a group of people who we also wish were our friends. Perhaps the worst part of being gay in the bad old days was loneliness. These folks aren’t lonely, and that makes a huge different.
The mystery is solved rather easily, and the other plotlines are really used mostly a set up for the premise for the rest of the series. But that didn’t stop me from really enjoying this, and buying book two, “The Amorous Attorney.” Can’t wait to read it.
January 3, 2020
Ah, the first book in a long series and it's a M/M historical - these are a few of my favorite things!
Set in San Francisco in 1953, Nick Williams is a PI and his man Carter is a fireman, recovering from an injury. Nick is impossibly rich due to an unbreakable trust from a gay uncle who took the family's gold rush money and made some great investments. Nick is free to pretty much thumb his nose at the Hearsts and his own Nob Hill family (who find his lifestyle deplorable), help those acquaintances who need a hand up, and do what he wants to do ... which is live in a small bungalow with Carter in Eureka Valley (the Castro) and occasionally solve a case or two.
There's there requisite all-around-sharp secretary Marnie, a cache of friends and a murder mystery which is definitely second place here to the cast of characters. You really get a sense of 1950's San Francisco and the postwar era where men still greet each other with "Where did you serve?" and The Examiner posts the names and addresses of men caught in raids of gay bars. Butterfield does a great job of combining the nostalgia with the hard truths of life for a gay man in the time period.
4 strong stars and I'm starting on Book 2 (of 26!) of the series.
Visit my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
Set in San Francisco in 1953, Nick Williams is a PI and his man Carter is a fireman, recovering from an injury. Nick is impossibly rich due to an unbreakable trust from a gay uncle who took the family's gold rush money and made some great investments. Nick is free to pretty much thumb his nose at the Hearsts and his own Nob Hill family (who find his lifestyle deplorable), help those acquaintances who need a hand up, and do what he wants to do ... which is live in a small bungalow with Carter in Eureka Valley (the Castro) and occasionally solve a case or two.
There's there requisite all-around-sharp secretary Marnie, a cache of friends and a murder mystery which is definitely second place here to the cast of characters. You really get a sense of 1950's San Francisco and the postwar era where men still greet each other with "Where did you serve?" and The Examiner posts the names and addresses of men caught in raids of gay bars. Butterfield does a great job of combining the nostalgia with the hard truths of life for a gay man in the time period.
4 strong stars and I'm starting on Book 2 (of 26!) of the series.
Visit my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
March 11, 2020
It's a good story, though not quite what I expected.
First, this story is much simpler and less complicated than I expected. This applies primarily to the crime thread. Solving the murder of Janet, Nick's sister, turns out to be much simpler and easier than I would like. And it takes place largely without Nick's involvement and his investigative abilities. Nick just meets the killer at some point and finds out who they are. I was a bit disappointed.
Besides, the investigation itself is not the main element of this book. Is just one of several threads. What is surprising is that there is also no love thread. Instead, we have a lot of issues related to the situation of homosexuals in the 1950s and Nick's family situation. When I read the book I didn't have the slightest problem with all these, but now I think that I would prefer if this story have a better structured plotline.
Nick and his partner Carter and their friends definitely save the situation. They are interesting characters that are very easy to like and it is very entertaining to read about them. Just for them I am thinking about reading the next books in this series.
Although I see all the weaknesses I wrote about above, I think it is a very nice story that I really enjoyed.
First, this story is much simpler and less complicated than I expected. This applies primarily to the crime thread. Solving the murder of Janet, Nick's sister, turns out to be much simpler and easier than I would like. And it takes place largely without Nick's involvement and his investigative abilities. Nick just meets the killer at some point and finds out who they are. I was a bit disappointed.
Besides, the investigation itself is not the main element of this book. Is just one of several threads. What is surprising is that there is also no love thread. Instead, we have a lot of issues related to the situation of homosexuals in the 1950s and Nick's family situation. When I read the book I didn't have the slightest problem with all these, but now I think that I would prefer if this story have a better structured plotline.
Nick and his partner Carter and their friends definitely save the situation. They are interesting characters that are very easy to like and it is very entertaining to read about them. Just for them I am thinking about reading the next books in this series.
Although I see all the weaknesses I wrote about above, I think it is a very nice story that I really enjoyed.
August 12, 2018
This was an absolute gem of a story and a great start to what I'm sure will become my go-to comfort reads for years to come, the Nick Williams Mysteries. "The richest homosexual in San Francisco is a private investigator." With a description like that, how can I not be in this 110%?
Frank Butterfield paints a gorgeous setting of San Francisco in the 1950s, so vivid and alive the city must be included as a main character alongside the likes of Nick and Carter. Speaking of-- Nick Williams is basically an accidental millionaire after inheriting money that he couldn't spend all of in his lifetime if he tried. He works to keep himself busy, not because he needs to financially, and is generous with his money when it comes to others, but a bit lousy at using it for himself.
Luckily, that's where Carter Jones enters the story, a fireman who has relocated from Georgia to California, and is madly in love with Nick. The two of them are absolutely head over heels in love, and already have a longstanding, healthy, established relationship at the start of The Unexpected Heiress. Nick's position in society, coupled with a great lawyer and a lot of cash, makes him rather untouchable in a time period of America that otherwise wasn't kind to gay men, let alone men so perfectly in love like these two. But frankly, I adore how Butterfield ran with this, giving the reader two men who aren't afraid, who stand up for each other and themselves, and who don't have a tragic romance. Are they always going to get off scot-free? No. But will Nick and Carter fight tooth and nail? Oh yeah. And also, both of these guys are badasses with hearts of gold. It's impossible to not be swept away with characters like these.
Without including spoilers, the story involves Nick's sister, a bunch of unexpected money worth killing over, and a business venture a la the Pinkertons with Nick, Carter, Mike (Nick's former lover and a cop), Marnie (Nick's secretary), as well as another fellow cop and firefighter.
I cannot recommend this book enough. A historical, light romance with the air of a noir mystery, except with a bit more sunshine. Nick Williams is officially one of my favorite fictional characters.
-C.S.
Frank Butterfield paints a gorgeous setting of San Francisco in the 1950s, so vivid and alive the city must be included as a main character alongside the likes of Nick and Carter. Speaking of-- Nick Williams is basically an accidental millionaire after inheriting money that he couldn't spend all of in his lifetime if he tried. He works to keep himself busy, not because he needs to financially, and is generous with his money when it comes to others, but a bit lousy at using it for himself.
Luckily, that's where Carter Jones enters the story, a fireman who has relocated from Georgia to California, and is madly in love with Nick. The two of them are absolutely head over heels in love, and already have a longstanding, healthy, established relationship at the start of The Unexpected Heiress. Nick's position in society, coupled with a great lawyer and a lot of cash, makes him rather untouchable in a time period of America that otherwise wasn't kind to gay men, let alone men so perfectly in love like these two. But frankly, I adore how Butterfield ran with this, giving the reader two men who aren't afraid, who stand up for each other and themselves, and who don't have a tragic romance. Are they always going to get off scot-free? No. But will Nick and Carter fight tooth and nail? Oh yeah. And also, both of these guys are badasses with hearts of gold. It's impossible to not be swept away with characters like these.
Without including spoilers, the story involves Nick's sister, a bunch of unexpected money worth killing over, and a business venture a la the Pinkertons with Nick, Carter, Mike (Nick's former lover and a cop), Marnie (Nick's secretary), as well as another fellow cop and firefighter.
I cannot recommend this book enough. A historical, light romance with the air of a noir mystery, except with a bit more sunshine. Nick Williams is officially one of my favorite fictional characters.
-C.S.
November 20, 2022
Kindle-Sort-ReRead
There was a lot I liked about this story while in other ways it failed to deliver.
The characters are great and this book is really more about introducing them than anything else.
The 1950s setting feels authentic.
But there's no real mystery. The personal mystery plot solves itself and the other investigation seemed to get forgotten.
I don't really mind that, the result is an unhurried introduction to the main players and a glimpse at the time period. Media and Mayor destroying homosexuals and the super rich Nick saving a select few. Lots of money is the answer.
But as this is the first in a mystery series it leaves me unsure whether to continue on. Not sure what to expect of further books.
There was a lot I liked about this story while in other ways it failed to deliver.
The characters are great and this book is really more about introducing them than anything else.
The 1950s setting feels authentic.
But there's no real mystery. The personal mystery plot solves itself and the other investigation seemed to get forgotten.
I don't really mind that, the result is an unhurried introduction to the main players and a glimpse at the time period. Media and Mayor destroying homosexuals and the super rich Nick saving a select few. Lots of money is the answer.
But as this is the first in a mystery series it leaves me unsure whether to continue on. Not sure what to expect of further books.
July 8, 2016
The Unexpected Heiress is a brisk page-turner that is pure delight. Be sure to keep hold of your hat, because the story zigs and zags like a drive down Lombard Street, SF. You’ll snicker, cheer, and laugh out loud all the while. The characters quickly become family…and stay with you well after the last page. Let’s hope that Nick’s next tale is soon in the offing because you’ll certainly be left longing as I am.
October 17, 2016
What a lot of fun, and what great research into San Francisco of 1953. He says he was trying to write a gay Perry Mason book, and he got the tone just right. Looking forward to reading more in the series.
August 28, 2017
I have a feeling this series will be quite a ride.
awesome
September 6, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
Butterfield creates this delightful community around Nick and Carter, which includes a fellow gay fireman, Nick’s ex-boyfriend and personal lawyer, a gay cop who is Nick and Carter’s best friend, and a crackin secretary who can hold her own with Nick’s quick wit and hectic pace. Honestly, I cannot begin to tell you how this author manages to recreate an era that was exploding with Hollywood stars and some real political intrigue; after all, this was the era of the cold war and witch hunts were rampant. The author takes great care in recreating this point in time and the players he puts in place in his novel all feel very genuine. However, the strength of this story wasn’t just in its attention to details, but in the relationships of the characters who walked its pages.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
Butterfield creates this delightful community around Nick and Carter, which includes a fellow gay fireman, Nick’s ex-boyfriend and personal lawyer, a gay cop who is Nick and Carter’s best friend, and a crackin secretary who can hold her own with Nick’s quick wit and hectic pace. Honestly, I cannot begin to tell you how this author manages to recreate an era that was exploding with Hollywood stars and some real political intrigue; after all, this was the era of the cold war and witch hunts were rampant. The author takes great care in recreating this point in time and the players he puts in place in his novel all feel very genuine. However, the strength of this story wasn’t just in its attention to details, but in the relationships of the characters who walked its pages.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
March 31, 2018
Mr. Butterfield is a new author to me but not for long. This story was a fun read with a good look at life and politics in 1953 San Francisco. I totally enjoyed Nick and Carter as a couple. Marnie was excellent as Nick's long suffering secretary. While the story was light as a mystery, it kept me interested with the color, wit and language of the era.
October 20, 2016
I love ALL of Butterfield's m/m books. Definitely read them in order; the romances first and then the mysteries.
July 13, 2017
Delightful! Paul Hill has been recommending this series of detective stories set in SF in the early 1950s, and I was planning to get them from the library, but then he gave us copies of the first two, so I read the first one on the plane home from Ohio today, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Described by the author as a gay version of Perry Mason (and inspired by Mabel Maney's wonderful Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys parodies), the book strikes me as more like a happier (and homo) version of Sam Spade, who just happens to be as rich as the Thin Man (in his case, by inheritance from a gay uncle, rather than by marriage, as in the Nick and Nora story). Definitely intended as light reading rather than deep literary art, nevertheless the author has done his research, so the context is all accurate to the period, including some real-life figures. Highly enjoyable if you want to imagine hunky gay cops and firefighters triumphing over bigotry back in the day.
June 7, 2020
The Unexpected Heiress turned out to be a lot of fun. I found a new cozy mystery mixed with historical fiction. It's San Francisco 1953. Nick Williams is the richest man in San Francisco, and he's also gay. He's got a great fire fighter husband and a business that's not making much money. But that's all about to change after a family tragedy. This Nick Williams Mystery has characters which talk in my head - I can imagine actors' voices while I read the book. So much fun. Can't wait to start book 2.
January 22, 2021
Even with a few typos and what others will legitimately claim is a great deal of repetition, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Frank W. Butterfield’s ‘The Unexpected Heiress’.
This first book in Butterfield’s continuing Nick Williams Mystery series takes place in San Francisco during a single week in May 1953. The mix of real and fictitious characters is almost seamless. Never having been a fan of current day right wing media outlets, it was more than satisfying to see the Hearst family empire so brazenly bested by Nick Williams, “one of the wealthiest men in America, and definitely the wealthiest queer possibly since Alexander the Great"’.
If names like Walter Winchell, George Reeves, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and William Randolph Hearst, are familiar to you, and locations like the Top of the Mark, the Presidio, and even the San Francisco cablecars hold a special allure, you’ll likely enjoy ‘The Unexpected Heiress’ as much as I did.
And if you recognize and chuckle at this quote from ‘The Unexpected Heiress’, this novel is clearly one for your reading list. In this scene, Nick Williams is talking with his secretary, Marnie, who begins by exclaiming:
“Gee Nick, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say goodnight, Gracie.”
“Good night, Gracie.”
“We all laughed.”
I laughed as well. And now I can’t wait to continue reading the further exploits of Nick Williams and his lover, Carter Jones, in the next book of the Nick Williams Mysteries, ‘The Amorous Attorney’.
This first book in Butterfield’s continuing Nick Williams Mystery series takes place in San Francisco during a single week in May 1953. The mix of real and fictitious characters is almost seamless. Never having been a fan of current day right wing media outlets, it was more than satisfying to see the Hearst family empire so brazenly bested by Nick Williams, “one of the wealthiest men in America, and definitely the wealthiest queer possibly since Alexander the Great"’.
If names like Walter Winchell, George Reeves, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and William Randolph Hearst, are familiar to you, and locations like the Top of the Mark, the Presidio, and even the San Francisco cablecars hold a special allure, you’ll likely enjoy ‘The Unexpected Heiress’ as much as I did.
And if you recognize and chuckle at this quote from ‘The Unexpected Heiress’, this novel is clearly one for your reading list. In this scene, Nick Williams is talking with his secretary, Marnie, who begins by exclaiming:
“Gee Nick, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say goodnight, Gracie.”
“Good night, Gracie.”
“We all laughed.”
I laughed as well. And now I can’t wait to continue reading the further exploits of Nick Williams and his lover, Carter Jones, in the next book of the Nick Williams Mysteries, ‘The Amorous Attorney’.
July 14, 2018
Mystery
Reading about the history of San Francisco and how being gay could and did ruin young men's lives. The mystery was good but it so not what make this book. The relationship between the main characters and their friends did.
Reading about the history of San Francisco and how being gay could and did ruin young men's lives. The mystery was good but it so not what make this book. The relationship between the main characters and their friends did.
August 11, 2016
Fun little read set in an era I wished I lived in and had friendships with those boys next door. Quick story with relatable characters and a wish that I too could be as lucky in the inheritance department. Life seems fun and effortless as a millionaire/billionaire.
February 4, 2020
Excellent!
What a great start to what I now know will be a detective setting I will devour. And please do as I did and read the authors notes at the end. There is some great insight to be had there.
What a great start to what I now know will be a detective setting I will devour. And please do as I did and read the authors notes at the end. There is some great insight to be had there.
July 14, 2018
This is my review of the audiobook:
I am so glad to have experienced this audiobook. Despite sad events and hostility, the story actually had me laughing out loud several times. Nick is unapologetically out and proud, during a time when that wasn't acceptable. Thankfully, he's much too rich to care. Nick loves Carter and taking care of his friends. He's a good man with a sharp wit, and I couldn't love him more. The narrator was terrific at portraying Nick as a man in charge of his world, and he did an excellent job with the other characters as well. I hope other books from this series are soon made into audiobooks as well. Until then, I'm going to be buying several e-books to keep up with Nick and Carter!
I am so glad to have experienced this audiobook. Despite sad events and hostility, the story actually had me laughing out loud several times. Nick is unapologetically out and proud, during a time when that wasn't acceptable. Thankfully, he's much too rich to care. Nick loves Carter and taking care of his friends. He's a good man with a sharp wit, and I couldn't love him more. The narrator was terrific at portraying Nick as a man in charge of his world, and he did an excellent job with the other characters as well. I hope other books from this series are soon made into audiobooks as well. Until then, I'm going to be buying several e-books to keep up with Nick and Carter!
May 31, 2017
I really enjoyed this, and think it's going to be a great series.
I can't wait to read the next one.
I usually groan when the MC is fabulously rich, and yeah, I did a little here, but I liked it.
I liked that he squawked about wasting five cents on a paper.
I have to read the next one, just to see how this business venture turns out.
I'm also curious on how his relationship with his father progresses.
I was hesitant to read this, because it's time setting. But I really enjoyed that too.
I can't wait to read the next one.
I usually groan when the MC is fabulously rich, and yeah, I did a little here, but I liked it.
I liked that he squawked about wasting five cents on a paper.
I have to read the next one, just to see how this business venture turns out.
I'm also curious on how his relationship with his father progresses.
I was hesitant to read this, because it's time setting. But I really enjoyed that too.
July 10, 2018
I love everything about it: the setting, the descriptions, the characters... everything!
The way Butterfield portraits San Francisco in the early '50 when being gay could (and would) get you in a lot of troubles is great. And yet, this is not a sombre story. Love and friendship shine brightly here, and it's a thing of beauty. Nick Willams and Carter Jones are the kind of characters that you can't avoid to fall in love. The pride they feel for each other, for their love...
The plot is well-constructed and will keep you deeply engaged until the end. And I love the way historical insights are woven into the story, how you can submerge in those time and place and simply enjoy the ride...
The narration is excellent making the experience even better. A most recommended audiobook.
The way Butterfield portraits San Francisco in the early '50 when being gay could (and would) get you in a lot of troubles is great. And yet, this is not a sombre story. Love and friendship shine brightly here, and it's a thing of beauty. Nick Willams and Carter Jones are the kind of characters that you can't avoid to fall in love. The pride they feel for each other, for their love...
The plot is well-constructed and will keep you deeply engaged until the end. And I love the way historical insights are woven into the story, how you can submerge in those time and place and simply enjoy the ride...
The narration is excellent making the experience even better. A most recommended audiobook.
August 31, 2018
Stumbled upon the series on Amazon and thought 'why not'. Well, I'm glad I did! Introduced to some fabulous characters and now that I've met them I can't wait for more, I'm hooked. ALSO, a big thanks to the author for using real street directions and mentions of real places in San Francisco. I used to live in the Castro and could follow along, unlike the movies that show a car racing down streets that are so far apart it would take at least a half hour to get from one to the other and yet somehow they are connected via 'movie magic'. Made it more real to me. Thanks also for adding historical characters as a background to set the tone, great choice. Obviously, what I'm trying to say is that if you have not as yet read this series, isn't it time you did.
October 21, 2020
Make sure you start with An Enchanted Beginning. I liked this one fine, but I'm going to jump over to the holiday shorts next. I just want more, more, more of these two interacting as a couple. Not sure if I'll make it back to the mysteries, but we'll see...
November 2, 2017
3.5
This was an interesting start to this series...I'm curious about all the characters and will read the next book.... The mystery part of the book was full but hopefully that will get better as well... Overall not a bad start...
This was an interesting start to this series...I'm curious about all the characters and will read the next book.... The mystery part of the book was full but hopefully that will get better as well... Overall not a bad start...
June 27, 2017
Good story but short on mystery
The story was good but the mystery seemed back burner. I enjoyed learning the group dynamic and look forward to the rest of the series.
The story was good but the mystery seemed back burner. I enjoyed learning the group dynamic and look forward to the rest of the series.
August 15, 2018
I am totally loving this series. Well written with well developed characters.
August 8, 2023
Reads like a pulp story. Entertaining but not much of an overall plot. It is more of a setup for future adventures. I will read more of the series to see where it goes.
June 17, 2017
A good book. Set in the '50's San Francisco when it was an offense to be gay. The characters are good and introduced a bit rapidly at the beginning so it took the first 1/2 of the book to get them all organised in my head. I'm already on the second book in the series.
April 23, 2019
This was really fun! A quick read, and not really a mystery or a romance, but enjoyable. It's sort of an upbeat, queer, noir.
I will definitely read more from this author, and more from this series.
I will definitely read more from this author, and more from this series.
September 5, 2017
Well told tale
This book had a good story with plenty of nostalgia. Enjoyed this easy and uncomplicated read. Would recommend it for any friend of Dorothy.
This book had a good story with plenty of nostalgia. Enjoyed this easy and uncomplicated read. Would recommend it for any friend of Dorothy.
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