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A Nick Williams Mystery #31
The Manic Mechanic
Monday, June 6, 1966
Nick, Carter, and the gang are off to the bright lights of Broadway!
Angela Lansbury is starring at the Winter Garden in Mame, and everyone is excited to see the biggest smash hit since Fiddler on the Roof!
Well, almost everyone.
Mike has demanded a motorcycle road trip up the Hudson River Valley as compensation for having to squeeze into a tux. Poor guy!
Reluctantly, Nick agrees and, the day after a fabulous night of singing and dancing, they're loaded up and making their way over the George Washington Bridge, up the scenic Palisades Parkway, and heading to points north.
But the trip is over when one of their friends takes a spill on the highway and ends up in traction. Nick and Carter do what they can to help and then return to Manhattan to take care of pressing business in the city before flying home.
However, after hearing a tale that is right out a mystery novel and receiving a desperate call about a murder, Nick and Carter head back upstate, hot on the trail of the curious case of The Manic Mechanic!
- GenresMystery
435 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2019
15 people are currently reading
7 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 10, 2020
Another winner!
This book had a more complicated case than most of the other books so I had to really concentrate. It was an excellent mystery with lots of captivating details. What I enjoyed the most was Carters’s boundless love for Nick which is always a highlight for me and, of course, vice versa. But it was Carter who held my heart in this book. Nick, you lucky guy! There were tears involving Mike which caught me off guard and in no time I was reaching for the tissues. And emeralds, oooh la la! This book pushed all my buttons and added a few to boot. 5 stars!
This book had a more complicated case than most of the other books so I had to really concentrate. It was an excellent mystery with lots of captivating details. What I enjoyed the most was Carters’s boundless love for Nick which is always a highlight for me and, of course, vice versa. But it was Carter who held my heart in this book. Nick, you lucky guy! There were tears involving Mike which caught me off guard and in no time I was reaching for the tissues. And emeralds, oooh la la! This book pushed all my buttons and added a few to boot. 5 stars!
August 3, 2019
The Manic Mechanic (Nick and Carter #31)
By Frank Butterfield
Spring 2019 by the author
Four stars
“Well, son, there are a lot of moving parts at WilliamsJones and, right now, one of those gears is more in alignment with doing what looks right than what you personally want.”
“I know you’re good for it.”
Each new installment of the adventures of Nick and Carter takes us somewhere else in the world. The reader’s reaction to the specific plot art of any one book will probably determine how much they like that specific chapter in the Nick Williams saga. Two things that are always present: cars and other, bigger, modes of transportation (in this case a Boeing 707).
However, the real purpose of every one of these books is to help us explore Nick and Carter’s emotional development, individually and as a couple – and also the parallel development of the people around them whom they love. This epic series is at heart the story of a gay couple’s life, regardless of whether or not we think they’re superheroes, or whether or not there’s something supernatural afoot in the guise of the ghost of great-uncle Paul Williams.
I got less emotionally involved in this book than in others in the series – no surprise, since that’s what I’m attuned to. Nonetheless, I continued to be charmed and amused by Frank Butterfield’s ability to weave these tales out of his imagination, and to give them historical heft and emotional truth. No matter how fantastical things might get, the stories are always anchored in reality, and that makes them feel alive.
As a sidebar to seeing Angela Lansbury premiere in Mame on Broadway, Nick and Carter, and their old friends Ben and Mike, decide to take a motorcycle tour up the Hudson Valley. Alex and Marnie LeBeau are with them, although their plans are outside the central plot arc, other than involvement with an emerald necklace that may or may not have a curse on it.
Whatever happens in the story is always secondary to what we learn about Nick’s inner life and his ongoing maturation (at the age of 44) as a man in full. There is unfinished emotional business in this book, triggered by the motorcycles, and it stands out as a startling and poignant pivot point in Nick and Carter’s nineteen-year partnership. I laughed out loud at one point when Nick admits to a prospective employee that working for WilliamsJones generally involves both crying and kissing. This has been sort of an unspoken undercurrent from the very first book – men who weep because they feel, and men who kiss other men (yes, and women) because they are unafraid to show what they feel. It’s an oddly powerful truth, and one that underscores how different Butterfield’s reality is from the dominant reality of the 1950s and 60s (at least the one we were all allowed to experience as we grew up).
Because of Frank Butterfield’s “Eddie and Whit” series, we all have been allowed to know something of the full arc of Nick and Carter’s lives. We have also, thereby, learned the possible extent of the Nick and Carter book series. In other words, there’s a lot of them left in the author’s mind. Really a lot. Unless he gets bored and starts jumping decades. As is his right, after all.
But I’m not anxious for the cruise to end. Nick and Carter have become my gay parents (since they are in fact my parents’ age). It will be a long time before I want to let them go.
By Frank Butterfield
Spring 2019 by the author
Four stars
“Well, son, there are a lot of moving parts at WilliamsJones and, right now, one of those gears is more in alignment with doing what looks right than what you personally want.”
“I know you’re good for it.”
Each new installment of the adventures of Nick and Carter takes us somewhere else in the world. The reader’s reaction to the specific plot art of any one book will probably determine how much they like that specific chapter in the Nick Williams saga. Two things that are always present: cars and other, bigger, modes of transportation (in this case a Boeing 707).
However, the real purpose of every one of these books is to help us explore Nick and Carter’s emotional development, individually and as a couple – and also the parallel development of the people around them whom they love. This epic series is at heart the story of a gay couple’s life, regardless of whether or not we think they’re superheroes, or whether or not there’s something supernatural afoot in the guise of the ghost of great-uncle Paul Williams.
I got less emotionally involved in this book than in others in the series – no surprise, since that’s what I’m attuned to. Nonetheless, I continued to be charmed and amused by Frank Butterfield’s ability to weave these tales out of his imagination, and to give them historical heft and emotional truth. No matter how fantastical things might get, the stories are always anchored in reality, and that makes them feel alive.
As a sidebar to seeing Angela Lansbury premiere in Mame on Broadway, Nick and Carter, and their old friends Ben and Mike, decide to take a motorcycle tour up the Hudson Valley. Alex and Marnie LeBeau are with them, although their plans are outside the central plot arc, other than involvement with an emerald necklace that may or may not have a curse on it.
Whatever happens in the story is always secondary to what we learn about Nick’s inner life and his ongoing maturation (at the age of 44) as a man in full. There is unfinished emotional business in this book, triggered by the motorcycles, and it stands out as a startling and poignant pivot point in Nick and Carter’s nineteen-year partnership. I laughed out loud at one point when Nick admits to a prospective employee that working for WilliamsJones generally involves both crying and kissing. This has been sort of an unspoken undercurrent from the very first book – men who weep because they feel, and men who kiss other men (yes, and women) because they are unafraid to show what they feel. It’s an oddly powerful truth, and one that underscores how different Butterfield’s reality is from the dominant reality of the 1950s and 60s (at least the one we were all allowed to experience as we grew up).
Because of Frank Butterfield’s “Eddie and Whit” series, we all have been allowed to know something of the full arc of Nick and Carter’s lives. We have also, thereby, learned the possible extent of the Nick and Carter book series. In other words, there’s a lot of them left in the author’s mind. Really a lot. Unless he gets bored and starts jumping decades. As is his right, after all.
But I’m not anxious for the cruise to end. Nick and Carter have become my gay parents (since they are in fact my parents’ age). It will be a long time before I want to let them go.
July 19, 2019
Delightful - with some nice cameos.
August 28, 2021
I have to say that Frank Butterfield writes engrossing and compelling stories. He develops a plot with precision and intrigue, offering deep background and descriptions of his characters and locations. You feel like these are real people and you are experiencing the era in which the stories are set. He is trying to emulate the feeling of pulp fiction novels from the early to mid 20th century, however, that is oftentimes his downfall. As these stories are episodic in nature, a reader is probably not going to select a random title in the series to have a read. You need to start at the beginning of the series, as they are written on a timeline, in order to truly fall in love with the main characters. We see them grow as friends and lovers. We see relationships grow and deepen and sometimes, end. You can't experience the full enchantment of this series unless you start at the beginning. One follows the other in the calendar year or year by year. Characters you meet in the beginning books carry forward into the next story (unless they are killed off or their necessity to move the plot along is no longer needed). Unfortunately, Mr. Butterfield takes up a great deal of written space because he feels the need to repeat each character's back story in every book, as if we're meeting them for the first time. AGAIN, as a reader, you're not going to pick up Mystery #17 without reading the prior 16 books, so there is no need to repeat the entire description of each character in each book. At first, it was amusing but as each book passed, it became annoying. I felt like the author was being paid by the word so he needed to fill up as many pages as possible. (How many times do we need to know that Carter is the most handsome man of 6 continents, that Mike's angry face could scare the citizens of a small village, or that the scar on Henry's face caused by a German soldier made him more handsome in Nick's eyes?) It just felt like overkill. As with all of the books in this Nick Williams Mystery series, a better proofreader was needed. The author always takes the time to thank those that helped get his books to completion - often times the beta readers - but either they're not very good at spotting grammatical/spelling/word choice errors or the author chooses to ignore their notations and proceeds to publication without correcting them. Either way, many, many errors are found throughout this very lengthy series of books. Because of these criticisms, I would rate this series overall at a 4.0. Some books would only get a 3.5 due to unresolved plot lines and the introduction or inclusion of non-essential characters.
July 24, 2019
epub on Kobo, via Patreon; 237 pages
This latest in the continuing adventures of Nick and Carter brings us to the summer of 1966. The boys (hah!) are on their way to New York to see Mame with Angela Lansbury, along with Mike and Greg - with the intention of taking a road trip by motorbike afterwards. Nick is forced to face his unease about bikes - and after an accident is precipitated into a mystery that would not be out of place in an Agatha Christie book. He is able to 'do a Poirot' (for the second time in a year) and also manages some match-making, as well as recruiting new members for the team. And buying some property - all par for the course. There is a touch of the supernatural - Uncle Paul makes an appearance - and the suggestion of a curse...
I really enjoy this series - and as I was almost at the end of my schooling in 1966 it will be fun to follow the books while I'm remembering then current events more clearly than in previous books.
This latest in the continuing adventures of Nick and Carter brings us to the summer of 1966. The boys (hah!) are on their way to New York to see Mame with Angela Lansbury, along with Mike and Greg - with the intention of taking a road trip by motorbike afterwards. Nick is forced to face his unease about bikes - and after an accident is precipitated into a mystery that would not be out of place in an Agatha Christie book. He is able to 'do a Poirot' (for the second time in a year) and also manages some match-making, as well as recruiting new members for the team. And buying some property - all par for the course. There is a touch of the supernatural - Uncle Paul makes an appearance - and the suggestion of a curse...
I really enjoy this series - and as I was almost at the end of my schooling in 1966 it will be fun to follow the books while I'm remembering then current events more clearly than in previous books.
July 15, 2019
A Bit Off
The mystery and characters are as intriguing and developed as in previous books but the editing shows some serious discrepancies from earlier work. There were too many missing bits to call this book ready. Maybe system error?
Good mystery with a well defined tie in to Agatha Christie and her stories. More match-making and as usual an abundance of new LGBT characters to fill in cast roles.
The mystery and characters are as intriguing and developed as in previous books but the editing shows some serious discrepancies from earlier work. There were too many missing bits to call this book ready. Maybe system error?
Good mystery with a well defined tie in to Agatha Christie and her stories. More match-making and as usual an abundance of new LGBT characters to fill in cast roles.
September 18, 2019
Wonderful
Hooked on the Nick and Carter series! This was the best for me,because 1966 is a year in which I can relate to. Details are carefully researched to add authenticity😎 cars,clothes,and popular trends are added to make for a great whodunit.
Hooked on the Nick and Carter series! This was the best for me,because 1966 is a year in which I can relate to. Details are carefully researched to add authenticity😎 cars,clothes,and popular trends are added to make for a great whodunit.
December 8, 2019
As usual another excellent Nick and Carter story. Awesome series.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews