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The Adventures of Nick & Carter #4
The Sordid Socialite
Monday, January 11, 1971
It's 1971 and Nick is even more of a celebrity these days than ever.
He's now famous and no longer infamous. 1953 is a long, long time ago, after all.
Because of his increasing celebrity, he and Carter are getting invited to a lot of parties thrown by people who, not that long ago, wouldn't have given either man the time of day.
While at one of these parties at a famous old Victorian house, Nick makes an unexpected discovery involving a spinning wheel and a girl who looks vaguely familiar to him.
One thing leads to another and Nick finds himself back at the old Victorian, trying to find that vaguely familiar girl because he's discovered who she really is.
And that was an unexpected surprise, to say the least.
Hopefully, he and Carter will be able to find her before someone gets killed.
But will they?
Read The Sordid Socialite and find out.
It's 1971 and Nick is even more of a celebrity these days than ever.
He's now famous and no longer infamous. 1953 is a long, long time ago, after all.
Because of his increasing celebrity, he and Carter are getting invited to a lot of parties thrown by people who, not that long ago, wouldn't have given either man the time of day.
While at one of these parties at a famous old Victorian house, Nick makes an unexpected discovery involving a spinning wheel and a girl who looks vaguely familiar to him.
One thing leads to another and Nick finds himself back at the old Victorian, trying to find that vaguely familiar girl because he's discovered who she really is.
And that was an unexpected surprise, to say the least.
Hopefully, he and Carter will be able to find her before someone gets killed.
But will they?
Read The Sordid Socialite and find out.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2022
4 people are currently reading
5 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 18, 2022
Another fantastic mystery in this series, a wonderful puzzle of identities and another great adventure for Nick and Carter... with some troubles in paradise :P
I love all Mr Butterfield books but Nick holds a special place in my heart. He's a fixer, he wants his people happy and healthy and he is working to make the world a better place, how could you not love him? Yes, the gang is wonderful, and Carter is such a fantastic character, but sorry, Nick is the one who stole my heart :P
And there are some new characters, yay! I hope we'll be seeing more of them in the next book. Because, after that ending? Of course there will be more books *looks sternly to the author* pretty soon, I hope :P
I love all Mr Butterfield books but Nick holds a special place in my heart. He's a fixer, he wants his people happy and healthy and he is working to make the world a better place, how could you not love him? Yes, the gang is wonderful, and Carter is such a fantastic character, but sorry, Nick is the one who stole my heart :P
And there are some new characters, yay! I hope we'll be seeing more of them in the next book. Because, after that ending? Of course there will be more books *looks sternly to the author* pretty soon, I hope :P
February 17, 2022
I don't know how Mr. Butterfield comes up with the myriad of plots and twists he does, but I'm certainly glad he seems to have an endless well from which to draw stories to tell. I don't think I'll ever tire of Nick and Carter!
February 16, 2022
I thought this book was one of your best. You allowed us to see that Nick and Carter were not perfect and always in tune. It was sad that Nick's relatives had to be so terrible to him. Loved the ending and I cannot wait until the next one.
March 9, 2022
I had just been researching old houses in San Francisco, so this story happened to be particularly timely for me. Such a great series.
February 27, 2022
*Graciously provided a copy for review*
Wow! Just, wow! This book was fantastic. Nick is truly back. I love all of Frank Butterfield's collections, but I have a special place in my heart for all things Nick and Carter. This book had so many twists and turns, and the characters were so richly developed. From the minute I picked up this book I could not put it down. When the ending came I yelled an audible "no!" I was so engrossed I didn't even realize I had reached the end. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! If you love mysteries, suspense, love, or are just a sucker for good storytelling, this is the book for you!
Wow! Just, wow! This book was fantastic. Nick is truly back. I love all of Frank Butterfield's collections, but I have a special place in my heart for all things Nick and Carter. This book had so many twists and turns, and the characters were so richly developed. From the minute I picked up this book I could not put it down. When the ending came I yelled an audible "no!" I was so engrossed I didn't even realize I had reached the end. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! If you love mysteries, suspense, love, or are just a sucker for good storytelling, this is the book for you!
March 19, 2022
Interesting Installment
This fourth installment picks up at the end of book 3 and continues into book 5, yet to be released. Which means we have a true serial running here, with ongoing storyline and characters dropping in and out. The primary characters are ones we know well, and the story is something in a similar vein but different from the original series.
This fourth installment picks up at the end of book 3 and continues into book 5, yet to be released. Which means we have a true serial running here, with ongoing storyline and characters dropping in and out. The primary characters are ones we know well, and the story is something in a similar vein but different from the original series.
April 19, 2022
pdf from author via Patreon (216 kobo pages)
In a long-running series like this one gets to know the regular characters quite well so when one starts to behave out of the normal range of behaviour it can come as a shock. Back in San Francisco after a New Year away our perfect partners seem to be at odds. Nick is depressed by the weather (wet and cold) and Carter seems too busy to pay attention - Nick almost feels he is being pushed away.
The opening is unsettling, therefore - and it's a while before Our Heroes begin to work together in the harmony we have come to expect. Nick talks himself into producing a new soap opera and the social whirl of events, 'things' to which they are invited for no real reason other than the cachet accrued by being the 'pet fag' of the social set - how times have changed since 1947 (though not all people think so) - throws up a good old-fashioned mystery.
A peculiarly satisfactory book - we learn some more about Nick's ancestors, both in the flesh and via his dreams, and meet some other people, some important to the supporting cast and some real famous names. What's more - while the central investigation is largely completed there is one big loose end still flapping for Nick and Carter to tie down when they get up after a touching resolution to their personal 'problems'.
In a long-running series like this one gets to know the regular characters quite well so when one starts to behave out of the normal range of behaviour it can come as a shock. Back in San Francisco after a New Year away our perfect partners seem to be at odds. Nick is depressed by the weather (wet and cold) and Carter seems too busy to pay attention - Nick almost feels he is being pushed away.
The opening is unsettling, therefore - and it's a while before Our Heroes begin to work together in the harmony we have come to expect. Nick talks himself into producing a new soap opera and the social whirl of events, 'things' to which they are invited for no real reason other than the cachet accrued by being the 'pet fag' of the social set - how times have changed since 1947 (though not all people think so) - throws up a good old-fashioned mystery.
A peculiarly satisfactory book - we learn some more about Nick's ancestors, both in the flesh and via his dreams, and meet some other people, some important to the supporting cast and some real famous names. What's more - while the central investigation is largely completed there is one big loose end still flapping for Nick and Carter to tie down when they get up after a touching resolution to their personal 'problems'.
December 20, 2022
What a captivating mystery adventure. The more that’s revealed, the more intriguing the story becomes. Terrific to read, but difficult to review without spoiling the surprises. Uncloaking identities and circumstances springboard to further puzzles. But Nick’s on the case.
What’s no mystery, though, is the delight in connecting with Nick, Carter, and the WJ team again. Just love these guys. What a hoot it would be to work for WilliamsJones!
I loved hearing Nick’s voice again, too. No, not audio, but rather, what lights up the page via paper or e-reader. Frank has a flair for dialogue. Nick’s voice is clear and distinct, whether he’s speaking to another person, thinking to himself, or narrating. The clip and phrasing are clearly Nick’s own. And consistently so, from book to book.
The Sordid Socialite is a great, mesmerizing tale. Much more to learn in the coming follow-up. Heartily recommend.
What’s no mystery, though, is the delight in connecting with Nick, Carter, and the WJ team again. Just love these guys. What a hoot it would be to work for WilliamsJones!
I loved hearing Nick’s voice again, too. No, not audio, but rather, what lights up the page via paper or e-reader. Frank has a flair for dialogue. Nick’s voice is clear and distinct, whether he’s speaking to another person, thinking to himself, or narrating. The clip and phrasing are clearly Nick’s own. And consistently so, from book to book.
The Sordid Socialite is a great, mesmerizing tale. Much more to learn in the coming follow-up. Heartily recommend.
July 12, 2022
The Sordid Socialite (Adventures of Nick & Carter 4)
BY Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2021
Five stars
It’s 1971. Nick Williams is 49, while Carter Jones is 51. Back in San Francisco after their peripatetic years, they’ve settled into the mansion on Nob Hill, and are finding themselves the darlings of the “radical chic” moment in American socio-political history. Even as they continue to dodge the undesired attention of various government agencies, they are taken up by rich people caught up in the adventure of playing close to the edge. (Whatever that might mean to them.)
As always, there is “the story,” and there’s the “real story.” In this instance, in a book that gets surprisingly dark, these two narrative lines really intertwine in ways that are shocking and revealing. Frank Butterfield is pretty blunt in his negative assessment of our own government’s willingness to do truly evil things in the name of the “greater good.” Nick and Carter, who should be treated as superheroes, really just want to be left alone to live their lives, Instead, they have to resort to bodyguards and subterfuge just to be safe from their own government (but not JUST their own government).
To add emotional complexity here, Nick starts down a road of discovering involving his mother’s family, hitherto entirely unknown to him. Shocking secrets are suddenly cast into the light—secrets that, ironically, strengthen the bond that Nick and his father have forged over the years. Nick discovers, not much to his surprise, that Parnell Williams is not the only difficult person in his bloodline.
We also find Nick still floundering a bit, trying to figure out what to do with himself. Carter is happily ensconced in the book-publishing arm of WilliamsJones, and finds that it is not just a job, but a vocation. The big handsome fireman, in his middle years, has found his calling. Nick, not so much, but his success at producing a television series for Monumental was so successful, Carter urges him to look in that direction. For someone who has always hated television, Nick seems to have found his calling there.
I have to interject here that the television timeslot Nick’s production company is supposed to fill is the one left open by the 1971 cancellation of “Dark Shadows.” I was fifteen when this story takes place, and an avid fan of Dark Shadows. The vividness of Butterfield’s Nick & Carter stories partly stems from my ability to imagine the against the background of my own life at the time. I wonder what the demographic profile of Butterfield’s fan-base is? All I know is that my fondness for Nick & Carter stems from the fact that I can think of them as the gay dads I never had. I loved my mom and dad a lot, but wow, being Nick & Carter’s gay kid…
The book ends with a lot of loose ends—and in fact is the first of an “internal trilogy” with a closely linked plotline. I’m reading the second in this trilogy, “The Useful Uncle,” and the third one is due out later this month. I’ll be there.
BY Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2021
Five stars
It’s 1971. Nick Williams is 49, while Carter Jones is 51. Back in San Francisco after their peripatetic years, they’ve settled into the mansion on Nob Hill, and are finding themselves the darlings of the “radical chic” moment in American socio-political history. Even as they continue to dodge the undesired attention of various government agencies, they are taken up by rich people caught up in the adventure of playing close to the edge. (Whatever that might mean to them.)
As always, there is “the story,” and there’s the “real story.” In this instance, in a book that gets surprisingly dark, these two narrative lines really intertwine in ways that are shocking and revealing. Frank Butterfield is pretty blunt in his negative assessment of our own government’s willingness to do truly evil things in the name of the “greater good.” Nick and Carter, who should be treated as superheroes, really just want to be left alone to live their lives, Instead, they have to resort to bodyguards and subterfuge just to be safe from their own government (but not JUST their own government).
To add emotional complexity here, Nick starts down a road of discovering involving his mother’s family, hitherto entirely unknown to him. Shocking secrets are suddenly cast into the light—secrets that, ironically, strengthen the bond that Nick and his father have forged over the years. Nick discovers, not much to his surprise, that Parnell Williams is not the only difficult person in his bloodline.
We also find Nick still floundering a bit, trying to figure out what to do with himself. Carter is happily ensconced in the book-publishing arm of WilliamsJones, and finds that it is not just a job, but a vocation. The big handsome fireman, in his middle years, has found his calling. Nick, not so much, but his success at producing a television series for Monumental was so successful, Carter urges him to look in that direction. For someone who has always hated television, Nick seems to have found his calling there.
I have to interject here that the television timeslot Nick’s production company is supposed to fill is the one left open by the 1971 cancellation of “Dark Shadows.” I was fifteen when this story takes place, and an avid fan of Dark Shadows. The vividness of Butterfield’s Nick & Carter stories partly stems from my ability to imagine the against the background of my own life at the time. I wonder what the demographic profile of Butterfield’s fan-base is? All I know is that my fondness for Nick & Carter stems from the fact that I can think of them as the gay dads I never had. I loved my mom and dad a lot, but wow, being Nick & Carter’s gay kid…
The book ends with a lot of loose ends—and in fact is the first of an “internal trilogy” with a closely linked plotline. I’m reading the second in this trilogy, “The Useful Uncle,” and the third one is due out later this month. I’ll be there.
October 16, 2022
I liked the introduction of new characters and can't wait to read more about them. The story flowed well.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews