May 11, 1953 Nick Williams, a private investigator in San Francisco, receives a late-night call that his sister is dying following a freak car accident. After rushing over to the hospital with Carter Jones, a fireman and the love of his life, he arrives just in time to say good-bye to the last member of his Nob Hill family he could stand to be around. Once the cops get a chance to take a look at … around.
Once the cops get a chance to take a look at the car, it becomes obvious this was no accident.
It was murder.
And, with that, Nick is hot on the trail to bring his sister’s killer to justice. And it’s a trail that reveals plenty of surprising secrets about his sister and their family.
Will Nick be able to find the murderer and stop them before they can strike again?
Find out in the fast-paced adventures of the case of THE UNEXPECTED HEIRESS!
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In 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.
The Unexpected Heiress is where their stories 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.
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Series: A Nick Williams Mystery #1
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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.
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!