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A Nick Williams Mystery #10
The Timid Traitor
Tuesday, January 11, 1955
It's a cold January morning. As Nick and Carter sip their hot coffee in an attempt to stay warm, passers-by are stopping to gawk at San Francisco's newest skyscraper at 600 Market Street. The grand opening goes off without a hitch (and without the Mayor or anyone else of note, for that matter).
Meanwhile, back on Bush Street, Nick has a new client. Her name is Mrs. Anne-Marie Boudier. She's charming. She's chic. She was at Marnie's wedding on the groom's side. And she wants Nick to find her long lost husband.
So she can kill him.
And so begins a twisting and turning escapade of old secrets and new betrayals that will eventually take Nick and Carter across the Atlantic Ocean as they finally discover who the real traitor is.
It's a cold January morning. As Nick and Carter sip their hot coffee in an attempt to stay warm, passers-by are stopping to gawk at San Francisco's newest skyscraper at 600 Market Street. The grand opening goes off without a hitch (and without the Mayor or anyone else of note, for that matter).
Meanwhile, back on Bush Street, Nick has a new client. Her name is Mrs. Anne-Marie Boudier. She's charming. She's chic. She was at Marnie's wedding on the groom's side. And she wants Nick to find her long lost husband.
So she can kill him.
And so begins a twisting and turning escapade of old secrets and new betrayals that will eventually take Nick and Carter across the Atlantic Ocean as they finally discover who the real traitor is.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2017
24 people are currently reading
27 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 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 25, 2019
Ulysses Dietz has written the most insightful reviews for the Nick Williams Mystery series, and I recommend you read his excellent review for this book as well - link here.
I am growing to love this series for the supportive community Nick creates for his friends and employees - a growing network of people fired from their professions and discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. Nick and Carter's empire is growing - countless real estate investments, airplanes, a house in Kauai, contacts in every branch of government - with each book building on that infrastructure. For me personally, the mystery remains secondary but I like the sure way Butterfield sets the scene with details small and large from the era. 4 stars.
I am growing to love this series for the supportive community Nick creates for his friends and employees - a growing network of people fired from their professions and discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. Nick and Carter's empire is growing - countless real estate investments, airplanes, a house in Kauai, contacts in every branch of government - with each book building on that infrastructure. For me personally, the mystery remains secondary but I like the sure way Butterfield sets the scene with details small and large from the era. 4 stars.
July 18, 2017
The Timid Traitor
Frank W. Butterfield
By the author, 2017
We’re finally entering the year in which I was born (1955) and America’s richest gay man is still on the hunt for truth, justice and the American way. Nick Williams’ new twenty-story office tower is turning heads in San Francisco, and he is once again embroiled in complicated post-war mysteries that will take him, and his laconic Georgia-farm-boy husband, to various destinations around the world.
I love the Nick Williams books; they’re not deep, but in their own way they’re profound. They cast a beady eye on an America that is far less “nice” that we all thought we were; an America in which the rich and powerful do what they want without regard to actual truth or constitutional concepts of liberty and civil rights.
Oh. That’s uncomfortably familiar.
Nick Williams is an interesting guy. For all his born-to-wealth roots—dating back to a vast gold rush fortune that ended up coming to him through a notoriously gay great-uncle—he is in odd ways a typical, privileged white boy in the least appealing American way. He is ignorant of foreign cultures and languages, and is remarkably unsophisticated about everything you’d expect a gently-born man to know. He is more Ward Cleaver than James Bond. I suspect this is because he was raised by a nasty, controlling man (who, marvelously, has changed his stripes rather dramatically as the series has unfolded) and thus rejected everything his father stood for, joining the Navy and going off to war as a teenager.
So Nick is a sort of tabula rasa—a blank slate. A very rich blank slate. His only passions in life are Carter Woodrow Wilson Jones, a Georgia cracker with more muscles than you can shake a stick at; and seeking justice for any folks “in the life” who are treated badly and desperate for stability in their lives. He is careless and uncomfortable with his money—in spite of the fleet of airplanes and the vast yacht he’s acquired along the way, not to mention the “big pile of rocks” on Nob Hill in which he and Carter live, replete with servants. Nick and Carter are white-boy stereotypes made different, and heroic, because they’re gay. For Nick, money is a tool to be used to do good for gay people.
What enriches these books is Butterfield’s ability to insert snippets of political and cultural history that remind us that, behind the fantasy of Nick Williams, lie many uncomfortable truths about our nation. The definition of good and evil is never quite as simple as Nick wants it to be, and I credit the author with giving the tough-guy Nick the ability to cry when he is overwhelmed with the harsher realities of life. Nick’s tears always move me.
I imagine this series of books—like the Hardy Boys of my infancy and youth—as a television series, each book taking up several weekly episodes, rich with nostalgic 1950s details and painful reminders of the bad old days. Of course, Hollywood is no more likely to produce such a thing today than it was 62 years ago when I was born. The fact that Frank Butterfield has written the Nick Williams series is a testament to the ways in which the world has changed. The fact that it is still such an outrageous fantasy—the source of its chief pleasure for its readers—is a testament to how the world, for the marginalized of America, is much the same as it’s always been.
Frank W. Butterfield
By the author, 2017
We’re finally entering the year in which I was born (1955) and America’s richest gay man is still on the hunt for truth, justice and the American way. Nick Williams’ new twenty-story office tower is turning heads in San Francisco, and he is once again embroiled in complicated post-war mysteries that will take him, and his laconic Georgia-farm-boy husband, to various destinations around the world.
I love the Nick Williams books; they’re not deep, but in their own way they’re profound. They cast a beady eye on an America that is far less “nice” that we all thought we were; an America in which the rich and powerful do what they want without regard to actual truth or constitutional concepts of liberty and civil rights.
Oh. That’s uncomfortably familiar.
Nick Williams is an interesting guy. For all his born-to-wealth roots—dating back to a vast gold rush fortune that ended up coming to him through a notoriously gay great-uncle—he is in odd ways a typical, privileged white boy in the least appealing American way. He is ignorant of foreign cultures and languages, and is remarkably unsophisticated about everything you’d expect a gently-born man to know. He is more Ward Cleaver than James Bond. I suspect this is because he was raised by a nasty, controlling man (who, marvelously, has changed his stripes rather dramatically as the series has unfolded) and thus rejected everything his father stood for, joining the Navy and going off to war as a teenager.
So Nick is a sort of tabula rasa—a blank slate. A very rich blank slate. His only passions in life are Carter Woodrow Wilson Jones, a Georgia cracker with more muscles than you can shake a stick at; and seeking justice for any folks “in the life” who are treated badly and desperate for stability in their lives. He is careless and uncomfortable with his money—in spite of the fleet of airplanes and the vast yacht he’s acquired along the way, not to mention the “big pile of rocks” on Nob Hill in which he and Carter live, replete with servants. Nick and Carter are white-boy stereotypes made different, and heroic, because they’re gay. For Nick, money is a tool to be used to do good for gay people.
What enriches these books is Butterfield’s ability to insert snippets of political and cultural history that remind us that, behind the fantasy of Nick Williams, lie many uncomfortable truths about our nation. The definition of good and evil is never quite as simple as Nick wants it to be, and I credit the author with giving the tough-guy Nick the ability to cry when he is overwhelmed with the harsher realities of life. Nick’s tears always move me.
I imagine this series of books—like the Hardy Boys of my infancy and youth—as a television series, each book taking up several weekly episodes, rich with nostalgic 1950s details and painful reminders of the bad old days. Of course, Hollywood is no more likely to produce such a thing today than it was 62 years ago when I was born. The fact that Frank Butterfield has written the Nick Williams series is a testament to the ways in which the world has changed. The fact that it is still such an outrageous fantasy—the source of its chief pleasure for its readers—is a testament to how the world, for the marginalized of America, is much the same as it’s always been.
November 21, 2017
I started reading the Nick Williams Mysteries two weeks ago and just finished book 10. (I'm borderline obsessed.) Now I wish I'd paused long enough between books to make brief review/reading notes, but happily can suggest reading the intelligent and insightful reviews by Ulysses Dietz to get a sense of the pros and cons of each book in this series.
The books start in 1953. I was born the year before and obviously can't claim vivid memories of the early 50s, but the decade is strongly imprinted on my childhood memories. Although too much of a 60s teen and 70s young adult to wax nostalgic about that time, I'm awash in memories that are partly authentic and partly supplemented by my father's Kodachrome slides. This was a time of casual racism, homophobia, and sexism, a time when classmates were forbidden speaking their family's native Spanish at school. A time of fear — of anything "other," of Communists who would take away our religion and our parents, of "The Bomb," (On the Beach), of alien space ships landing in your backyard (The Day the Earth Stood Still). It was also a time of American innocence and ignorance and the hubris of good intentions.
It's maybe that aspect of 1950s American life that Nick Williams personifies. It's a bit off-putting at times, and yet endearing. Still we cheer Nick on because he's a champion for the oppressed and he's "teachable" in the way we can only hope to be ourselves. This book is one of those rambling, all over the place stories, one where Butterfield's note at the end of each book saying that the story came to him "out of thin air" is especially apparent. But I kind of love that about his writing; it's endearing the way Nick is endearing. In this particular story new characters are introduced, members of the growing ensemble of characters are revisited, hard truths revealed, and Nick more perhaps poignantly than ever before sees that money can't solve everything.
P.S. Butterfield's "Historical Notes" at the end of each book are wonderful.
The books start in 1953. I was born the year before and obviously can't claim vivid memories of the early 50s, but the decade is strongly imprinted on my childhood memories. Although too much of a 60s teen and 70s young adult to wax nostalgic about that time, I'm awash in memories that are partly authentic and partly supplemented by my father's Kodachrome slides. This was a time of casual racism, homophobia, and sexism, a time when classmates were forbidden speaking their family's native Spanish at school. A time of fear — of anything "other," of Communists who would take away our religion and our parents, of "The Bomb," (On the Beach), of alien space ships landing in your backyard (The Day the Earth Stood Still). It was also a time of American innocence and ignorance and the hubris of good intentions.
It's maybe that aspect of 1950s American life that Nick Williams personifies. It's a bit off-putting at times, and yet endearing. Still we cheer Nick on because he's a champion for the oppressed and he's "teachable" in the way we can only hope to be ourselves. This book is one of those rambling, all over the place stories, one where Butterfield's note at the end of each book saying that the story came to him "out of thin air" is especially apparent. But I kind of love that about his writing; it's endearing the way Nick is endearing. In this particular story new characters are introduced, members of the growing ensemble of characters are revisited, hard truths revealed, and Nick more perhaps poignantly than ever before sees that money can't solve everything.
P.S. Butterfield's "Historical Notes" at the end of each book are wonderful.
July 14, 2023
Another satisfying adventure mystery with Nick and Carter, husbands in 1950's San Francisco long before that term was being used by gay men. Nick's still the richest man in town which kind of shields him from most of the prejudice and bigotry of the day. But certainly not all. This episode, the new office building is ready for occupancy. And their jet airplane is used more than they imagine. The most memorable story is the love between these two men. Swoon worthy as they battle injustice and save the world one person at a time. 3.5 out of 5.
May 13, 2017
This is the 10th book in the Nick Williams mystery series and it takes place in January of 1955. We find the dynamic duo at the grand opening of the modern skyscraper that Nick has purchased, and where the new offices of his business will be. Family and friends gather excitedly for the ribbon cutting. The building is deemed the lipstick building by some in the press. Nick isn't used to the modern architecture and doesn't seem excited about moving in the new location. Also, Ben & Carlos arrive from Los Angeles with a friend who wants Nick's assistance with a matter . Also, a woman from Marine's wedding ask for Nick's assistance in finding her husband who is a traitor. This and more twists and turns in this little gem of series. Not only is this a fun read, but a good read!
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July 23, 2017We'll always have Paris, thanks to this Nick Williams novel. On to the next.
May 4, 2017
Another fun read!
I wish there were more. I wish I could read one a week. I love the characters in the Nick and Carter mysteries. And in the Timid Traitor, the plot is juicy.
I wish there were more. I wish I could read one a week. I love the characters in the Nick and Carter mysteries. And in the Timid Traitor, the plot is juicy.
August 19, 2017
Sorry folks, this is not a book you want to take on a *long* vacation, not unless you also bring a few more of Frank's books with you. This is another of my favorites in the series, but one that goes fast. Not soon after you start it, you'll find it hard to put down. And just when one curiosity is satisfied, another is piqued. If you read it by a pool, wear sunscreen cause you’re not going to remember to roll over in time!
Since new characters are continually folding into the fabric, there's always one or two that Frank develops further. This time, we get a much better look at Sam. If you're paying attention, you'll notice many others being described in more detail (for our understanding) while they evolve (likely due to having Carter and Nick in their lives). Do enjoy this; it’s fun!
Since new characters are continually folding into the fabric, there's always one or two that Frank develops further. This time, we get a much better look at Sam. If you're paying attention, you'll notice many others being described in more detail (for our understanding) while they evolve (likely due to having Carter and Nick in their lives). Do enjoy this; it’s fun!
September 14, 2021
This book didn’t wow me. I wanted it to be over.
Sad turn of events for Ike. Though I figured he was not going to be a long term love for Sam. Poor Sam.
I don’t like people asking Nick for all these favors. Especially when it’s illegal. I understand and sympathize with Nacho’s wife. I’m glad Nick and Carter helped her. Nick and Carter’s deep feelings for Nacho (from a previous book) totally went over my head though. He was the enemy then boom they were attracted to him then boom deep feelings. 🙄 anyway.
I didn’t care one jot about Anne-Marie Boudier. I did not trust her when she asked for help. Jeez. What a mess. Did Christine have to clean that up?! I might have skimmed a little during those parts.
I do get the warm fuzzies when Nick and Carter can help someone genuinely desperate. Like Jacob.
Knowing how Joan Crawford really treated her children dulled my interest and anticipation in her storyline. The most interesting part of that whole thing was the description detail in Nick’s search of Markinson’s house.
I continue to not really care about Nick’s father. He’s still an asshole in my mind. I hate busy body characters. I don’t care how many problems they ‘solve’ for the main characters. So Leticia makes my eyes roll. Marnie is just filler in the series. She giggles a lot. I don’t dislike the character. She just doesn’t really do anything. Nick says she’s really invaluable though.
Give me more Gustav and Ferdinand antics! Lol
Sad turn of events for Ike. Though I figured he was not going to be a long term love for Sam. Poor Sam.
I don’t like people asking Nick for all these favors. Especially when it’s illegal. I understand and sympathize with Nacho’s wife. I’m glad Nick and Carter helped her. Nick and Carter’s deep feelings for Nacho (from a previous book) totally went over my head though. He was the enemy then boom they were attracted to him then boom deep feelings. 🙄 anyway.
I didn’t care one jot about Anne-Marie Boudier. I did not trust her when she asked for help. Jeez. What a mess. Did Christine have to clean that up?! I might have skimmed a little during those parts.
I do get the warm fuzzies when Nick and Carter can help someone genuinely desperate. Like Jacob.
Knowing how Joan Crawford really treated her children dulled my interest and anticipation in her storyline. The most interesting part of that whole thing was the description detail in Nick’s search of Markinson’s house.
I continue to not really care about Nick’s father. He’s still an asshole in my mind. I hate busy body characters. I don’t care how many problems they ‘solve’ for the main characters. So Leticia makes my eyes roll. Marnie is just filler in the series. She giggles a lot. I don’t dislike the character. She just doesn’t really do anything. Nick says she’s really invaluable though.
Give me more Gustav and Ferdinand antics! Lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2019
Loved
This series has to be one of my fave series. I swoon and lust over Nick and Carter. I can just hear Carter’s southern drawl as he pours on honey laden charm. Makes my tummy do all sorts of somersaults. And Nick? He is so good. So filled with kindness and love. Just put me in the middle of a Nick and Carter sandwich. Yummmmm....
This series has to be one of my fave series. I swoon and lust over Nick and Carter. I can just hear Carter’s southern drawl as he pours on honey laden charm. Makes my tummy do all sorts of somersaults. And Nick? He is so good. So filled with kindness and love. Just put me in the middle of a Nick and Carter sandwich. Yummmmm....
December 5, 2018
Great book,characters, plot, everything
Frank, you must truly have had the love of your life. It's a love we all hope to find, but most of us never do. I truly enjoy the love Nick and Carter have. Iove love love your books. God bless your beautiful heart
Frank, you must truly have had the love of your life. It's a love we all hope to find, but most of us never do. I truly enjoy the love Nick and Carter have. Iove love love your books. God bless your beautiful heart
March 13, 2018
Loved it
August 3, 2022
Nick's about to open his new office building when his plans are interrupted - and whistle stop tour of Mexico and the Caribbean (Cuba and Nassau) leads to Spain and Paris... Several old friends reappear and Nick gains some more employees but that is almost incidental to the overtones of the story. Early 1955 and the War still looms large, especially in the eyes of those whose country was invaded - even more so when people are identified as collaborators.
Notwithsatnding, this is an excellent continuation to the story.
Notwithsatnding, this is an excellent continuation to the story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews