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The Romantical Adventures of Whit & Eddie #9
Silly Little Love Songs
It's a mystery about a mystery. The State of Florida put Sal Desimone to death in 1948 for the murder of Pete Rudd. But did Sal really do it? Or was he covering for someone else?
- GenresMystery
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2021
2 people are currently reading
3 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 3, 2021
Silly Little Love Songs (Whit & Eddie 9)
By Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author
Five stars
Interesting. This one made me quite weepy. Now, why is that?
Nominally, our heroes are out to solve a seventy-five-year-old miscarriage of justice, to answer a question that’s been bothering their 104-year-old friend Ronnie since 1946. It’s a case of the wrong man being executed for murder, even though he confessed to that murder. It is a conundrum. But it’s not really the crux of the book, even though it is the driver of the plot.
It’s still Pandemic Time, something that Butterfield handles so gracefully and—for me—meaningfully. The specter of George Floyd’s murder trial is in the background, and an incident involving Whit & Eddie’s devoted security team, Billy and Dwayne, triggers an enormous subplot of philosophical and emotional conversation, which includes topics as wide-ranging as gay monogamy and Whit & Eddie’s commitment to WilliamsJones.
One of the more shocking, but perhaps not surprising, truths I stumbled on in this instalment of Whit & Eddie’s evolving life is that gay men are not automatically nice people—or even good people—just because they’re part of the same marginalized club “we” are (I am, for sure). It’s an interesting object lesson for our heroes, who have to think about who they’re going to help with all their power and wealth, and who they’re going to turn their backs on.
I’m not sure they ever turn their backs on anyone in legitimate need.
There is this metaphysical moment where Whit and Eddie ponder whether they really are meant to be another Nick and Carter—and of course the answer is yes and no. They are very different people from very different backgrounds. They are also a couple of the first quarter of the twenty-first century—not the years after World War II. It is a very different world for these men—one of whom is no longer young. We (or, at least, I) have come to really appreciate how much Carter and Nick grew as people, became forward-thinking and progressive people in an age when they could easily have ignored all sorts of uncomfortable things. (And yes, this is a modern author creating these progressive characters, but of course that’s why they feel like superheroes back in the 1940s and 50s!).
Frank Butterfield shows us the world we live in, and makes Whit and Eddie respond to that world. Today we live in a world in which our moral choices are pretty stark—if we choose to accept that idea. A lot of our country today, in 2021, is in heavy denial about what “good” really means. As much as the world has changed, Whit and Eddie have to be every bit as thoughtful and brave as Nick and Carter did; just with a different emphasis, and an expanded set of sensitivities.
Frank Butterfield offers me fictional comfort that doesn’t let me simply sigh deep romantic sighs. He makes me think, and question, and look for answers in myself. Right now, as the pandemic lifts, the world is still very ugly, and I am grateful for Frank Butterfield’s philosophical superheroes.
By Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author
Five stars
Interesting. This one made me quite weepy. Now, why is that?
Nominally, our heroes are out to solve a seventy-five-year-old miscarriage of justice, to answer a question that’s been bothering their 104-year-old friend Ronnie since 1946. It’s a case of the wrong man being executed for murder, even though he confessed to that murder. It is a conundrum. But it’s not really the crux of the book, even though it is the driver of the plot.
It’s still Pandemic Time, something that Butterfield handles so gracefully and—for me—meaningfully. The specter of George Floyd’s murder trial is in the background, and an incident involving Whit & Eddie’s devoted security team, Billy and Dwayne, triggers an enormous subplot of philosophical and emotional conversation, which includes topics as wide-ranging as gay monogamy and Whit & Eddie’s commitment to WilliamsJones.
One of the more shocking, but perhaps not surprising, truths I stumbled on in this instalment of Whit & Eddie’s evolving life is that gay men are not automatically nice people—or even good people—just because they’re part of the same marginalized club “we” are (I am, for sure). It’s an interesting object lesson for our heroes, who have to think about who they’re going to help with all their power and wealth, and who they’re going to turn their backs on.
I’m not sure they ever turn their backs on anyone in legitimate need.
There is this metaphysical moment where Whit and Eddie ponder whether they really are meant to be another Nick and Carter—and of course the answer is yes and no. They are very different people from very different backgrounds. They are also a couple of the first quarter of the twenty-first century—not the years after World War II. It is a very different world for these men—one of whom is no longer young. We (or, at least, I) have come to really appreciate how much Carter and Nick grew as people, became forward-thinking and progressive people in an age when they could easily have ignored all sorts of uncomfortable things. (And yes, this is a modern author creating these progressive characters, but of course that’s why they feel like superheroes back in the 1940s and 50s!).
Frank Butterfield shows us the world we live in, and makes Whit and Eddie respond to that world. Today we live in a world in which our moral choices are pretty stark—if we choose to accept that idea. A lot of our country today, in 2021, is in heavy denial about what “good” really means. As much as the world has changed, Whit and Eddie have to be every bit as thoughtful and brave as Nick and Carter did; just with a different emphasis, and an expanded set of sensitivities.
Frank Butterfield offers me fictional comfort that doesn’t let me simply sigh deep romantic sighs. He makes me think, and question, and look for answers in myself. Right now, as the pandemic lifts, the world is still very ugly, and I am grateful for Frank Butterfield’s philosophical superheroes.
May 22, 2021
I order this author's books without even reading what it is about. His books are like checking in with old friends that you don't see very often. This was a much longer book that normal and it was full of mystery and mayham with paranormal overtones. Eddie and Whit find themselves trying to solve the murder that was in the book, "The Biker Who Got Bumped Off." They got involved when Ronnie, their 103 yo friend, asked them to look into it because he thought he had messed up back in 1948. The book also deals with current events going on this year. Good read--started late last night and finished today.
May 21, 2021
I love this mystery with the usual bit of supernatural brought by Nick and Carter whispering in Whit and Eddie ears :P
The mystery from 1948 was fascinating and I really enjoyed the way in which they set to investigate and solve it. But the book also keeps exploring what it means to be not-straight in today's America and the challenges that Whit and Eddie face daily in a world that has changed, but not enough. Sudden riches, ghosts, marriage and mysteries... these guys have a lot going on *laughs*
And I love them :D
The mystery from 1948 was fascinating and I really enjoyed the way in which they set to investigate and solve it. But the book also keeps exploring what it means to be not-straight in today's America and the challenges that Whit and Eddie face daily in a world that has changed, but not enough. Sudden riches, ghosts, marriage and mysteries... these guys have a lot going on *laughs*
And I love them :D
May 25, 2021
epub from author; 240 pages
A somewhat convoluted plot dealing with events covered in an earlier book in a different series - and referencing a third series as well. Our leading men also work through some personal issues - and we have observations from Nick and Carter (and Tom), as well as Mario and Bob... To make sense of those cryptic remarks - go and read the Daytona Beach stories and then the earlier Whit and Eddie books...
It will be obvious that I'm a big fan of this author and his creations.
A somewhat convoluted plot dealing with events covered in an earlier book in a different series - and referencing a third series as well. Our leading men also work through some personal issues - and we have observations from Nick and Carter (and Tom), as well as Mario and Bob... To make sense of those cryptic remarks - go and read the Daytona Beach stories and then the earlier Whit and Eddie books...
It will be obvious that I'm a big fan of this author and his creations.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews