The Useful Uncle (Adventures of Nick & Carter 5) by Frank Butterfield

[Ulysses]

The Useful Uncle (Adventures of Nick & Carter, book 5)
By Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2022
Five stars

Who is the useful uncle? I’m pretty sure it’s Nick himself, and therein lies a tale, as dark and bloody as any Nick and Carter have ever stumbled on in the course of their busy lives.

This book is really the second of a trilogy set within the larger cycle of “adventures” created by Frank Butterfield as a spin-off to the epic Nick Williams Mystery series. I assume this is a promise that not every book will be involved with murder, but there will obviously be mysteries, and complications, as the richest gay couple in the history of the world make their way toward truth, justice, and the American way.

The trouble with the American Way, as we’ve all come to realize in the past few years, is that it is understood differently by different people. Nick and Carter are reminded of this constantly, as they shuttle about San Francisco in an armored Lincoln with a team of guardians. Nick finds himself caught up in a sordid intrigue that starts with sex and drugs and ends up spiraling into a series of violent killings that, finally, hit far too close to home.

What has always been Butterfield’s gift is telling a story that catches you up in it—no matter how many books he produces from his fertile imagination. But the story is always supported with historical facts—touchstones that root the narrative in reality. Nick and Carter are fantasies, but they live in a world that really existed, and about which those of us who grew up in it were rarely taught the full truth. Butterfield teaches us about Nick and Carter and their lives, their emotional traumas; but he also casts a sometimes-unflattering light on truths that our parents (if they even knew the truth themselves) tried to shield us from.

The historical figures that appear here and there in the story are varied and surprising—from Rosalind Russell to Princess Grace of Monaco. They are not just there for fun; there’s a point to their presence, even if it is largely to underscore the world in which Nick and Carter move with fluency and confidence—a world so very changed since the first book, “The Unexpected Heiress” appeared.

The long-term goal for Nick and Carter is peace; the simple ability to live their lives as they wish, sharing their wealth and being happy together. What a long and winding road that journey has turned out to be; and for what dark, unhappy reasons.

Another book is due out soon that will complete this trilogy—but not the larger tale. Butterfield’s fans know the full extent of the story already—but we don’t know how we all get there yet. What a way to hook your audience.

I need to make one little correction: Nick’s mother’s first cousin Melvin Davies is his first cousin once removed. Melvin’s son Teddy is Nick’s second cousin. Teddy’s daughter Jane (aka Alix) is Nick’s second cousin once removed. I have a very complicated family and this is the kind of thing I pay attention to.