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A Nick Williams Mystery #14
The Pitiful Player
Friday, July 8, 1955
Ben White, a movie producer working on Nick's dime, is ready to show off what he's been up to, so Nick and Carter head to Hollywood to see what there is to see and, to be polite, it stinks.
Ben's director has an idea and he says it's gonna make Nick even richer than he already is.
But, before they can start the cameras rolling, leading man William Fraser is found murdered at the lavish Beverly Hills mansion of seductive silent screen star Juan Zane. Carlo Martinelli, Ben's lover, is arrested and charged with murder even though everyone in town knows he's innocent, including the District Attorney.
Meanwhile, the Beverly Hills Police Chief makes sure that Nick knows that his kind of help isn't wanted in the posh village, home to some of Hollywood's most famous stars. The chief is running a good, clean, wholesome town, after all.
From Muscle Beach to Mulholland Drive, Nick and Carter begin to piece together the clues that point to who did it and why. Somehow they manage to do so in the sweltering heat and noxious smog of the Southland.
In the end, however, will anyone be brought to justice? It's Hollywood, so you'll have to wait for the final reel to find out.
Ben White, a movie producer working on Nick's dime, is ready to show off what he's been up to, so Nick and Carter head to Hollywood to see what there is to see and, to be polite, it stinks.
Ben's director has an idea and he says it's gonna make Nick even richer than he already is.
But, before they can start the cameras rolling, leading man William Fraser is found murdered at the lavish Beverly Hills mansion of seductive silent screen star Juan Zane. Carlo Martinelli, Ben's lover, is arrested and charged with murder even though everyone in town knows he's innocent, including the District Attorney.
Meanwhile, the Beverly Hills Police Chief makes sure that Nick knows that his kind of help isn't wanted in the posh village, home to some of Hollywood's most famous stars. The chief is running a good, clean, wholesome town, after all.
From Muscle Beach to Mulholland Drive, Nick and Carter begin to piece together the clues that point to who did it and why. Somehow they manage to do so in the sweltering heat and noxious smog of the Southland.
In the end, however, will anyone be brought to justice? It's Hollywood, so you'll have to wait for the final reel to find out.
510 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2017
24 people are currently reading
18 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
January 3, 2020
Each book in the Nick Williams Mystery series, Butterfield gives us more depth and details on Nick and Carter's relationship as well as the universe he has created. The murder mystery is really just an interesting side note, while the real heart of the story is how Nick and Carter and all their employees and friends survive and thrive in the 1950s due to the strength of their community.
And the heart-wrenching part is that so many gay men and women at that time had no such fictional safety net and were subject to being fired from their jobs, arrested, blacklisted and more. As rich as Nick and Carter are, they aren't insulated from "The feeling of not having the right to be there, wondering when you might get thrown out..." but try to do what they can to make the lives of their loved one better.
This particular book felt very very long (over 500 pages) but the character development is worth the pages. 4 stars.
Visit my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
And the heart-wrenching part is that so many gay men and women at that time had no such fictional safety net and were subject to being fired from their jobs, arrested, blacklisted and more. As rich as Nick and Carter are, they aren't insulated from "The feeling of not having the right to be there, wondering when you might get thrown out..." but try to do what they can to make the lives of their loved one better.
This particular book felt very very long (over 500 pages) but the character development is worth the pages. 4 stars.
Visit my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
December 9, 2017
The Pitiful Player (Nick Williams #14)
By Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2017
Five stars
Against all odds, Frank Butterfield’s Nick Williams series just gets better. I imagine the reason is that he’s simply become completely fluent in the world of Nick and Carter—he knows their roles, he’s got their language and the historical setting down pat.
Book fourteen in the series should be known as the L.A. book, even though the action starts in Mexico. The focus of the plot is what’s supposed to be a quick trip to Los Angeles to check up on the progress that Ben White and Carlo Martinelli are making in the movie business…another thing funded by Nick and Carter. What ensues is the murder of a young actor, and the false arrest of Carlo for that murder. Our San Francisco boys end up settling down in L.A. for longer than they anticipated, and begin to fully appreciate the consequences of being the most famous homosexuals in the world.
What Butterfield does so well is bringing in bits and pieces of real history that create a context for the fiction that brings it to life. I loved the presence of Rosalind Russell and her husband, real folks presented as they were in 1955 Beverly Hills—before Russell’s second big career jump with “Auntie Mame” which didn’t happen until 1958. It makes sense that they become friends of Nick and Carter, indeed have been friends since an earlier book. Their mutual friendship with Billy Haines, 1920s movie star who refused to be closeted and avenged himself by becoming Hollywood’s top decorator, is also used very neatly in the story in a way that builds the plot, but also tells us something about post-McCarthy Hollywood. There’s even a fascinating plot point linked to early computers, reminding us how very far we’ve come technologically since the 1950s, when modern computers were first born.
Butterfield has gotten very comfortable with his story-weaving, and there are particular moments here that are truly moving, as both our heroes and the people around them talk about what it means to be openly queer (the word gay hasn’t been coined yet) in a hostile world, when even a vast fortune can’t protect you from injustice when it’s supported by the legal system. There’s a significant gap between tolerance and acceptance, and the exploration of that gap in the course of this novel sets off all sorts of echoes that resonate with the peculiar politics of 2017.
At the core of it all is this amazing couple, the rejected rich boy from Nob Hill, and the refugee country boy from Albany, Georgia. The sailor and the fireman. They continue to be superheroes to me—gay men who found each other and have empowered each other in the face of endless obstacles. The power of their money can only go so far, and the strain on their souls shows itself in touching ways. It is their love, for each other and for those around them, that is their real superpower. The catalyst these two have been in terms of their families continues to astound me as I read the unfolding saga that forms the backdrop of this series. The isolation of gay people in the bad old days was the chief weapon that our nation used against them. Nick and Carter have shattered that isolation in these books, and in their fantasy we can see how the gay liberation movement was born.
Just as a side note: the very last chapter of the book, the Epilogue, takes place on the day I was born, July 22, 1955. From here on in, Nick and Carter’s adventures take place in my lifetime. Ponder that.
By Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2017
Five stars
Against all odds, Frank Butterfield’s Nick Williams series just gets better. I imagine the reason is that he’s simply become completely fluent in the world of Nick and Carter—he knows their roles, he’s got their language and the historical setting down pat.
Book fourteen in the series should be known as the L.A. book, even though the action starts in Mexico. The focus of the plot is what’s supposed to be a quick trip to Los Angeles to check up on the progress that Ben White and Carlo Martinelli are making in the movie business…another thing funded by Nick and Carter. What ensues is the murder of a young actor, and the false arrest of Carlo for that murder. Our San Francisco boys end up settling down in L.A. for longer than they anticipated, and begin to fully appreciate the consequences of being the most famous homosexuals in the world.
What Butterfield does so well is bringing in bits and pieces of real history that create a context for the fiction that brings it to life. I loved the presence of Rosalind Russell and her husband, real folks presented as they were in 1955 Beverly Hills—before Russell’s second big career jump with “Auntie Mame” which didn’t happen until 1958. It makes sense that they become friends of Nick and Carter, indeed have been friends since an earlier book. Their mutual friendship with Billy Haines, 1920s movie star who refused to be closeted and avenged himself by becoming Hollywood’s top decorator, is also used very neatly in the story in a way that builds the plot, but also tells us something about post-McCarthy Hollywood. There’s even a fascinating plot point linked to early computers, reminding us how very far we’ve come technologically since the 1950s, when modern computers were first born.
Butterfield has gotten very comfortable with his story-weaving, and there are particular moments here that are truly moving, as both our heroes and the people around them talk about what it means to be openly queer (the word gay hasn’t been coined yet) in a hostile world, when even a vast fortune can’t protect you from injustice when it’s supported by the legal system. There’s a significant gap between tolerance and acceptance, and the exploration of that gap in the course of this novel sets off all sorts of echoes that resonate with the peculiar politics of 2017.
At the core of it all is this amazing couple, the rejected rich boy from Nob Hill, and the refugee country boy from Albany, Georgia. The sailor and the fireman. They continue to be superheroes to me—gay men who found each other and have empowered each other in the face of endless obstacles. The power of their money can only go so far, and the strain on their souls shows itself in touching ways. It is their love, for each other and for those around them, that is their real superpower. The catalyst these two have been in terms of their families continues to astound me as I read the unfolding saga that forms the backdrop of this series. The isolation of gay people in the bad old days was the chief weapon that our nation used against them. Nick and Carter have shattered that isolation in these books, and in their fantasy we can see how the gay liberation movement was born.
Just as a side note: the very last chapter of the book, the Epilogue, takes place on the day I was born, July 22, 1955. From here on in, Nick and Carter’s adventures take place in my lifetime. Ponder that.
September 19, 2017
The Pitiful Player is the fourteenth book in Butterfield’s Nick Williams Mystery series, but the first one I have read. A large cast and their backstories were hinted at in different levels of detail. I lost track of who was who a few times, but generally I thought it was fine to read this story without having read all the others first.
The historical setting of the book – the early 1950s – made for interesting and sometimes painful moments as Nick and Carter confront the homophobia of the time. It helps that Nick is apparently wealthy as Croesus, so the hatred he and his cronies encounter never gets worse than vague threats. The use of real historical figures was very entertaining. Rosalind Russell, Hedda Hopper, Errol Flynn and many other Hollywood icons are namechecked or even become involved in the plot to some degree.
My takeaway (based solely on this one book) is that recounting the day-to-day life of a gay couple in the 1950s (albeit an extremely rich couple) is the point. For me, the mystery wasn’t so much solved as abandoned. I liked Nick and Carter a lot and many of the peripheral characters. I’m interested now in going back to read the first book in the series, and possibly Enchanted Evening which, I believe, is the story of how Nick and Carter met.
The historical setting of the book – the early 1950s – made for interesting and sometimes painful moments as Nick and Carter confront the homophobia of the time. It helps that Nick is apparently wealthy as Croesus, so the hatred he and his cronies encounter never gets worse than vague threats. The use of real historical figures was very entertaining. Rosalind Russell, Hedda Hopper, Errol Flynn and many other Hollywood icons are namechecked or even become involved in the plot to some degree.
My takeaway (based solely on this one book) is that recounting the day-to-day life of a gay couple in the 1950s (albeit an extremely rich couple) is the point. For me, the mystery wasn’t so much solved as abandoned. I liked Nick and Carter a lot and many of the peripheral characters. I’m interested now in going back to read the first book in the series, and possibly Enchanted Evening which, I believe, is the story of how Nick and Carter met.
November 18, 2017
I liked this one a lot - it was really long, and most of it took place in LA of 1955. Always delightful to read these.
September 20, 2017
Another awesome read. I love the sleuthing, the flirting, the history, the old star interaction, the love and the bond between the group. Reading these stories I really feel like I'm sitting there in Joe's Diner watching Carter eat his leather steak while Miss Arden chats them up or Rock Hudson smiles at the group. I hope there will be a hundred more stories to come.
September 18, 2017
STILL CAN'T GET ENOUGH NICK and CARTER
This was the longest and one of the best stories in the series. The only thing I regretted, that Beverly Hills police chief didn't go down, maybe in a future story. Can't wait for next.
This was the longest and one of the best stories in the series. The only thing I regretted, that Beverly Hills police chief didn't go down, maybe in a future story. Can't wait for next.
September 9, 2017
Part 14 of this excellent series. Nick and Carter have arrived in Beverly Hills to see their friend Ben who is trying to make a film sponsored by Nick but circumstances begin to unravel around them. Soon they are involved in yet another murder and as they are trying to investigate it becomes clear that someone is out to get them. Now they need to find out who and why before more bodies begin to pile up.
A clever and intriguing mystery with just enough threads left untied to lead into a book 15.
A clever and intriguing mystery with just enough threads left untied to lead into a book 15.
July 14, 2018
My favorite series of all time!
March 10, 2024
Gotta start by saying this is the first of Frank W Butterfield's full-length novels I've read in the world of Nick Williams and Carter Jones. As a series-read-in-order kind of gal it's unusual for me to start in the middle. I was looking for recs that had a Hollywood/acting theme as Oscar season had arrived and The Pitiful Player came to my attention. I knew starting the middle would normally throw me for a loop but I also knew(or suspected to be more accurate), having read Butterfield's Nick & Carter Holiday short story series there probably wasn't too many side characters that I wouldn't recognize and that for the most part it sounded like these mysteries were standalones.
In I jumped . . . what a glorious splash landing it was.
I won't talk about the mystery part so I don't spoil it for anyone but I loved it, I loved the intricacies, the twists and turns that Nick and Carter found in their quest to free their friend. Sometimes it seemed like every time a question was answered it only led to more questions but eventually everything works itself out with the aid of N&C and their merry band of ever-growing employees and friends.
I'm afraid my knowledge of the LA landscape comes from what I see in films/tv shows so I can't speak to the accuracy of said setting but I can't help but think Butterfield got it pretty spot on considering how awesome his attention to detail was in the N&C Holiday shorts. I do know that the inclusion of real Hollywood actors helped to pull me into the story, to make me feel like a customer at the Brown Derby or Joe's Diner witnessing everything firsthand.
A couple of examples that stood out, that made me stop reading for a second to appreciate the author's efforts:
1. William Hopper at the fundraising event. I'm guessing not too many people realized that Bill Hopper, aka Paul Drake from TVs Perry Mason, was the son of Hedda Hopper. I'll admit I didn't know it until about 10 years ago when I thought I saw him in a bit part of an old movie I was watching and looked it up on Wikipedia. Such a tiny blip in this great story and yet for me it went a long ways to express the respect of the era the author has.
2. The speech Nick gave at above mentioned fundraising event for polio research and vaccine. Nick speaks of a cop's daughter he met not needing an iron lung but still dealing with the disease and probably will for years to come. My grandmother had polio when she was younger but also did not need the iron lung. I think too many people don't understand there were other ways polio hit and just how important the vaccine was. Butterfield including this again spoke volumes to me, such a small point in terms of wordage and pages but a huge point in establishing the era.
Now that those points have been made, I'm going to close out my review by saying even when the time comes and I've read all 32 entries as well as a few others in the Nick and Carter universe, the couple and their found families will never get old, will never fail to entertain. They are just so likeable and loveable you just can't help but gravitate towards them.
In I jumped . . . what a glorious splash landing it was.
I won't talk about the mystery part so I don't spoil it for anyone but I loved it, I loved the intricacies, the twists and turns that Nick and Carter found in their quest to free their friend. Sometimes it seemed like every time a question was answered it only led to more questions but eventually everything works itself out with the aid of N&C and their merry band of ever-growing employees and friends.
I'm afraid my knowledge of the LA landscape comes from what I see in films/tv shows so I can't speak to the accuracy of said setting but I can't help but think Butterfield got it pretty spot on considering how awesome his attention to detail was in the N&C Holiday shorts. I do know that the inclusion of real Hollywood actors helped to pull me into the story, to make me feel like a customer at the Brown Derby or Joe's Diner witnessing everything firsthand.
A couple of examples that stood out, that made me stop reading for a second to appreciate the author's efforts:
1. William Hopper at the fundraising event. I'm guessing not too many people realized that Bill Hopper, aka Paul Drake from TVs Perry Mason, was the son of Hedda Hopper. I'll admit I didn't know it until about 10 years ago when I thought I saw him in a bit part of an old movie I was watching and looked it up on Wikipedia. Such a tiny blip in this great story and yet for me it went a long ways to express the respect of the era the author has.
2. The speech Nick gave at above mentioned fundraising event for polio research and vaccine. Nick speaks of a cop's daughter he met not needing an iron lung but still dealing with the disease and probably will for years to come. My grandmother had polio when she was younger but also did not need the iron lung. I think too many people don't understand there were other ways polio hit and just how important the vaccine was. Butterfield including this again spoke volumes to me, such a small point in terms of wordage and pages but a huge point in establishing the era.
Now that those points have been made, I'm going to close out my review by saying even when the time comes and I've read all 32 entries as well as a few others in the Nick and Carter universe, the couple and their found families will never get old, will never fail to entertain. They are just so likeable and loveable you just can't help but gravitate towards them.
December 31, 2019
Another winner
This book takes Nick and Carter down to Beverly Hills where they are hot on the trail of another mystery that involves the murder an up and coming actor. We get all the bells and whistles of a whodunnit plus more layers of Nick and Carters relationship. There were also bursts of jealousy from both of them that had me chuckling plus lots of action and more of Nick’s matchmaking. It doesn’t get any better than this. Love love loved. Another winner from one of my fave authors.
This book takes Nick and Carter down to Beverly Hills where they are hot on the trail of another mystery that involves the murder an up and coming actor. We get all the bells and whistles of a whodunnit plus more layers of Nick and Carters relationship. There were also bursts of jealousy from both of them that had me chuckling plus lots of action and more of Nick’s matchmaking. It doesn’t get any better than this. Love love loved. Another winner from one of my fave authors.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews