Big Scream in a Small Town - (The Nic Knuckles Collection) by Nic Knuckles & William Ade (Paperback)

About the Book

New York City private eye Nic Knuckles gets the call all private investigators live for: a mysterious client with money to burn who needs answers and needs them now.

Book Synopsis

New York City private eye Nic Knuckles gets the call all private investigators live for: a mysterious client with money to burn who needs answers and needs them now. The job is simple. Fly to Kleinstadt, Indiana, and determine whether fifteen years ago, teenage murder victim Mindy Bauerman got justice, or if her classmate, Timmy Hanlon, had been wrongly convicted and wasting away in prison.

Nic's analytic skills lack the rigor of a Sherlock Holmes, as memories of past romantic failures derail his thinking. But they all pale in comparison to the long-running emotional issues Nic has with his mother. He may not have a silky-smooth interrogation style, and more than one Nature documentary has informed his decision-making, but Nic's saving grace is a relentless drive to solve criminal mysteries and a soft spot for forgotten victims and their loved ones. As Nic himself would say, "I'm a big city private eye with a boatload of heartbreak, traversing the universe in pursuit of justice for the little guy."

Review Quotes

"Big Scream in a Small Town, by William Ade, is a fast and clever (and often funny) read that neatly spans a couple of common mystery categories. On one level, it's a private-eye novel, but at the same time, it includes many of the elements of a more traditional "cozy," e.g., small town setting, multiple-often eccentric-suspects with bizarre motives, shaky alibis, and often contradictory clues that must be put together in the right sequence to solve the mystery. The story revolves around wisecracking New York-based PI Nic Knuckles, who is hired by a mysterious client to travel to Kleinstadt, Indiana, to find evidence that will free a man wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a murder that took place several years earlier. In the end, of course, the intrepid Nic cracks the case, taking readers on an unforgettable stay in a small town with secrets a-plenty to hide. I unreservedly recommend this book." - Gregory Stout, author of Lost Little Girl and The Gone Man

"If you like your mystery with a heaping helping of humor, then Nic Knuckles is your kind of private eye, and Big Scream in a Small Town is your kind of book! This one will keep you guessing-and laughing-all the way until the final reveal!"- Alan Orloff, Anthony, Agatha, Derringer, and two-time Thriller Award Winning Author of Sanctuary Motel

"William Ade, writing as Nic Knuckles, introduces the reader to the wackiest Private Eye you won't soon forget. If you enjoy laugh-a-minute humor and zany action, this book is for you." -  

Harriette Sackler, Agatha Award-Nominated Short Story Writer