NOW AVAILABLE!
Big Scream in a Wee Village
Book Two of the Nic Knuckles Collection
Decades after Gloria Butterfield disappeared after announcing plans to marry into a wealthy English family, Nic heads across the pond to a quiet wee village overshadowed by an old manor and buried secrets. But beneath the charm of the English countryside, everyone seems to be hiding something.
A big city private eye with a boatload of heartbreak, traversing the universe in pursuit of justice for the little guy.
Nic Knuckles is a private investigator with a reputation for solving the unsolvable. His methods? Unconventional. His instincts? Sharp. His conclusions? Conclusive.
this year, and every year.”
Book one
Big Scream in a Small Town
An old case. A buried truth.
A mysterious client sends New York City private eye Nic Knuckles to a quiet Indiana town to revisit a fifteen-year-old murder case. His task is simple: determine whether justice was served, or if the wrong person has been paying the price.
As Nic digs deeper, he uncovers conflicting stories, lingering tensions, and a town that may prefer its secrets stay buried. Each lead brings him closer, even as the truth remains just out of reach.
With confidence and relentless determination, Nic follows the case wherever it leads. The truth is there. It always is.
Book Two
Big Scream in a Wee Village
A missing fiancée. A quiet English village. A manor full of secrets.
When Gloria disappears after announcing plans to marry into a wealthy old English family, private investigator Nic Knuckles is hired to travel across the pond and uncover the truth. His search leads him to a quiet farming village in southeast England, where the towering Rockingham Manor casts a long shadow over the surrounding countryside.
What begins as a decades-old missing persons case soon spirals into something far more complicated. As Nic digs deeper into Gloria’s relationship with the influential Bethard family, he encounters suspicious relatives, conflicting stories, hidden motives, and whispers of unexplained deaths tied to the estate.
In a village where appearances can’t be trusted and everyone seems to be hiding something, Nic Knuckles must separate fact from fiction before the truth disappears for good.
What others have said about nic knuckles
Stories & Interviews
Short stories, interviews, and opinion pieces by and about the author of Nic Knuckles
Nic Knuckles Finds Mary Maria
Originally published April 2018 in Literally Stories
It was late afternoon on one of those chilly New York City days when the clouds couldn’t decide whether to spritz or pour rain. I was in my office, trying to ignore the past dues and termination notices. I had no appointments scheduled, so I was surprised when the office door was pushed open with authority. In came an older woman. She popped a question before I could jump from my chair to introduce myself.
“Are you Nic Knuckles?”
“That’s me, sissy, Nic Knuckles, Private Investigator.”
“I understand you find people.”
“I’ve been known to locate a few lost souls, you could say.”
The Waitress
The Last Epicurean was the kind of eatery favored by working stiffs getting off an all-night shift. I’m talking about the cops who’d maintained order as society’s dregs roamed the streets after dark. And there were the firefighters and nurses, those angels of mercy, coming in to decompress over eggs and coffee. And the coffee was a wonder. It wasn’t that hoity-toity artisanal blend drowning in candy flavors that cost six bucks. No, the Joe at the Last Epicurean was more bitter than a disappointed mom on Mother’s Day.
That’s why I was there that afternoon. I needed a cup of gritty reality to wake me up from the stupor of the past night. You know how it is; you invest your heart and soul into a dream, and it turns on you and becomes a nightmare. My dream was named Babe, and she’s now the embodiment of night terrors.
You know what I’m saying?
Heather Weidner, Mystery Author
Blog Interview January 2024
Nic Knuckles answers Heather’s Questions
Favorite thing to do when you have free time: “Not much to say. Nic Knuckles is a big city private eye with a boatload of heartbreak, traversing the universe in pursuit of justice for the little guy.”
The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: “Death scene investigations involving cat ladies who cared for more than a dozen felines.”
Favorite snacks: “Maybe the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel helped humans evolve from hunter-gathers to on-line shoppers, but Nic Knuckles believes we only truly became the apex mammal with the innovation of multiple varieties of cheese.”
Level Best Books Author’s Blog
January 2024
A rabbi, a priest, and a minister walk into a bar. Hearing someone speak that line, you might lean in, anticipating a good laugh. Maybe your stomach muscles tense, fearful you’re about to be offended. Your anxiety could be from wondering why you’re failing to get the joke while everyone else rolls with laughter. Being funny is risky. Writing funny is even more treacherous.
My new book, Big Scream in a Small Town (Level Best Books), introduces Nic Knuckles, a caricature of noirish crime-solving protagonists like Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade. Nic is self-aware of the comparison, describing himself as a big city private eye with a boatload of heartbreak, traversing the universe in pursuit of justice for the little guy.
Behind the Trench Coat
William Ade
Bill Ade is the writer responsible for unleashing private investigator Nic Knuckles on the world. His work blends mystery, humor, and crime noir influences, with stories shaped by his Midwestern roots and love of classic detective fiction. More of his writing can be found at billade.com.
More Accomplices
Jonathan Ade, filmmaker
Patrick De Nicola, actor
Rachel Garcia & Thu Tran, musicians