Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my ninth romantical adventure with my husband, Whit Hall. We're in San Francisco, having a breakfast of scrambled eggs and chicken fried steak, when we get wind of the latest article about us in the paper. Daytona, it seems, now was four billionaires based on that annual list thingie. And we're two of the four. Neither Whit nor I want to know the number we're at. It's not really our money, after all... However, on that same morning, we also find out that some juicy details we've been waiting for have arrived. They're all about the mysterious 1948 trial that our favorite centenarian, Ronnie Grisham, was involved in back in the day. So, we're hopping on Big Bertha and flying back to Daytona Beach to do some checking around. We're hoping to only be gone for a day or two. This should be pretty easy to wrap up......

It's Thursday morning, the 2nd of October in 1947, and Ronnie Grisham and his pal, Tom Jarrell, are now married... To women, of course... And, for appearance's sake and to get a much-needed break from work, Ronnie figures they really should go on a honeymoon. So, the two couples board the southbound Champion for Miami. It's all aboard for romance! But not in the way their fellow passengers would imagine, no doubt. Once there, they get a chance to see Miss Doris Day, who is touring with Les Brown and his Band of Renown. And a good time is had by all! But all good things must come to an end and, after dropping the gals off at the airport, the guys rent a car and hit the Overseas Highway to head down into the Florida Keys. Just when it looks like Tom and Ronnie will finally get some time to themselves, a friend of theirs comes across a dead Cuban and is found holding the gun. He says he didn't do it, but the State's Attorney isn't convinced... Looks like it's back to work for Daytona Beach's most infamous lawyer and his private dick!

Whit and Eddie are riding out a hurricane when an unexpected guest ends up with a knife in the back. And they're locked in with the killer! Wednesday, November 9, 2022 After a big win for the Matadors in Jacksonville, Whit and Eddie are spending a few days in Daytona Beach before heading back to San Antonio. They're in town to check on the buildings that were damaged during the last hurricane. And, just as they arrive, the weatherman announces another hurricane is on its way. Time to load up and head back to Texas. But something tells Eddie not to get on the plane. So, he doesn't. Nor does Whit. In spite of official warnings to evacuate, the two hunker down with a small handful of operatives. But then unwanted company comes to call bringing a dark secret as a hostess gift. Trapped inside their beach fortress, Whit and Eddie face yet...

It's Wednesday morning, September 24th to be precise, and Tom Jarrell is in love. He's walking through the tree-covered streets of Daytona Beach, on his way to work, and thinking about the wonderful night he just spent. But, when he gets to the office, he realizes he has a few things that need to be done. For one, he needs to file an affidavit in a murder trial, but he's never done any such thing, so he heads off to his old law school to meet with his favorite professor from before the war to get some much-needed advice. And, while there, he gets much more than he was expecting. Meanwhile, Ronnie Grisham is in trouble with his landlady. He hasn't slept in his boarding house bed for two nights and she just read her cards last night. Change is coming. Could the cards be pointing to Ronnie? As for Marveen Dodge, her suspicions about what is really going on at the law office of Tom Jarrell, Esquire, is like a simmering pot that could boil over at any moment. And, Alice Watson is doing just fine, thank you very much, and looking forward to a nice Saturday at the beach with her girl. But, none of them expects what happens next as two mysterious girls arrive in town, suitcases in hand... And an unexpected trial gets underway... Read about all of this, and more, in the case of THE LAWYER WHO LEAPT.

Saturday, July 17, 2021 Whit and Eddie are at their place in San Antonio, having moved there for the upcoming Matadors football season, and are throwing a pool party for family and friends. While Eddie's mother is whipping up a massive amount of cole slaw from an old family recipe, Whit is outside trying to figure out how their new (and also massive) gas grill actually works. That evening, after everyone's gone home, Whit receives a distressing call from his mother. His Aunt Sherry has unexpectedly passed away. This is just the first of a series of unexpected events that bring all sorts of, uh, well, interesting people back into their lives. Some are crazy and delightful while some are just crazy. Meanwhile, there's a wedding coming up for their two best friends and Whit and Eddie will be glad to get there because, after all, it's nice to be somewhere and not be the center of attention for a change....

Monday, January 2, 1956 Nick and Carter have arrived safely in Paris and were even greeted at the airport by a minor government official and a small detachment of the famous Republican Guard. After taking a week to recover from their Christmas adventures in Vermont, they're ready to move into their new house over in the 4th Arrondissement. It takes three cabs to get the whole gang over there from their hotel and, as they stand on the sidewalk outside, none of them can quite believe what they find: a crumbling building, a trash-filled courtyard, several broken windows, and, as Nick tentatively pushes the front door open, the stench of a rotting corpse. The police know that none of them could possibly have committed the crime but what about the mysterious Madame Marika, who has suddenly disappeared? Is she back behind the Iron Curtain? Or has she too been murdered? The entire household gets involved in solving the mystery, dashing around the city that is their new home, and discovering, in the end, the bonds of love and friendship they have brought with them from San Francisco, across the Atlantic Ocean, and to La Ville-Lumi�re--Paris: The City of Light. And that's only the beginning...

Thursday, July 22, 1954 Marnie Wilson, age 34, has finally been asked for her hand in marriage by a man she truly and deeply loves: the tall, handsome, and dashing Alex LeBeau. They've been seeing each other for a while and, last night, he got down on bended knee and asked the question. Marnie squealed a little and then happily exclaimed, "Yes!" Now, over lunch, she's telling her mother, Mrs. Leticia Williams, all about it. Upon hearing what should be wonderful news, Marnie's mother (a recent bride herself) is suddenly not hungry and doesn't finish her luncheon meal of scallops and creamed spinach, even though it's her favorite. What, exactly, could be the matter? Little does Marnie know that the announcement of her upcoming nuptials might very well coincide with the uncovering of a scandal, long buried and mostly forgotten. When news gets out about this hidden truth,...

You're invited to the wedding of 1954! Dr. Parnell Robert Williams, M.D., invites you to attend the ceremony at Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill at 2 p.m. on Saturday, the 17th of April. There he will wed Leticia Rose Wilson and she will be his beloved bride. Or maybe not... Comes Thursday, the 8th, and with only nine days to go, Lettie (the bride-to-be) is having wedding jitters. She begs her soon-to-be husband to skip all the pomp and circumstance and elope to Las Vegas. With the church cancelled and the reception at the Pacific Union Club called off—it looks like the nuptials will be a quickie at the Western Stars Wedding Chapel on Fremont Street in downtown Vegas. Unless Lettie changes her mind... Which she does... Can Nick, Carter, and Marnie pull together a wedding in just three days? They just might be able to do so with some help...

This book includes six short stories previously published in ebook format, all involving Nick Williams and Carter Jones along with their friends and family. Enjoy! contentsNew Year's Day, 1979 Monday, January 1, 1979 Nick and Carter are in Dallas for the opening of the newest of their Hopkins Hotels! Inside their new club - The Fourteenth Floor - the scene is sizzling! The clock strikes midnight and Nick and Carter are dancing to Guy Lombardo just like they did when they first met. But then one of the bartenders is seen running into the back in a frenzy. And the General Manager of the hotel is found semi-conscious, bleeding from the head. Will Nick discover what secrets might conspire to close the Hopkins Dallas and The Fourteenth Floor before either have a chance to fly? Martin Luke King Jr., Day, 1986 Monday, January 20, 1986 It's the first holiday celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and San Francisco is having a parade! Nick and Carter will be marching with Mrs. Geneva Watkins, the last living member of the powerful group of women Nick once affectionately dubbed The Four Terrors. She's 78 and has worked hard, in her particular way, to make this day happen. But when the day starts off on a tragic note, will Nick and Carter be able to remember what the hard-won holiday is really for? Valentine's Day, 1951 Tuesday, February 13, 1951 What does the man who can buy anything get the man who doesn't want anything? That's the mystery Nick is trying to solve. With the help of his new secretary, Marnie Wilson, Nick is hoping he can come up with the perfect gift that will let Carter know how much he really loves the big fireman. Washington's Birthday, 1948 Monday, February 23, 1948 It's a holiday but Nick is feeling blue. It's all because his best guy, Carter, is working hard at Station 3 on Post Street, protecting the City by the Bay from fires, large and small. Maybe a bowl of navy bean soup at Gene Compton's Cafeteria and some friendly chatter with an old friend might just be the thing to cheer Nick up... Mardi Gras, 1975 Tuesday, February 11, 1975 Nick and Carter are in New Orleans for their first trip to Mardi Gras! When Nick first opens his eyes that morning, he realizes he has a big hangover and no memory of what happened the night before. Over a breakfast of coffee and grease, Miss Wanna Man, a local drag queen in the French Quarter, swings by to give Nick the Tea and let him know to watch his back. It's definitely an adventurous Fat Tuesday for Nick and Carter! Laissez les bons temps rouler! St. David's Day, 1848 Wednesday, March 1, 1848 It's the dark and early morning hours of St. David's Day and Griffith Williams, nestled and cozy next to his dear friend, Gwyn, is abruptly awakened by a man who calls out in a strange voice. "Great-grandfather?" Griffy is startled to see the shimmering form of a handsome man with bright and shining eyes. And they're a color of brown he's not seen before. The face, however, is more than a little familiar. With a dimple in the chin, it brings to mind memories of his late father, his tad, David. Is it evil or is it good which has brought forth this ghostly vision?

Monday, February 14, 2022 Whit and Eddie are just getting back into Daytona Beach after attending the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. Even though the Matadors turned their season around and got closer than anyone might have imagined, they didn't make it all the way. Maybe next year! Meanwhile, filming is underway on the long-delayed feature, It Was Raining Then. Interiors are being shot at Monumental-Daytona and Eddie is back in town just in time to watch the setup for the pivotal sex scene before cast and crew depart for Kauai to shoot the exteriors on the very same beach where South Pacific was once filmed. In the middle of all this, Whit and Eddie both realize they've forgotten about Valentine's Day. Again! Repeating what they did a few years earlier, Whit quickly organizes a dinner cruise down the Halifax River with their friends Howard and Ronnie as well as the star of the movie and his husband, the...