Nicolas D Charles

Nick Verriet's Christmas Nicolas D Charles

Chicago's most cavalier Private Investigator, Nick Verriet, returns to tackle another dozen zany cases with his usual crazy antics. Based in Chicago, Illinois, twelve interwoven stories relate the protagonist's cases consecutively leading up to Christmas Day, 1935. Every story transpires within a 1-2 day time-frame and finishes with a holiday good-feel ending. Each humor-filled case matches the protagonist's uncanny ability to be at the wrong place at the right time. Throughout his exploits, Nick manages to maintain a devil-may-care attitude, yet he remains crucially aware of the plight of those struck down by the Stock Market Crash of 1929. During those simpler times, Nick fashions a personal justice based upon an unfaltering sense of fairness, always on the side of the little guy. Short Story Synopsis: There's No Business like Show Business: Nick attends the theater to relax and share a laugh or two with his date, but discovers the laugh is on him when the leading lady makes Nick the star in her real life drama. Headed for Trouble: Somebody's lost their head . . . and they're willing to pay Nick handsomely for its return!R. I. P.: Nick's love/hate relationship with society columnist, Elizabeth Pruitt, heats up when she arranges for a date at the funeral parlor. Guarding the Family's Jewels: A simple job of guarding the family jewels turns into one of Nick's hairiest cases. When Your Number's Up: To right what's troubling Victoria Saunders' brother, Nick fights fire with fire and beats the mob at their own crooked game. Monkey See, Monkey Do: Someone is trying to make a monkey out of the entertainers Nick's Agency manages. He hires a woman with strange powers to give the culprits a dose of their own medicine. Nuts to You: Nick employs his powers of deduction to put a new twist on the old adage: You are what you eat. It's a Gas: Ernest Partridge enlists Nick's services to solve a locked-room mystery and discover who has stolen his diamonds. Racing Against Time: Nick promises his secretary a fun-filled day at the racetrack, but instead he has to jockey his friend out of trouble. A Knight-errant: Nick's recent successes have him riding a little too high, but the agency's latest client, a British nobleman, puts Nick firmly in his place. False Pretenses: A deceitful client is toying with Nick. He must unravel a mesh of romantic entanglements to discern their motive. Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby: Nick's neighbor, Roger Tippett, M. D, hires Nick to settle a medical malpractice case out of court, but Nick has other ideas