From A Buick 8 Art
Works / Novels

From A Buick 8

From A Buick 8 Art

Released

September 24th, 2002

Available Format(s)

Hardcover / Paperback / Limited Edition / eBook / Audiobook

Publisher

Scribner

Shortly after his father, a Pennsylvania state trooper, is killed in a senseless automobile accident, Ned Wilcox discovers that the members of Troop D have a secret concealed behind their headquarters. Curtis Wilcox's friends and colleagues take turns relating the twenty-year history of the mysterious Buick Roadmaster locked in Shed B and how its discovery and unexplained behavior has captivated the tightly knit group of men for two decades. The Buick seems to be a conduit to another reality and every now and then it breathes, inhaling a little bit of this world, exhaling a little bit of whatever world it came from.

From the Flap

The state police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret in Shed B out back of the barracks ever since 1979, when Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox answered a call from a gas station just down the road and came back with an abandoned Buick Roadmaster. Curt Wilcox knew old cars, and he knew immediately that this one was...wrong, just wrong. A few hours later, when Rafferty vanished, Wilcox and his fellow troopers knew the car was worse than dangerous -- and that it would be better if John Q. Public never found out about it. Curt's avid curiosity taking the lead, they investigated as best they could, as much as they dared. Over the years the troop absorbed the mystery as part of the background to their work, the Buick 8 sitting out there like a still life painting that breathes -- inhaling a little bit of this world, exhaling a little bit of whatever world it came from. In the fall of 2001, a few months after Curt Wilcox is killed in a gruesome auto accident, his 18-year-old boy Ned starts coming by the barracks, mowing the lawn, washing windows, shoveling snow. Sandy Dearborn, Sergeant Commanding, knows it's the boy's way of holding onto his father, and Ned is allowed to become part of the Troop D family. One day he looks in the window of Shed B and discovers the family secret. Like his father, Ned wants answers, and the secret begins to stir, not only in the minds and hearts of the veteran troopers who surround him, but in Shed B as well.... From a Buick 8 is a novel about our fascination with deadly things, about our insistence on answers when there are none, about terror and courage in the face of the unknowable.

Characters

Hide List Show List
Name
Description
(Buick Driver)
He drove the Buick and left it in the Jenny Station on SR32 in 1979 and disappeared without a trace
2 Frogs
Left near the Buick.
6 Cockroaches
Put in the trunk of the Buick in 1986.
6 Green Beetles
Found dead in the Buick's trunk in 1983.
8 Crickets
Left in a box in Shed B
AC/DC
Band liked by Sandra McCracken
Bat
Found dead in shed B with the Buick.
Bird
Came from the trunk of the Buick in 1991.
Blondie
Band on the song list at the Country Way
Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods
Band on the song list at the Country Way
Brandy
Singer mentioned in passing
Buick
Car that arrived at the Jenny Station on SR32 in 1979.
Bullfrog
Left in a cage in Shed B
Bullwinkle
From the children's show Rocky and Bullwinkle
Chauncey
Pig dissected in biology classes by Curtis Wilcox
Fish
Came from within the Buick
God
Mentioned in passing
Guinea Pig
Left near the Buick in a plastic bucket
Jack
From the children's story Jack and Jill
Jesus
Mentioned in passing
Jill
From the children's story Jack and Jill
Jimmy
Gerbil partner of Roslyn. Was put into the Buick in 1979.
Judas Priest
Band liked by Brian Lippy
Mister Dillon
Pennsylvania State Police Troop D German Shepherd mascot.
Monster
Came from the trunk of the Buick.
Natasha
From the children's show Rocky and Bullwinkle
Rocky
From the children's show Rocky and Bullwinkle
Roslyn
Gerbil partner of Jimmy. Was put into the Buick in 1979.
Satan
Mentioned in passing
Ten-Pound Dog of Sander Dearborn
Shot by a hunter
Tribbles
Small furry animals from Star Trek
Ace, Johnny
Band on the song list at the Country Way
Arkanian, Arky
Custodian at the Pennsylvania State Police Troop D barracks
Arness, James
Actor mentioned in passing
Avery, Herb
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D
Babicki, Matt
Police Communications Officer in Troop D
Babicki, Mrs.
Wife of Matt Babicki
Badinov, Boris
From the children's show Rocky and Bullwinkle
Baez, Joan
Singer heard on the radio
Barnum, P.T.
Mentioned in passing
Borden, Lizzie
Mentioned in passing
Bossey, Hubert
Owner of the Jenny Station on SR32 in 1979 when the Buick appeared there
Brownell, Sid
Statler Township Chief of Police
Brundage, Carl
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D
Brundage, Mrs.
Wife of Carl Brundage.
Candleton, Phil
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D.
Clouse, Floyd B.
There was a football field named after him
Cole, Brian
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D in 1979
Colucci, Andy
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D in 1979.
Colucci, Stephanie (Steff)
Police Communications Officer in Troop D. Niece of Andy Colucci
Columbo, ?
TV Detective
Curie, Marie
Scientist mentioned in passing
Cutler, Jeff
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D in 2002
Dadier, ?
One of the Dadier Brothers.
Dadier, ?
One of the Dadier Brothers.
Dearborn, Mr.
74-year-old father of Sander Dearborn
Dearborn, Mrs.
70-year-old mother of Sander Dearborn
Dearborn, Sander Freemont (Sandy)
Pennsylvania State Police Troop D Sergeant Commanding.
DeMille, Cecil B.
Film director mentioned in passing
Devoe, Steve
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D in 1979
Diment, ?
Police captain from Butler in 1979
Dockerty, James
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D
Dylan, Bob
Singer thought of by Sandy Dearborn
Eliot, ? (Dicky-Duck)
Possibly a Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D
Flanders, ?
Brother of Buck Flanders. A stockbroker in Pittsburgh
Flanders, Buck
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D in 1979
Frady, William Kirk
Owner of a Jetta stopped by Eddie Jacubois. From Pittsburgh
Frances, Miss
Mentioned in passing
Friday, Joe
Mentioned in passing
Garrett, Mrs.
Wife of Orville Garrett.
Garrett, Orville
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D in 1979.
Garris, Cynthia
Worked at the Country Way in 2002
Grenville, Mr.
School guidance counselor
Hitler, Adolf
Mentioned in passing
Holmes, Sherlock
Detective mentioned in passing
Hull, George
Cigar maker who created a hoax Giant in upstate New York's Onondaga Valley
Hyams, Edith
Sister of Ennis Rafferty.
Hyams, Mr.
Husband of Edith Hyams.
Islington, Justin
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D
Jacubois, Eddie
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D
Jones, Mr.
He told Ned Wilcox about his father's death
Kalin Twins, The
Band on the song list at the Country Way
Lennon, John
Singer
Lippy, Brian
Drug dealer stopped by George Morgan and Eddie Jacubois when he was seen punching a woman in his car.
Loving, ?
Troop D Dispatcher in 1979
Loving, Paul
Sprained his knee falling from the swing at Redfern Stream
Lugosi, Bela
Film director mentioned in passing
Marley, Jacob
Quoted
Maturin, John H.
Wrote "Twenty Elementary Dissections"
Mayhew, Esther
School bus driver
McClannahan, Tom
Worked for the County Parks & Recreation.
McCracken, Sandra
She was the girl in the car who was punched by Brian Lippy.
Morgan, ?
Son of George Morgan.
Morgan, George
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D.
Nevers, ?
Daughter of Rosellen Nevers.
Nevers, Rosellen
At the Poteenville Grammar School
O'Day, Tracy
Brother of Travis O'Day.
O'Day, Travis
Brother of Tracy O'Day.
O'Hara, Jackie
Former Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D
Oosler, Homer
Wanted to write a story on the car
Oppenheimer, Robert
Worked on the atomic bomb tests
Parker, Johnny
He was in charge of the county Motor Pool in 1979
Pasternak, ?
Husband of Shirley Pasternak.
Pasternak, Shirley
Police Communications Officer with Pennsylvania State Police Troop D.
Paul, Brady
Pennsylvania State police corporal with Troop D.
Quinland, Peter
Owned The Country Way in 1979
Rafferty, Edith
Maiden name of Edith Hyams. Sister of Ennis Rafferty
Rafferty, Ennis
Partner of Curtis Wilcox in 1979 when the Buick arrived.
Rennert, Robbie
Troop D found marijuana plants in his back field
Riddle, Nelson
Orchestra leader mentioned in passing
Rizzo, Albert
Pennsylvania State police corporal with Troop D.
Roach, Bradley
Worked at the Jenny Station on SR32 in July 1979 when the Buick arrived there
Rockwell, Norman
Mentioned in passing
Roth, Bibi
Forensic crew chief who looked at the Buick in 1979, and on a few other occasions.
Royer, Hudson (Huddie)
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D
Rumsfeld, Richard T.
Retired US Army UFO Expert whose article was in Inside View magazine
Rushing, Mark
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D in 1979.
Sanders, Mike
County attorney in 1979
Santerre, Randy
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D in 1983.
Schoondist, ?
Daughter of Tony Schoondist.
Schoondist, Tony
Pennsylvania State Police Troop D Sergeant Commanding before Sander Dearborn.
Sinatra, Frank
Singer who played at The Country Way in 1979
Soder, Christian
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D in 1979.
Soderburg, Frank
Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D in 2002
Stamson, Samuel
PennsylvaniaState trooper with Troop D.
Stankowski, George
Pennsylvania State trooper in Troop D in 1979
Surfaris, The
Band on the song list at the Country Way
Teague, ?
Colonel in the Butler Regional HQ
Vader, Darth
Character from Star Wars
Watson
Helped Sherlock Holmes
Welk, Lawrence
Orchestra leader mentioned in passing
White, Tony Joe
Band on the song list at the Country Way
Wilcox, Curtis
Father of Ned, Joan and Janet Wilcox, and Husband of Michelle Wilcox. Pennsylvania State trooper with Troop D for 20 years before he was killed in the line of duty July 2001
Wilcox, Janet
Daughter of Curtis and Michelle Wilcox. Twin sister of Joan Wilcox.
Wilcox, Joan
Daughter of Curtis and Michelle Wilcox. Twin sister of Janet Wilcox.
Wilcox, Michelle
Wife of Curtis Wilcox and mother of Ned, Joan and Janet Wilcox
Wilcox, Ned
Son of Curtis Wilcox.
Wright, Orville
Mentioned in passing
Wright, Wilbur
Mentioned in passing
...
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