Customer Reviews

Billy Boyle (Billy Boyle Ww2 Mystery 1)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Straight out of Officer Candidate School, Lt. Billy Boyle finds himself not in a sheltered stateside billet but in a freezing B-17 on his way to war-torn London, assigned to Hq, European Theater of Operations. How did he get here? As he's arrived at so many other destinations in his young life: through family connections, this one on his mother's side--the Douds. When he arrives, his "Uncle Ike," General Dwight D. Eisenhower, briefs him on his first assignment, to use his skills as a detective in finding a spy who has infiltrated "Operation Juno," an Allied operation centered on Norway.
There are things that Billy doesn't know about "Operation Juno," and things that Ike doesn't know about Billy, particularly that Billy passed the detective's exam only with some family help. And Billy himself doesn't know how he's going to pull this off, but he knows his duty when he sees it. And he's been a Boston cop for five years, and has learned a lot about detection from his father, himself a veteran South Boston cop.
So Billy begins his investigation, and then there's a murder, and then another death, a heartbreaking one. Billy moves about, from London to the English countryside, and to other military bases, learning all the time--from his associates, from the people he meets along the way, and from his own memories of his father's life and what his father has taught him. Things like "chasing a lie" to find the truth, and looking for remorse when it should be found, but isn't always.
The writing here is absolutely excellent, skillfully interweaving Billy's search for a murderer and for justice with the lessons that he's been learning all his life, now concentrated in a war-time environment. The characters are beautifully realized, and all have something to teach Billy. Eisenhower appears only a few times, but each time he introduces a theme of the novel: family, the inevitability of loss, and the terrible costs of war. And the author shines in his characterization of Billy, who at the start of his tale is simultaneously cocky yet unsure of himself in this brand new milieu; as his investigation continues, he learns the lessons of war, and of family, of true bravery, and of manhood.
The various settings are perfectly detailed, whether in bombed-out London, at an English country house, or in a newly-built mess hall in England, so new that the sawdust from its construction still lies in straight lines on the ground nearby. Likewise, dialogue is true to the period, yet never trite.
This is a fine book, with an engaging hero. It is suspenseful, often charming, and always thoughtful, right up to its exciting denouement. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

The reason I like James Benn is that he incorporates the best of Alan Furst, Robert Wilson, Philip Kerr and Eric Ambler. If you like 'Film Noir" you'll love 'Book' Noir. Billy Boyle takes place at a time when good and bad were clearly defined, unlike today. The novel's characters relect that trend yet they have the human flaws that are incumbent in all people, but so well described in this work by Mr. Benn. This is a book that is a mystery and really is. The obvious is not so obvious and the surprises come out of left field. I read this in two nights. It would have only taken me one night but I needed to sleep since I had to work the next morning, but you know, I could have skipped work and it would have been worth it.

Billy Boyle is much more than a mystery. It is also much more than a war story. It is a coming of age story of a young man sent to war against his better judgement. It is a love story. It is a story about what one person does when faced with moral choices. It is a story about strong women as well as men, making this a book to be enjoyed by women and men. The setting, London during WWII, provides a great look into life during the times. The combination of a true historical event with fictional components was compelling. A very good, can't put down read. I can't wait until the next one comes out!

I took this as part of an Amazon buy deal, with "The Mission Song", was the second part. This was by far the better book. The plot is kind of hokey, the characters belong in a 1944 spy movie, and the style is in that genre. I read this while sitting in the backyard by the pool. It is a very good book for that setting. It can be put down at any time, and picked up again without great mental effort. You do not need to worry about a lot of mental gymnastics to enjoy the book. I probably will not buy any more Billy Boyle books, but it was money better spent than the funds wasted on the Le Carre book.

In this book author James R. Benn writes about the exploits of LT. Billy Boyle in World War II England. After the entrance of the United States in to World War II Boyle, a Boston police officer, doesn't allow his influential family to keep him from serving his country in the Army, but he doesn't want too dangerous of a job so he goes to Officer Candidate School hoping to serve his time in the Army at a billet safely out of harm's way. Life for Boyle takes an unexpected turn early in the novel when he's sent to serve at Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, which is commanded by his uncle, General Dwight Eisenhower. When he arrives, Ike gives Boyle the job of tracking down a German spy that's infiltrated Allied HQ before this spy has an opportunity to impact a planned allied invasion of Norway, or so he thinks.

With very limited experience as an investigator in Boston and no experience in counter-intelligence operations, Boyle's task is already daunting but he encounters murder and maddening reluctance and sometimes outright hindrance from American and British military figures as he attempts to complete his mission.

This novel is written entirely from a first person perspective. It's as if Boyle is telling his own story as it happens. That was a little off putting in the beginning but I eventually got used to it. Unfortunately, except for Boyle, Benn doesn't fully flesh out many of his characters. I never felt like the story was all that real or suspenseful. I was a little surprised at the ending but never felt a "Wow!" moment because Benn doesn't do all that great of a job building suspense, just confusion. By the end of the book I was more confused than Benn's main character Boyle. Perhaps he intended it that way.

Lastly, for Kindle owners this book is well formatted in most places but does have one annoying issue. The first half line or full line of each chapter is written in capital letters and often the words are not properly spaced. It would have been nice for the publisher to take the time to fix this minor annoyance in the Kindle edition.

I was growing up during the World War II years and this series is a treasure to me. This book is an excellant kickoff for me.Although I read BLOOD ALONE first, I highly recommend reading these in order. The character definitely matures from book to book. The status and relationships with other characters also develop. Also the mood changes, this having the most humor of the three books. Anyway, this book sets up the main character, a distant relative of General Dwight Eisenhower and an Irish-American cop in Boston who's just made detective when the U.S. enters the war. He expects his relationship to Ike to pave his way into a nice cushy and safe staff job in the army, but of course it doesn't turn out that way for him. Instead, he becomes Ike's personal investigator and is assigned to ferret out a spy connected with the Norwegian Government in exile in England. This is an intricate mystery with the war background. The only warning I'll give is that it will hook you and you'll want to read the two sequels as well.

This book was a disappointment. What was advertised as a war time mystery set in London with General Eisenhower playing role devolved into basically a locked room murder mystery set in an English manor house and not a particularly compelling one at that. The lead character, Billy Boyle, has a lot of potential with his background as a Boston cop and rather brash nature but the presentation of his character is not consistent. Sometimes Billy is insecure and naïve while on other occasions he is insightful and observant. I suppose one could argue that he grows by leaps and bounds in the course of this story but if that is the author's intent it unravels in the end where Billy is left looking less then stellar. A large dose of period elements could have livened up the show ala the works of Kaminsky, Goulart and Collins but what we see here seems forced as if the author tossed in a scene in a pub or with a very English "character" every fifty or so pages to add period color rather then integrate the story firmly into it's time and place. The war finally comes to call in the last fifty pages or so and shows us a little of what the author is capable of, hopefully we'll see this obvious potential realized in future offerings in this series but I think I'll wait for the paperback myself....

I'm lukewarm about this; I'd have been disappointed if I were expecting more. Yes, the characters are stereotypical but they're well drawn. The plot takes a long time to get there but somewhat pulls together at the end. Not much thriller (even in what should be the thriller parts). Overall character-driven and not plot-driven.

I MUCH prefer Aaron Elkins to James Benn (both his WW-II era books as well as his anatomy expert series). I think Elkin's Turncoat and Loot are much better WW-II or post-war stories.

I downloaded this book for my husband because he's such a World War II history buff and I thought he'd like it. After he praised it so highly, I thought I'd try it. So much fun---I'm hooked, as is my husband. There's great humor within Billy that draws the reader into his circle. Also, since I'm a huge mystery fan, I appreciate the author giving hint's that allows the reader to try to figure out the mystery on his/her own. Great read, I'm downloading the whole series as a Christmas present for my better half. I've also downloaded "UNBROKEN" by Hillerbrand, I'm sure he'll love that one too.

Others have given the plot summary, so I will skip that. This book was a freebie, I gave it a try, was thrilled and immediately enlisted in what I hope is a growing army of Billy Boyle and James R. Benn followers. I was so entertained by Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery, that I read straight through all 5 books in the series.

The writing is top notch. The mysteries and extraordinarily crafted, with a depth and complexity that left my happy head spinning from page to page in all 5 books. The characters are beautifully crafted--I feel as if I know them and care about their lives and fates.

I was born the year after WWII, and listened in fascination to my uncles talk about their wartime experiences in Europe--England, France and Germany. I worked as a magazine editor with a Swede who was stationed in London during the war. He experienced The Blitz, the V1 and V2 rockets, and the frantic joyfulness of people living for the day because it was very likely there would be no tomorrow. He worked in military intelligence. That fellow, Thor, told me dozens of stories about life under the guns and falling bombs and V1 and V2 buzz bomb rockets hurled at London and England.

Everything I heard from eyewitnesses jibes with the Billy Boyle books. The fascinating mysteries, played out in London, Ireland, Algeria, and France, were meaty with the "ambiance" of WWII and what it must have been like to be a young soldier serving in all of those places.

But the war serves as supporting actor to the main character: a crackling good mystery that inspires awe in the reader as it unfolds. Benn is a master of the mystery, and master of WWII as as setting, and a joy throughout.

My only disappointment is that there are not more books in the series. I could read another 50 of them if Mr. Benn will get cracking and write more. I sure hope he does.

Oh, as a Vietnam era Veteran, I do have to add this: Benn portrays the reality of war, the moments of terror soldiers face, the very limited amount of glory really experienced by soldiers trained and ready to kill the enemy, an enemy who is trained and ready to kill them first.

That is all. At ease, troops.