Blood Alone: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery [Hardcover]

James R. Benn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Praise for the Billy Boyle series:

“The brash kid from Southie is still open, direct and fearless in his manner (and in his wonderfully loose-jointed use of the English language) and in no danger of losing his cover as a ‘happy-go-lucky Yank.’ But even amid the excitement of the spirited wartime storytelling, Benn allows Boyle’s experiences to change him in ways both subtle and dramatic.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

“Thoroughly enjoyable.”—The Seattle Times

“This series brings WWII alive.”—Deadly Pleasures

“Great fun. Benn knows his war history.”—The Globe and Mail

“Kudos to author Benn . . . and here’s hoping that Billy will continue to make his way through his Uncle Ike’s world for many titles to come.”—Bookslut.com

Billy Boyle awakens in a field hospital in Sicily with amnesia. In his pocket is a yellow silk handkerchief embroidered with the initial L. Gradually he remembers: he has been sent ashore in advance of the troops with this token from Lucky Luciano to contact the head of the Sicilian Mafia. But he must also thwart a murderous band of counterfeiters of Army scrip led by Vito Genovese.

James R. Benn is the author of Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery, selected by Book Sense as one of the top five mysteries of 2006 and nominated for a Dilys Award. The First Wave was a Book Sense Notable title. Benn is a librarian and lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Characterization and atmosphere carry Benn's third WWII mystery (after 2007's The First Wave), a convincing blend of fact and fiction. As part of the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, Billy Boyle, a freewheeling Boston cop in civilian life now working as special investigator for General Eisenhower, bears a message from the real-life Lucky Luciano to the head of the Sicilian Mafia asking that he order local soldiers to stop fighting American troops. Unfortunately, the chaos of warfare interferes with Billy's mission, as does another mobster out to exploit the situation for money who plots to have Billy killed—while Billy is wounded and suffering from amnesia. The hero's gradual rediscovery of his memories lets him question what kind of person he is, in particular whether he's more than a brutal killer. Benn also does a fine job of depicting a dusty, poverty-stricken Sicily, where warm loyalty is the reverse side of pitiless vendetta. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

Benn continues to create fascinating behind-the-lines mysteries from little-known facets of World War II history. This time it’s the curious fact that, before the invasion of Sicily, the Allied High Command asked various U.S. Mafia chieftains, including Lucky Luciano, to intercede with their Sicilian counterparts to help convince Italian soldiers to switch sides, away from Germany and Mussolini. Benn’s series star, Billy Boyle, special investigator attached to Eisenhower’s staff, is charged with brokering the deal; he lands in Sicily, but before he can make contact with the capo, he is wounded, loses his memory, and soon finds himself in the middle of a Mob-led embezzlement scam. Previous episodes in the series (The First Wave, 2007) have used similar premises, but this time Benn combines the mystery element with a fair amount of frontline battle scenes. The combination makes for a fast-paced mix of action, adventure, and crime solving—and has the added benefit of reducing the space available for Billy’s romantic life (Benn’s decided weak point). Historical detail about the Sicily campaign will grab WWII buffs. A solid series that keeps getting better. --Bill Ott

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569475164
• ISBN-13: 978-1569475164
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,087,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Writing the Billy Boyle World War II mystery series has brought me an immense amount of joy. I've gotten to meet people in person and online from all over the world and hear their reactions, feedback, and most importantly, their own stories.

My idea for a historical mystery series set within the Allied High Command during the Second World War began with the first title, Billy Boyle, which takes place in England and Norway in 1942. The second, The First Wave, carries on a few months later during the Allied invasion of French Northwest Africa. The third, Blood Alone continues the story through the Allied invasion of Sicily. In the fourth installment, Evil For Evil, Billy Boyle voyages to his native Ireland.

The fifth book in the series deals with the infamous Katyn Massacre of Polish Officers by the Soviets, and how the uncovering of that crime affected the war, especially Polish-Americans and the Poles in exile in England. It is titled Rag and Bone (from the Yeats poem), and was released in September 2010.

Number six, titled A Mortal Terror, will be out in September 2011. It is set in southern Italy and within the Anzio Beachhead, where Billy tracks down the Red Heart Killer, who is targeting officers of increasingly senior rank. Mortal terror also refers to combat fatigue and the terrible effects of prolonged exposure to the not only combat but the rigors of winter in the mountains.

I live in Hadlyme, Connecticut, with my wife Deborah Mandel, a psychotherapist who offers many insights into the motivations of my characters, a good critical read, and much else. Our dog Ranger lives with us. We have two sons, Jeff and Ben, and seven grandchildren (Camille, Claudia, Emma, Luke, Nathaniel, Noah, Oliver).

I'm a graduate of the University of Connecticut and received my MLS degree from Southern Connecticut State University. I am a member of the Mystery Writers of America, and the Author's Guild. I've worked in the library and information technology fields for over thirty-five years. I am currently director of the Godfrey Memorial Library in Middletown, Connecticut.

I've learned two valuable lessons since I started writing which have helped me greatly. The first is a quote from Oscar Wilde, who said "The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one's pants to a chair." The second is from novelist Rachel Basch, who told me "the story has to move down, as well as forward." Both sound simple. Neither is.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sorry but no more. Can't go any further., October 9, 2010

By 

Longrider33 (Pleasanton, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Blood Alone: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery (Kindle Edition)

I read the first two books from this author and thoroughly enjoyed them; this one, I read 71 percent of it on my Kindle and quit, being unable or unwilling to go any further. The hero, Lt. Billy Boyle simply spends too much time in self-examination, self-doubt and self-recrimination for any action or story development to take place. In a word: Boring.

There were hints of the authors tendency to preach in the first two books, but in this one he gives his own thoughts on morality, combat, killing versus murder and any number of other such weighty subjects full reign, while we wait until the action occurs and the story moves out of compound low and into drive again.

I simply gave up. I guess that I prefer a story to page after page of character development. Dan Brown has the patent on not being able to get to the point, but I think that Mr. Benn may be running a close second with this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unknown History Well Told, August 24, 2008

By 

M. Gordon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Blood Alone: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery (Hardcover)

Once again, James R. Benn integrates an interesting piece of little-known history (this time, the Mafia's involvement in the Allied campaign in Sicily) into a fictional account of WWII. The mystery will hold the reader's interest right to the end.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Boyle keeps getting better!, September 1, 2008

By 

Debbie (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Alone: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery (Hardcover)

In BLOOD ALONE, Billy Boyle faces his toughest assignment yet; coming to grips with not only who he is, but the type of man he has become after months at war. Waking in a field hospital in Sicily with a bandaged head and no idea who he is, Lt. Boyle has to piece his identity and his mission together, unsure of who to trust among those offering their help. The dusty, grinding poverty of Sicily comes alive, as Boyle journeys to the center of the island and the mountain stronghold of the head of the Sicilian mafia. Blood vendettas, gangsters on the run, Germans and secret agents with their own secrets get in his way, until Billy Boyle solves the ultimate mystery of who he is and what he was set on the island to do. The setting, and the characters, are as stimulating as the fictional mystery Benn spins out, and the actual historical events he weaves into the narrative. Superb!