Billy Boyle

The Billy Boyle character comes into this story looking for a easy and safe place to spend his wartime service. A police detective badge earned by way of cheating on his exam, he is an arrogant B/Ser and disrespectful to almost everyone in authority he meets. The plot and its contrived conclusion ends with Billy saving the day. Considering all the direct orders Billy ignores or disobeys he ought to have ended up in the brig.

3.5 Stars – I’m not sure I was prepared to like this book as much as I did. The character – Billy Boyle – is a self-centered, spoiled young man that you wouldn’t think had the brains to figure out plots against his Uncle Eisenhower, much less the country! But I stayed with it and after some interesting characters were introduced and he got nailed a few times for his idiocy, I became more involved. I must admit he stumped me on the final villains for the most part, I found some of the reading became too long and drawn out. In fact, I was tempted to put it down and read something else. I’m hoping his following novel starts – and stays – more fastpaced.

Billy Boyle grows up fast as a young Boston cop drafted into the army in 1942. A novice police detective, he ends up serving as an investigator in Britain for his uncle Dwight Eisenhower just as American troops start arriving there in numbers.

The premise may seem strained, but it works. The book is full of surprises, especially the rapid development of Billys character. Yet the kid has no choice, given the puzzling case hes asked to solve and the dire realities of World War II, carefully depicted in this mystery tale.

Even if its ingenious plot hasmaybeone twist too many, Billy Boyle is certainly a compelling opener for James R. Benns World War II mystery series.

I am not sure why I tried the first Billy Boyle WWII Mystery (cleverly entitled “Billy Boyle”), but I did not have high hopes for it. I had read several Maggie Hope and Maisie Dobbs novels, which I find somewhat pedestrian, and I thought Boyle might be more of the same. Some of Boyle’s “Southie” reminisces can be a bit irritating, but the action is non-stop and the mysteries are not easily solvable (most of the time). The characters very human and engaging, and I find myself looking ahead to the other books to make sure they are still around. Another appealing feature is that war is not glorified; heroes suffer and some dieand corruption is everywhere. James R. Benn thoroughly researches the period and manages to seamlessly incorporate historic events and personages with the imaginary. If you get addicted, you were warned.

I made the mistake of loaning this book out to a friend, but now he wants to keep it so I bought another so I had the entire set. In this intro to the series, Billy Boyle is a clever, engaging invention and I admire how Benn has managed to have Billy be in place for many key events in WWII. The fact that Billy is a nephew by marriage of Gen. Eisenhower enables Benn to give some fascinating background information that I don’t recall reading in history books. I like a book with what I call “some meat on the bone,” and this book and others in the series certainly fill that description. Give #1 a try and I bet you will want to read about Billy’s further adventures. I just hope my friend doesn’t expect me to loan him the rest of the series because I want to read them again.

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