A Blind Goddess

This is, in my opinion, one of the finest mystery/historical fiction series going, and Im up only to book 8 (there are 5 more in print and another due in a month or so). And this is one of the best entries in the series, which has become a epic, accurate depiction of some of the events that shaped World War II.

Billy Benn, whose family is related by marriage to Dwight Eisenhower, has spent his time in World War II as a special investigator for Ike. He finds himself in the village of Newbury in the southeast of England, in March 1944. One of the British intelligence gurus whom Billy has had much contact, Major Cosgrove, wants Billy to look into the murder of Stuart Neville, and tasks Billy with seeing to it that the murder is treated as a simple murder. Which, of course, convinces Billy that there is something else going on, especially as the home in which Neville was living is owned by a German refugee family.

He also has had a call for help a call for help from a friend from his teenage years, Eugene (Tree) Jackson. Tree is a sergeant in a battalion of tank destroyers; also from Boston, Tree is black (as is the battalion, except for, of course, the officers).. And his gunner, Abraham (nicknamed Angry) Smith in imprisoned, facing a court-martial, on a charge of murder, the victim being a local constable. Tree, who is certain Angry is innocent, is hoping Billy can look into it. Billy, who has 5 days leave, is hoping to spend them with Diane Seaton, the woman he loves.

Diane (who is in the Special Operations Executive) plans to meet Billy. But first she has an appointment with a high-ranking official in the Foreign Office, to try to persuade him that England, and the Allies in general, need to do something about the German extermination camps.

If thats not a complicated enough situation, a young girl, a refugee from the Channel Islands, has disappeared from the group home/school in which she has been relocated.

The continuing charactersBilly, Diane, Kaz (a Polish noble and officer in the Polish armywhich is now in exile), and Big Mike (a Detroit cop now in the army)a group who would only have found each other in the dislocations of war, are all finely characterized. And the characters specific to this bookthe local police, a man who operates a sweets shop, the office staff of a Building Society (where Neville worked), and otherprovide depth to the narrative. And the depiction of village life during wartime seems absolutely perfect.

And Benns account of the treatment of black soldiers in the midst of this war is both historically accurate and a fairly damning portrayal both of the U.S. military in the 1940s and of the wider society. One interesting side note comes from Benns afterword, in which he describes his research, and provided me with the first positive thing (other than his strategic and tactical strengths as a general) I have ever read about George Patton. As it happened, the first black armored unit to see battle during the war was assigned to Patton, whose welcome to them included this: I dont care what color you are, so long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sonsabitches And they did.

This is book 8. I have read them all to this point. A major sub-current in this book is the racism experienced by black people in the US before and after the 1940’s. Benn’s books are very well researched and although they are fiction they have managed to give a little better idea of the conditions in the world at the time and that has given me some perspective on things today. These books are very entertaining but very informative as well. In a previous book I learned more about the position of the Irish in the British Empire and came to understand the division in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants. This book that I just finished gave me cause to better understand what it was like to be a Black Man during the war. There are things that we can wish were different. I was born in 1962 so I wasn’t alive back then. What we can do now is try to be sure that everyone is treated fairly based on their character and not on the color of their skin. This was an extremely good book. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

I have enjoyed the Billy Boyle series by James R. Benn. They all take place in the European Theater during WWII. Billy is a distant relative of Mamie Doud Eisenhower and through some connections has managed to be assigned to the General’s staff. Since both his dad and uncle served in WWI they are eager to keep him out of harm’s way. Only it’s not exactly working out that way—-as Billy has put his policing and detecting skills to good use. And in this story as in all the others his life is in danger more than just a few times!

Billy has been recently promoted to Captain. He’s back in England and has been contacted by an African American soldier who was one of his best friends back in Boston. Tree, or Sgt. Jackson is assigned with a black infantry division and seeks Billy’s help in exonerating a buddy who has been accused of murder. It happens to be a young constable in a small village and his sister also happened to date Tree’s buddy—whose nickname is Angry. This is where Benn gets into the whole racial issues in the American military. There was segregation of units and even so far to consider certain areas in the Allied countries off limits to Black soldiers. In this little village these soldiers are welcomed because to the Brits they are always polite and respectful—-even more than the white American troops! And they don’t seem to mind if these guys “walk out” with their sisters. So there is this issue and then another.

Billy is summoned by Major Cosgrove, his British foreign service counterpart who wants him to investigate another murder, but this time it’s a civilian man who works for a building society(place where people can get mortgages). The other part of this is that he lodges with a German couple and their daughter—-so are they suspects? And are they really loyal to Britain?

There is also a girl gone missing from a local boarding school. And then a girl turns up in the nearby canal. Are these incidents all related? Or is there more than one killer on the loose?

It’s up to Captain Billy Boyle and his loyal sidekick Kaz to find out what’s behind all of these terrible tragedies. And in his quest for the truth and asking questions of all those that may be concerned, he once again becomes prey to those that would like nothing more than to be rid of this inquisitive Yank! Once again James R. Benn has done his research which always includes information surrounding this terrible War that cost the lives of not only those that served, but also innocent civilians.

The detail in the researching comes through loud and clear. Combine two mysteries and yet another matter that might seriously affect the war means another Billy Boyle triumph. Seriously, if you like historical detectives you will seriously miss out if you do not read this series!!

An interesting view of the Kennet valley during the run up to Operation Overlord. Good local scene setting and storyline keeps the attention. Only one slight issue, the book has the river Kennet flowing east to west, which would be uphill! However, well worth the read

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