The Rest Is Silence

I passed this book on to a friend and said, “You will love this!” Benn does a wonderful job of weaving in the fruits of his research and makes reading the book informative, as well as entertaining. Benn has chosen to tell the stories in first person angle of narration and the reader feels as if he is right there with Billy Boyle. Benn has done a great job of making Billy a three-dimensional character and the reader trusts Billy to give a good description of what is happening in that particular theater of war. I highly recommend not just this book, but the series.

I am comparing James Benn’s latest book, “The Rest is Silence” to the preceding books in the “Billy Boyle” series, not necessarily to other historical mysteries. I think most readers of the review will already be familiar with the “Billy Boyle” series. “Silence” is the ninth book in the series.

Why do people read historical fiction? In many cases, these books give both an enjoyable plot and the chance for the reader to learn a bit more about history. That is, if the author writes the history with accuracy – or points out in an afterword what he has changed a bit for fictional stylings. American James Benn has been writing his “Billy Boyle” novels for about 10 years now. Billy Boyle is a young Boston cop whose family has finagled his way onto the staff of a certain American general he’s related to. Billy becomes Ike’s personal “fixer” and “looks” into various crimes that could affect the war effort. And in “Silence”, that “war effort” is the pending DDay invasion of Nazi Europe.

Billy and his partner “Kaz” have been called down to the southern coast of England, near Dartmouth, to investigate a body that has washed up ashore from the English Channel. The body is of a man and is not identified and Eisenhower is worried the body could be that of a spy. The area the body is found is in the practice locale for DDay forces. While in the area, Billy and Kaz are invited by Kaz’s friend, David, to stay at his in-laws’ house, Ashcroft. And it is at Ashcroft that the Dame Agatha-type plot enters the story. Some untimely deaths along with the untimely turning up of a long-lost relative from the United States, and murders start. Also occurring in the area is the sinking of LST boats and the heavy loss of lives during a training incident of “Operation Tiger”.

“The Rest of Silence” is part English country-home murder mystery and half WW2 war murder mystery. And, in fact, Billy is helped a bit in his investigation of the murder at Ashcroft and in the murders in the “Operation Tiger” area by a Mrs Max Mallowan, whose own country manor has been turned over to use by Allied forces. Mrs Mallowan’s presence in the story is a sly joke I’m sure James Benn will hope is appreciated by his readers.

Billy and Kaz, with help from other secondary characters, do tie up the murder mysteries – both of them – in relatively neat fashion. I learned a little about DDay preparations along the south coast and, in particularly, “Operation Tiger”. (It helps to read historical fiction with access to Wikipedia). I think this is James Benn’s best book, so far. He writes in the first person – as Billy – which I think is rather a difficult thing to do. But he manages to pull it off. He has given his readers an excellent mystery and a chance to learn a thing or two. I’m looking forward to next fall’s next book in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed “The Rest is Silence”. A great mystery within the epic story of the D-Day preparations in England. As usual with one of Benn’s Billy Boyle books, the historical context was as fascinating as watching Billy and Kaz solve a murder mystery. I highly recommend all of the Billy Boyle WW II novels. Always a great read!

If you have read the previous eight novels you know what to expect. This was certainly worth the read. There is a hint of “Campiness” that I found annoying but if you overlook that the story moves right along and it a very entertaining investment of time.

This is a truly stellar book and yet another in the Billy Boyle World War II series by James R. Benn. If you have an interest in World War II, the European theater, this series is for you. Mr. Benn bases many of his fact patterns on actual events, refined only as necessary for his stories. Although this is a series, each book can be read separately without losing context. The main character, Billy Boyle is a lovable Boston detective transplanted into Gen. Eisenhower’s elite company. Boyle, his sidekick, Kaz (a Polish count who lost everything in the War) and Diana, Boyle’s true love, travel throughout Europe solving various murders and other crimes as Eisenhower directs. As the series progresses, the reader becomes caught up in the characters’ adventures and experiences at least a hint of what the reality of World War II must have been.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member