Death's Door

Billy Boyle World War II #7

by James R. Benn

In this seventh installment of James R. Benn’s hit WWII-era mystery series, Lieutenant Billy Boyle goes undercover in the Vatican.
 
Lieutenant Billy Boyle could have used a rest after his last case, but when his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, a British spy, goes missing in the Vatican, where she was working undercover, he insists on being assigned to a murder investigation there so he can try to help her.
 
An American monsignor is found murdered at the foot of Death's Door, one of the five entrances to Saint Peter's Basilica. Wild Bill Donovan, head of the OSS, wants the killing investigated. The fact that the Vatican is neutral territory in German-occupied Rome is only one of the obstacles Billy must overcome. First is a harrowing journey, smuggled into Rome while avoiding the Gestapo and Allied bombs. Then he must navigate Vatican politics and personalities—some are pro-Allied, others pro-Nazi, and the rest steadfastly neutral—to learn the truth about the murdered monsignor. But that's not his only concern; just a short walk from the Vatican border is the infamous Regina Coeli prison, where Diana is being held. Can he dare a rescue, or will a failed attempt alert the Germans to his mission and risk an open violation of Vatican neutrality?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Military Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid outing in this excellent series.

In this episode, as the war slowly progresses and the Allied Armies continue their difficult progress up the boot of Italy, Billy receives an assignment that will send him virtually into the Lion's Den. He is to be transported by partisans to Vatican City to investigate the death of an American Monsignor. While Vatican City itself is neutral territory, all of Rome around it is controlled by the German army who are looking for an excuse to take over The Vatican also.

This will be a tricky assignment, complicated by the disappearance of Billy's love Diana who has been stationed in Rome, posing as a nun. Too many things can go wrong or right among these people stranded at the Vatican from all over the world since the start of the war...along with all the priestly usual suspects. The Vatican politics reflect those of the world at the time.

A recommended episode in a recommended series.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit I have never been a big fan of military history, at least beyond a social history standpoint, and that position has extended to my choice of books- including mysteries. However the Billy Boyle series is the exception to that rule- I have devoured the entire series and the moment I finish one book I begin immediately waiting impatiently for the next in the series. I typically find historical novels have some inaccuracies that I find annoying to learn about after the fact or that I latch on while reading the book which makes enjoying it difficult, however the series is well researched and I always come out feeling more educated on the subject yet never feeling force fed. Also, I have to give huge credit to any series that my father (a military history buff), my mother (a mystery buff) and a me (a sometimes murder mystery readers) all love.

Now when does the next book come out?

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I’m reading this series out of order, I can say that each book is even better than the last. I love the uniqueness of each character, the depth of character, and especially how each novel pulls me into the world of Billy Boyle. The snappy dialog filled with 1940s “American-isms”, which includes Billy’s inner thoughts, and other period details remind me of some favorite classic movies. And the mysteries never disappoint. Top notch!

[Patricia M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best in this series and is a fascinating look at the Vatican in this time period. I am a Catholic Canon Lawyer, who spent two years studying in Rome and is there frequently each year. The details about this book and Vatican City are excellent. I am especially intrigued by the fairness and insights it offers, ever so subtly, of the tightrope that the Catholic Church, its Pope and its Curia, were all trying to walk during the Second World War. Beyond all of that great stuff, this story is one of Benn's best. In it, he shows a true development of his series characters, warts and all. Along with my very favorite book, Morris West's "Devil's Advocate", I will read this book over and over.

In case, you did not get it yet, I love this book, and so will you.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first James R Benn novel and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun little historical fiction mystery. I did the audio and thought the reader did a great job, especially with all the accents.

There were several things I liked about this. I liked the dialog. It was well written and believable for the characters. I also liked the characters. They were fun and purposeful.

The story line was creative. I loved the first half. Somewhere in the middle, though, it got a little jumbled. There were theories galore. However, I liked how it was all reigned in at the end. I will definitely read more my this author.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

DEATH'S DOOR, the 7th book in author James R. Benn's Billy Boyle World War II mystery series, finds Boyle on yet another mission with high stakes and utterly catastrophic repercussions if he fails.

But his latest mission is far more than just another assignment investigating a murder on behalf of his "Uncle Ike" aka General Dwight D. Eisenhower. There's a personal component as Billy's paramour, the British spy Diana Seaton, has been taken prisoner by the Nazis. Despite being ordered to stay far away from trying to free her, Boyle is determined to get Diana free.

But his main assignment finds Billy and his best friend Kaz going undercover in one of the most dangerous parts of the World War II battlefield...The Vatican. The duo are sent in to investigate the murder of an American-born monsignor. But getting into the seat of the Catholic religion is easier said than done. It's is strictly neutral in the war but surrounded on all sides by the Germans, who are just itching for a reason to invade and take the Pope hostage under the guise of "protecting" him.

Billy and Kaz have to get smuggled in, using fake identities as priests. But things are far from what they've been told in the pre-mission briefing. The first thing is that despite being undercover, it seems EVERYONE knows their real identities. All the priests, whether they support the Germans or the Allied forces. And even the Germans know who they really are. But everyone seems content to let Billy investigate the murder so long as it doesn't go beyond that.

And that's what Billy does. As he digs into the murder, he soon finds himself stymied by Vatican politics as any number of players vie for the Pope's ear and the jockey for position in the Catholic hierarchy. And it that isn't enough to give Billy (the devout former altar boy) pause, his investigation leads him to learning a whole lot about what certain priests have been doing outside of the Vatican's neutral state. And further complicating matters is more bodies turning up. As the heat turns up, Billy and Kaz must navigate the endlessly complicated list of suspects in order to bring down a killer in the Holy See.

Of course, Billy also has to find Diana and then figure out how to get her out of what turns out to be one of Italy's more terrifying prisons during World War II. But rescuing Diana may be easier than all of them getting out of the Vatican alive when the vicious fascists in charge of the SS in Italy start hunting them down.

As I was reading DEATH'S DOOR, I was amazed at the level of detail that James R. Benn would go into as characters explained daily life in the Vatican and how every move and statement had to be carefully considered in order to not jeopardize the Vatican's neutrality. Setting a murder mystery / hostage rescue in the middle of the den of snakes that is World War II Vatican politics struck me as being almost impossibly daunting but Benn managed to pull it off.

You get a bunch of history but the fictional mystery/thriller plot doesn't come up wanting. Billy's temporary alliance with one of the German brass was actually quite interesting to see play out on the page. It's a fictional German rather than a real person but still, the character however much they are on the wrong side of the war, made a compelling sort of ally.

I did feel bad for Kaz. While he remains a stalwart friend and partner for Billy, the man just cannot catch a break.

James R. Benn has our heroes facing danger, disappointment, disillusionment and death at every turn. The tension jumps off the page and into the reader. This draws you that much more into the story as you turn the pages finding you just can't wait to see what happens next. DEATH'S DOOR is a vastly entertaining book that will make your pulse race from start to finish.

[Renée Gendron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Billy Boyle adventure. This story takes place in Rome and Vatican City. As always, the politics and constraints faced by Boyle are in line with historical fact.

I particularly enjoyed this book because Diana (his love interest) had more presence. This book in particular always highlighted some of the moral issues of war and politics. There is rarely a perfect outcome for everyone.

Extremely well written, the pacing was good, and the setting changed. As the seventh book in this series, I can honestly say each book is unique. Boyle investigates a lot of murders and thefts, but the mechanisms used to resolve the plot are unique.

[Woody Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with Samm Portelli in that they need a rating system that allows for partial, rather than full, stars.

This was more like a 3.5 or 3.75 but not as high as a 4.

I had numerous bugaboos with this one as I read through the series in its current entirety.

1. I disliked the setting - WWII Vatican City. I am a VERY lapsed Catholic & I did not have a lot of sympathy for Pius XII & his waffling in order to maintain neutrality.

2. The main characters all felt out of character in this one.

3. Parts of the plot required a suspension of belief. See #2.

Just my $0.02, but this was the lesser of the lot, thus far. YMMV.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read! I have never understood how the Vatican stood by & did nothing for the refugees, including Jewish refugees, during WWII. So glad to learn that I did not have the whole story!! This novel did an excellent job of putting us inside the Vatican, the war, the world politics. The Historical Notes at the end also add to a better understanding!!

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This latest volume in Benn's Billy Boyle WW II mysteries finds Billy in mourning over Diana's capture in the Vatican by the Gestapo. Despondant, he ignores orders to return to Britain from Italy. Finally orders arrive he can't ignore, and he's sent to the Vatican as a priest to investigate the death of an American member of the Curia. Billy looks on it as a way to save Diana or die trying. He also feels bound to solve the murder, of course.

This book is a little disjointed, with two distantly related plot threads, and a surprise third thread introduced late in the story. There's also a foreshadowing of the possible limitations of Billy and Diana's romance.

The seemingly random linkage of all the threads and the dependence on coincidence for the progress of the plot is a little straining, but it's still a very good book. Benn has created sympathetic but not saccarine characters in this series.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Benn has returned with another excellent Billy Boyle mystery, "Death's Door". This novel, his 7th in the series - along with two stand-alones - has moved Lt Billy Boyle to Rome in early 1944. Italy was under German control: after the 1943 coup against Mussolini the Germans marched in and occupied the country. The Vatican, which was an independent city-state established in 1929 under the Lateran Treaty with Mussolini's Italian government - is set in the middle of Rome. Less than 110 acres in size, the wartime Vatican population was a combination of Catholic clergy and officials, as well as a large number of refugees. Living conditions were difficult as food and basic needs were stretched to supply the refugees and religious. And over it all hung the specter of a German take-over of the Vatican State if the precarious peace was not maintained by Vatican officials keeping a strictly "neutral" stand on world affairs.

Author Benn has done a marvelous job with his character, Billy, since he introduced him in the series' first book, "Billy Boyle". Benn has established an identity - Boston policeman, reluctantly serving his country in WW2, as the private "cop" of his uncle, General Dwight Eisenhower - for Billy Boyle, and his adventures in what seems to be the entire European Theater of Operations. And in "bringing along" Billy Boyle as a character, Benn has also expanded the reader's knowledge of the Second World War. This book, "Death's Door", is a very good look at the Vatican's role in WW2.

Benn's characters in "Death's Door" are both fictional - Billy and his companions, Kaz and Diana - and real. Actor Sterling Hayden turns up - as he did in reality - as an OSS-affiliated agent and several of the Vatican officials are actual historic figures. Monsignor Giovanni Montini - later Pope Paul - was the Papal Secretariat of State under Pope Pius and was in charge of the difficult balancing act between Germany and the Church. He, as well as other real Vatican officials, work with Billy and Kaz when the two are smuggled into the Vatican to try to solve the murder of a monsignor active in the refugee movement. But Billy is also in Rome to find his girlfriend, Diana, who, while in Rome on her own espionage mission, was captured and imprisoned by the Germans. (I do have to say that Diana and her "imprisonment" was really the only part of the story that rang a little unlikely.) Between the attempt to solve the murder and save his girlfriend, Billy and Kaz meet and befriend - and be-enemy - an interesting assortment of people. Benn also does a great job setting the scene and conditions of the wartime Vatican. (A map of the Vatican in the front of the book would have been helpful. Maybe in the next printing...) I think Benn gave a lot of thought, too, to the Church's - and Pope Pius's - actions in WW2 and writes about them in an open-minded manner. He doesn't draw any conclusions but they do relate to the plot of the story.

"Billy Boyle" and James Benn have come a long way since Benn's first book. Benn's writing has matured and the characters and plots have grown in complexity. It's a series that I hope continues for a few more books.

Now an editorial word about book reviews. I'm one of Amazon's top reviewers and I've watched, along with several friends who are also top reviewers, the problems of false reviews of books, both on Amazon/USA and Amazon/UK. This has been the subject of recent articles in the New York Times and in several newspapers in the UK. The problem is called "sock puppeting". This has been an irksome problem for reviewers, most of whom take our careful reading of books and then, hopefully, writing well thought-out reviews very seriously. If you're reading reviews, I would advise you to take a close look at any glowing reviews and click on "See my reviews" to see how many other books the reviewer has reviewed. If the reviewer has only written one review - that of the book being reviewed - or reviews of only that author's books, then you'd be right to question the authenticity of the review.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#7 in the former Boston cop Billy Boyle WW II mystery series opening in late February,1944 with Billy in Brindisi, Italy. Pressing on him is the information that his girlfriend, an officer in the British spy network, is being held by the Gestapo in Rome. Thus, he is seeking ways to get to Rome and rescue her while ignoring orders to report back to his headquarters. He then receives orders to be smuggled into German occupied Rome to the Vatican City to investigate the murder of a senior American Vatican official. He is also ordered not to attempt to contact his girlfriends and do nothing to call the Vatican's neutrality into question giving the Germans an excuse to occupy the City and be an embarrassment to the U.S. As usual, Billy will ignore the orders regarding his girlfriends as he considers that his primary mission while also trying to find out who murdered the American. He must navigate Vatican politics and personalities—some are pro-Allied, others pro-Nazi, and the rest steadfastly neutral—to learn the truth about the murder.

Billy is in very early 20's, Boston Irish with a cocky attitude and had just made detective when the war started. His parents used their connections to keep him out of combat by getting him a staff job on cousin's Dwight Eisenhower's staff who at the war's start was based in Washington, D.C. Ike is quickly transferred to London when Billy joins his staff. Billy's goal: stay out of any combat situation and get back to Boston. His investigative style is to poke a stick into things to see what happens. He is impertinent, has a Boston America Irish anti British huge chip on his shoulder, doesn't like superior officers, tends to disobeys orders, takes himself off on his own personal tasks without considering ramifications putting himself in serious situations, and, since he is hero, these personal tasks work out for the best.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Death’s Door” eBook was published in 2012 and was written by James R. Benn (http://www.jamesrbenn.com). Mr. Benn has published 10 novels in his “Billy Boyle World War II Mystery” series. This is the seventh book in the series.

I purchased this novel through Barnes & Nobles for the Nook reader. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in and around Vatican City during 1944. The primary character is Billy Boyle, an American Army Lieutenant.

Rome is occupied by the German army, but the Vatican City has not been invaded. An American monsignor living in the Vatican is murdered. Boyle, along with his sidekick, Polish Baron Lieutenant Piotr “Kaz” Kazimierz, are smuggled into the Vatican under orders to find the murderer. This is a windfall for Boyle, as his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, who had been undercover for the British as a nun at the Vatican, has been arrested. Boyle sees the assignment as an opportunity to rescue her, as well as solve the murder.

Boyle finds the Vatican to be far more complicated than his time as a Catholic alter boy prepared him for. There are many different factions within the Vatican. Not all support the liberation by the Allies. Boyle also finds himself confronted by German agents and old adversaries .

I thoroughly enjoyed the 10+ hours I spent reading this World War II Mystery. I have now read the first seven books in the series and have enjoyed them all. I like the characters of Boyle and Kaz, as well as the other continuing characters in the series. The cover art does give the impression of intrigue between the church and Germany. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[JPT · Rating 3 out of 5]

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Audiobook
Story: B-/C+, Narration: B

Not a review, just some thoughts for personal reference.

This was the least enjoyable book in this series so far. I'm always impressed by the historical research Benn puts in these books. He always presents both the big, sweeping picture as well as the smallest details that flesh things out. And he also always provides the human element, including the complexity of emotions, weaknesses, and complex moral decisions. This is particularly true in this book where concrete evidence of what becomes known as the Holocaust is made available at great cost. We've long known that this information was available to the Allied governments and the Vatican, including the scope of the atrocities. For various reasons, some understandable, this information was not made public and not acted upon. A tough subject that was, for the most part, well handled in this book.

So, why didn't I like it? Partly because there were so few characters I liked or sympathized with. Aside from our main group, I felt more respect and sympathy for a German intelligence officer and his men than I did for the majority of the Vatican residents and officials, including Pius XII. I'm also so over the Billy/Diana drama. I don't know which is worse: his moping or his riding to rescue his damsel in distress every time she goes on a mission.

And the narrator. I thought I'd settle in to the new guy but he still annoys me, especially with Billy's voice. The old narrator could say the same words without making Billy sound so stupid.

I liked the Sterling Hayden bit. Never knew that and had to hit the Google for more info. Lots of Google-able stuff in this book, in fact.

[Grant Masson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lieutenant Billy Boyle could have used a rest after his last case, but when his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, a British spy, goes missing in the Vatican, where she was working undercover, he insists on being assigned to a murder investigation there so he can try to help her.

An American monsignor is found murdered at the foot of Death’s Door, one of the five entrances to Saint Peter’s Basilica. Wild Bill Donovan, head of the OSS, wants the killing investigated. The fact that the Vatican is neutral territory in German-occupied Rome is only one of the obstacles Billy must overcome.

First is a harrowing journey, smuggled into Rome while avoiding the Gestapo and Allied bombs. Then he must navigate Vatican politics and personalities—some are pro-Allied, others pro-Nazi, and the rest steadfastly neutral—to learn the truth about the murdered monsignor. But that’s not his only concern; just a short walk from the Vatican border is the infamous Regina Coeli prison, where Diana is being held. Can he dare a rescue, or will a failed attempt alert the Germans to his mission and risk an open violation of Vatican neutrality?

This is a compelling story: Vatican as a setting per se is very interesting and the author demonstrates how the real political atmosphere was within Vatican in the WWII period (some pro-Nazy, some pro-Ally and very few neutral).

The historical part obviously dominates the book (if you are familiar with the author’s previous work) rather than the mystery, and that can be a negative point for some readers, however, the easy language and natural storytelling talent of the author have offset the this.

Overall, a good read and a good mystery novel…

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's early 1944 and Billy Boyle is off on another adventure, this time in Vatican City surrounded by Nazi-occupied Rome. Ostensibly, Billy and his best friend Kaz are undercover in the Vatican to investigate a murder, but that just happily coincides with a more pressing matter; Billy's desire to rescue Diana, the love of his life who had been on an undercover mission in the Vatican and who is now a German captive.

James R. Benn knows how to write an engaging and easily digestible story. By now, seven books in, the primary characters, led by the Boston detective Billy Boyle, are well-known, with readily recognizable personality strengths, quirks, and flaws. The plot contains just enough curves and asides to maintain an avid interest.

What Benn does best, though, is incorporate the history of the time without platitudes or easy assertions. There are gray areas, not everything is as simple as good guys versus bad guys, as revealed to Billy when he is forced to work with an Abwehr officer who hates Hitler but condemns the "indiscriminate, terror bombing" conducted by the Allies. The Vatican setting provides fertile ground for challenging simple expectations of the just and the villains. Both sets are everywhere. The historical nuance and the introduction of the occasional historical tidbit (Sterling Hayden role in this book, for example) makes up for some of the more jaw-droppings happenings, such as when Boyle's open disobedience early on goes completely unpunished, or when Boyle and Kaz can mingle so readily with Vatican power players as if they were just waltzing into a convenience store. These quibbles do not get in the way of an enjoyable read.

[Ktmholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the previous volume’s cliffhanger ending (where Billy learns that his girlfriend Diana has been captured by the Nazis), Billy, of course, immediately heads to Rome. However, he is under express orders from not just his uncle Ike, but from FDR himself, that he is NOT, under any circumstances, to attempt to rescue Diana. He is instead simply to solve the mystery of a murdered American Cardinal. Naturally, Billy manages to do both.
What makes this particular volume (#7 in the series) so interesting is the background we learn about the Vatican during WWII, and how much of the story includes real people and events. In the author note at the end, Benn discusses actual plots to kill Hitler, attempts to notify the Allies about the concentration camps, and the thousands of refugees (Jewish and otherwise) who were hidden at the Vatican. He notes that Pope Pius XII got a bad rap as an anti-Semite complicit with the Nazis, but further research has cast doubts on the situation. Those working in the Vatican at the time carefully walked a fine line. While apparently an open secret that refugees could find safety there, it was also important to maintain an element of official neutrality, in order to assure that the Nazis would not invade the Vatican, capture the Pope, and put refugees at even more risk.
I found this volume even more engrossing than the previous ones. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the subject.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: They must be in love, I thought, watching the couple as they danced to a scratchy tune on the Victrola.

Premise/plot: Billy Boyle stars in his seventh mystery. Death’s Door provides a satisfying end to the super cliffhanger that was A Mortal Terror. In that one, Billy discovers in the last few pages that Diana, a SOE agent and possible love of his life, has been captured by Nazis. Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she facing torture? But Boyle’s mission—at least his official mission cannot be to find and rescue her. No, his mission is to go to Vatican City and investigate the murder of a priest, Father Corrigan. As always he is to be super discreet. Can he stay focused on the task at hand and solve the crime before the murderer strikes again? Will he be able to find Diana and save her?

My thoughts: I was so pleased that this one is not a cliffhanger!!! It ties up the messy ending of A Mortal Terror and offers a substantive new mystery as well. The series continues to thrill. I am so glad that I discovered the series and was able to hook my mom as well. She is several books ahead of me now! I don’t doubt for a second she’ll be all caught up by the end of the year.

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the Billy Boyle stories. They are a series of a Boston cop who is now an investigator for the US Army in WWII. I started off with a book somewhere late in the series and have been reading them out of order as I get them. Every book has a different setting and is also a mini-documentary that describes that particular part of the war. For example the setting of this book is the Vatican and the story provides some background on the neutrality of the Holy-See, how it dealt with the German occupiers, the Catholic Church's official and unofficial position on the war, how they dealt with escapees and life in general during those times. For me, the mystery has become second place and the backdrop of the plot is more interesting. The book is worth reading just for that.

Summary of this book: An American priest in neutral Vatican in occupied Rome has been murdered. Billy Boyle and Kaz are smuggled in to find the killer.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Boyle (shirt-tail relative of President Eisenhower) is in Vatican City posing as a priest. He has been tasked by Ike with finding the killer of a Monsignor. Billy also wants to rescue Diana, the love of his life, from prison. She was working undercover as a nun when she was captured. Billy has been given explicit orders to not try and rescue her. Spoiler: Billy does not always follow orders!!
This is an excellent mystery/story that also brings up the conflict in the Catholic Church of how it responds (or doesn't respond) to the atrocities inflicted on Jews by the Germans. Does the Church condemn the actions of the Nazis and risk the Germans invading the Vatican and taking the Pope or does the Church try and work with the underground and help as many people as they can? As far as I can tell, the actions of the Pope and the Catholic Church during WWII are still be debated.

[Scilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana has been taken by the gestapo from the Vatican where she was pretending to be a num. When Billy hears, he wants to go there to try to save her. Billy and Kaz take on a murder case of a priest at the Vatican in order to get there. Kaz meets an Italian princess, and they get on very well. Meanwhile, Billy is mostly stonewalled when trying to work on the murder. The Vatican police believe the murder is solved by arresting a Jewish refugee who was sleeping not too far from the murdered priest.

When Billy goes to the Nazi prison to get Diana, he is met by a Nazi, Renko, who says Billy needs to take a letter to an important Vatican priest and get a signed paper that it has been delivered before he will release Diana and the two men who had come with Billy. And, Billy manages to find the real killer of the Vatican priest before they leave.

[Rebecca Mulligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Church Intrigue

Book Seven in the Billy Boyle World War II mystery series is one of my favorite books in it. Billy's love, Diana Seaton has been captured and is being held in Rome. General Eisenhower directs Billy and Kaz to go to the Vatican to find out who mudered monsignor Corrigan. For Billy, of course, this is a heaven-sent opportunity to attempt to rescue Diana. He and Kaz immediately become imbroiled in Vatican politics. As Billy points out, the Vatican is a microcosm of society in general, good priests, bad priests, those striving for good combined with those striving for evil. Death's Door is a fascinating look at Church politics, combined with an excellent mystery and heart-stopping suspense.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

***SPOILER*** Diana was taken by the Germans in the Vatican. Billy was sent to solve the murder of an American Monsignor. The book depicts how the Vaticannis suppose to be neutral but in effect there are those partial to Mussolini, those hiding Jews. Those supporting Hitler. Diana was taken by Germans who want to end the war by killing Hitler. They want Billy to get the word out. But he is also solving a murder with Kaz. The Monsignor came from Italy the same as 2 other men murdered. Father B. Was suppose to help a family of Jews. But instead turned them into the Nazi. One escaped and told the priest at the Vatican what he had done. Then Father B killed he Monsignor because he believed Fatjer B was guilty and then more had to die.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was feeling for the first half of this book that it felt alot like the book a couple books ago, just in a different setting. And the extensive descriptions of the physical features of the Vatican were doing noting to change my mind.

Then, about 1/2 way through, there was a shocking twist that made me have to read the rest of the book in one sitting, so it turned out pretty good. As it turned out, I had the murderer pegged in this one really early on, but it turns out that was a very minor point in the story.

I also really appreciate that the author takes the time to write a nice chapter on the history behind his story, which characters are taken from real events, etc.. it really saves me alot of googling!

[Mark Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rousing tale based on real events - and people!

This entry in the Billy Boyle series continues the masterful depiction of one man's journey through WW2, through events famous and little-known. In Vatican City, Billy searches for a killer - and a way to rescue Diana. The fictional elements intertwine with reality, and the notes at the end must be read to fully appreciate how many of the characters moved through our world before they ended up in Billy's. The writing, as always, is solid, with occasional flashes of poetry and pathos. Highly recommended, as is the entire series.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid addition to the series. I love that the author always gives author's notes about the blend of fact and fiction. I am always doing additional research after reading historical fiction and his notes are a big help. I think he does a good job (throughout the series) of dealing with ambiguities and making his characters very human. The Vatican during WWII is quite a challenge and while certainly not delivering a final judgement, he does present the challenges and complexities. Finally, like the rest of the Billy Boyle series, while submerged in war, this book is very entertaining. He entices the reader to face grim realities with humor and hope. Wonderful writing!

[Michael Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this episode of Billy's colourful career as a detective working for Uncle Ike (Eisenhower), he finds himself in the Vatican City trying to solve the murder of an American Monsignor. He's motivated to take this case on, because his girlfriend, Dianna, has been snatched by the occupying German forces and is being held in a notorious Roman prison. There's a terrific smattering of real characters blended in with the fictional ones here, and Benn has outdone himself in presenting a historically accurate context for the fictional action. For me, this is the best Billy Boyle mystery so far. Looking forward to the next one.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billy is between assignments and has actually been ordered to return to London, but he's learned that Diana has gone missing while on an undercover assignment at the Vatican. When Billy is tagged for an undercover job at the Vatican himself, he sees it as an opportunity to work on his case, but also locate and free Diana. Billy is given a direct command not to go looking for Diana. Posing as priests, he and Kaz are smuggled in to the Holy See. Can he stick to his own murder investigation or will he seek to the girl as well?
I enjoy the series and yet I struggle because of the amount of information and detail that is included. At one point specifically, there was information shared with Billy. When, a few pages later, he summarized it for Kaz, it wasn't at all like what I thought I'd just read. But I like the characters and I like the history and so I keep reading.

[Terry Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these Billy Boyle stories. The author’s use of language and writing are both good. This story, like the other two I’ve read, moves along quickly and drew me in right away. Billy as a character is well developed. He should be dead by now, always evading or somehow eluding an Axis spy or officer, in the most dangerous places in World War II. But he isn’t. He and his buddy officer Kaz still manage to carry out the most clandestine operation and somehow survive, nearly physically unscathed. Yet Billy is also has emotions and logic that play to his strengths.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't read Billy Boyle in awhile, and I had the same annoyance at the beginning of the book with his arrogance that I had with the very first book. As one gets into the story, this goes away. Interesting setting in that it's taking place in Vatican City, and the history, hierarchy and political winds of siding with the Allies or the Axis are well explained. At the same time, there are many characters, and it takes a bit to figure out whose side any one of them is on at any particular time. Still, enjoyable.