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Billy Boyle World War II #20
A Bitter Wind
In the final days of 1944, Billy Boyle investigates a curiously unprompted murder at an English airbase that operates cutting-edge and highly secret radio espionage work.
After his last mission put him in the tailspin of the Battle of the Bulge, Captain Billy Boyle travels to southeast England to visit his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, for a brief holiday respite. Diana is engaged in classified work at RAF Hawkinge, including Operation Corona, which recruits German-speaking Women’s Auxiliary Air Force members—many of them Jewish refugees from the Kindertransport rescue mission—to countermand German orders and direct night fighters away from Allied combat bombers.
It’s fascinating and critical espionage work, but it’s laced with peril, as Billy is soon to find out. On a scenic walk along the White Cliffs of Dover on Christmas Day, Billy and Diana stumble upon the dead body of a US Air Force officer, who has papers with highly sensitive, and strictly confidential, information on them. Information worth killing over.
As Billy digs into the secret world of codebreakers and radio jammers stationed at RAF Hawkinge, another body turns up. Now Billy must find out what connects these two men—and who was so hell-bent on silencing them. Enlisting the help of his long-time military comrades, Billy undertakes another thrilling investigation that brings him to a war-torn Yugoslavia, where Billy must rescue an escaped POW who may be the only person who knows the truth.
After his last mission put him in the tailspin of the Battle of the Bulge, Captain Billy Boyle travels to southeast England to visit his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, for a brief holiday respite. Diana is engaged in classified work at RAF Hawkinge, including Operation Corona, which recruits German-speaking Women’s Auxiliary Air Force members—many of them Jewish refugees from the Kindertransport rescue mission—to countermand German orders and direct night fighters away from Allied combat bombers.
It’s fascinating and critical espionage work, but it’s laced with peril, as Billy is soon to find out. On a scenic walk along the White Cliffs of Dover on Christmas Day, Billy and Diana stumble upon the dead body of a US Air Force officer, who has papers with highly sensitive, and strictly confidential, information on them. Information worth killing over.
As Billy digs into the secret world of codebreakers and radio jammers stationed at RAF Hawkinge, another body turns up. Now Billy must find out what connects these two men—and who was so hell-bent on silencing them. Enlisting the help of his long-time military comrades, Billy undertakes another thrilling investigation that brings him to a war-torn Yugoslavia, where Billy must rescue an escaped POW who may be the only person who knows the truth.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2025
62 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
James R. Benn
34 books403 followersJames 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.
Benn is a librarian and lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 23, 2025
Billy and Diana come across a dead body as they are on a walk on the cliffs of Dover. As you do. They end up having to solve the mystery. This involves Billy having to go to Yugoslavia to turf out an escaped POW.
Benn makes depicting this story and the twist and turns of the plot look absolutely effortless. He is one hell of a writer. Because Billy has to gain a good understanding of how things work and what is going on to solve the mystery, we as readers do too. This includes the operational context. As a result we get deep insight into one or more aspects of WWII. This time it's code breaking, radio jamming and interception, the work of many Jewish people in the war effort, radar and other technology in air warfare, and finally, Yugoslavia. The insights his story gave me help me understand the implosion of Yugoslavia after Tito's death. Benn renders this wealth of information engaging and enjoyable.
To sum up, as usual Benn gives us great characters and a proper interesting mystery against a fascinating background. I recommend this book highly. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced review copy.
Benn makes depicting this story and the twist and turns of the plot look absolutely effortless. He is one hell of a writer. Because Billy has to gain a good understanding of how things work and what is going on to solve the mystery, we as readers do too. This includes the operational context. As a result we get deep insight into one or more aspects of WWII. This time it's code breaking, radio jamming and interception, the work of many Jewish people in the war effort, radar and other technology in air warfare, and finally, Yugoslavia. The insights his story gave me help me understand the implosion of Yugoslavia after Tito's death. Benn renders this wealth of information engaging and enjoyable.
To sum up, as usual Benn gives us great characters and a proper interesting mystery against a fascinating background. I recommend this book highly. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced review copy.
November 16, 2025
A favorite of 2025! I love James R. Benn's Billy Boyle & the colorful characters who inhabit his world of noble purpose & adventure--especially the way he is brought to life by narrator Peter Berkrot. I tried to make this audiobook last as long as possible & it almost worked :)
September 26, 2025
For fans of the Billy Boyle series, and James R. Benn's other books, this follows a familiar pattern in many ways. While after 20 books, you'd worry about it becoming formulaic or boring, instead there is enough new, enough challenging, and enough intriguing to keep it going strong!
Once again, there is a murder mystery to solve, and once again, Billy is flung off into far off lands to experience another bit of the war in his quest to seek answers and justice. Without spoiling anything, this book focuses on electronic warfare in WWII and the Chetniks in Yugoslavia.
The case is intriguing, the characters were interesting, and some loose ends from years ago were finally tied up! That last part alone is something many of us have been waiting many, many years for and it's good to finally see that come to resolution.
This wasn't the BEST of the series, as it there was so much going on it felt more plot driven than giving space for the characters to do more than just push on and keep pushing on, while everything around them tried their best to stop them. Almost less a whodunit and more of a survival story against a racing clock for a good chunk. But once you shift gears and settle in for the run, you are in for a great ride.
My one complaint is that having spent time in that area back in the 90s, the history is something I've spent quite a bit of time reading, and while there, the Chetniks and Tito were both talked about quite often. Having said that, the story of Mihailović is a bit more nuanced, and not quite as cut and dry as Benn writes. His later collaborations with put him in the same conversation as Nedić, Ljotić, and to a lesser extent Pavelić. It was a confusing time of shifting allegiances throughout, and the Balkans are never without drama. But for simplicities sake, focusing on the good the Chetniks did is worthwhile and noteworthy so it shouldn't be lost to history.
Grab the book, read it, probably don't stay up till 5am doing so like I did, but this is a really hard book to put down!
Once again, there is a murder mystery to solve, and once again, Billy is flung off into far off lands to experience another bit of the war in his quest to seek answers and justice. Without spoiling anything, this book focuses on electronic warfare in WWII and the Chetniks in Yugoslavia.
The case is intriguing, the characters were interesting, and some loose ends from years ago were finally tied up! That last part alone is something many of us have been waiting many, many years for and it's good to finally see that come to resolution.
This wasn't the BEST of the series, as it there was so much going on it felt more plot driven than giving space for the characters to do more than just push on and keep pushing on, while everything around them tried their best to stop them. Almost less a whodunit and more of a survival story against a racing clock for a good chunk. But once you shift gears and settle in for the run, you are in for a great ride.
My one complaint is that having spent time in that area back in the 90s, the history is something I've spent quite a bit of time reading, and while there, the Chetniks and Tito were both talked about quite often. Having said that, the story of Mihailović is a bit more nuanced, and not quite as cut and dry as Benn writes. His later collaborations with put him in the same conversation as Nedić, Ljotić, and to a lesser extent Pavelić. It was a confusing time of shifting allegiances throughout, and the Balkans are never without drama. But for simplicities sake, focusing on the good the Chetniks did is worthwhile and noteworthy so it shouldn't be lost to history.
Grab the book, read it, probably don't stay up till 5am doing so like I did, but this is a really hard book to put down!
October 1, 2025
Every September for the past several years, I have looked forward to the latest Billy Boyle mystery/adventure from author James Benn... and I have never been disappointed. This year's "A Bitter Wind" could possibly be the best ever! It's stellar!!!
Some of Benn's books have been set on a field of battle, others have been more gentle -- almost "cozy" mysteries in which some villain is loose in a small village or hospital setting. This new one combines the two, with a murder or two happening in picturesque England (right near the famed White Cliffs of Dover!) at Christmastime, 1944 -- and then Billy and his buddy Big Mike find themselves fighting and trying to escape from the Nazis in far-off Yugoslavia! The narrative left me breathless on more than one occasion.
I love. the fact that Benn "brings back" characters we have met in previous books -- many of Billy's cohorts, but also a villain we first met in a story entitled "A Mortal Terror" (another of my favorites!). There are also real-life people on hand -- such as Jean Conan Doyle (daughter of the famous author) and future senator George McGovern.
It's a masterful tale -- a great installment in a great series!!!
Some of Benn's books have been set on a field of battle, others have been more gentle -- almost "cozy" mysteries in which some villain is loose in a small village or hospital setting. This new one combines the two, with a murder or two happening in picturesque England (right near the famed White Cliffs of Dover!) at Christmastime, 1944 -- and then Billy and his buddy Big Mike find themselves fighting and trying to escape from the Nazis in far-off Yugoslavia! The narrative left me breathless on more than one occasion.
I love. the fact that Benn "brings back" characters we have met in previous books -- many of Billy's cohorts, but also a villain we first met in a story entitled "A Mortal Terror" (another of my favorites!). There are also real-life people on hand -- such as Jean Conan Doyle (daughter of the famous author) and future senator George McGovern.
It's a masterful tale -- a great installment in a great series!!!
November 29, 2025
Said I was done with fiction for the year, but had to make an exception for this fresh banger getting dropped. Historical fiction maybe counts for something, but mostly a birthday treat. IMO not the best story, maybe running out of material as the end of the war looms in the story. Mostly two stories patched together, but exciting all the way through. Less of a mystery than typical Benn though.
September 8, 2025
Twenty books in, this series is still enjoyable, and while WWII seems to have now lasted a very long time through Benn’s pages, there are so many aspects of the war examined in the book that make clear what a complex and far reaching war it was, and how many different types of battlefields there were. This book begins with the then nascent methods of radio jamming and codebreaking - radio waves were used to jam German signals, diverting or stopping attacks.
The story really begins with Billy, who as always is hoping for a much needed rest (and it’s Christmas for heaven’s sake) as well as a short visit with his sweetheart, Diana, who is doing classified work at RAF Hawkinage. Billy is just there for Christmas day and to get a look at the famed White Cliffs of Dover. Of course he and Diana discover a body on their holiday walk, and it turns out (also of course) to be a murder, not an accident.
In a comment worthy of Jessica Fletcher, Billy declares he’ll be heading back to his base after giving a statement to the police. That is of course, as it is with Jessica, complete nonsense. The local constabulary consists of an arrogant DS and a more sensible constable. When Diana discerns some things about the corpse, she takes matters in hand, and before Billy knows what’s happened, he’s been seconded to the RAF for the duration of a murder investigation.
Billy, as readers of this series know, is the nephew of Dwight Eisenhower, or as he thinks of him, Uncle Ike. He’d been with the Boston PD when war broke out, and a job behind the lines with Uncle Ike had seemed safe to his older brothers who served in WWI. As Billy puts it: “Uncle Ike thought it was swell to have his own personal detective to tackle low crimes in high places.” Through his detective work, Billy has seen a great deal of the war, including, in the last book (The Phantom Patrol) the Battle of the Bulge.
While we know the war is headed to a conclusion, in December of 1944 it didn’t feel that way on the ground. Diana’s unit is hard at work, under the command of Jean Conan-Doyle. Benn has sprinkled real people through all of his books – including Eisenhower, of course – and they are never too front and center, but they provide some richness and authenticity to the stories. Jean was the fifth daughter of Conan-Doyle. (She was apparently called “Watson” or “sleuthie” by some of the guys but the comments died off when she got to work).
While the plot is fairly complicated, the main idea is this: there are two murders, both seemingly tied to missing, and very secret, radio equipment. The one man who knows who the culprit might be has unfortunately been taken prisoner in Germany, though he’s escaped. Billy’s friend Kaz is on the ground at Hawkinge, and Billy gets the help of his buddy Big Mike to go into the wilds of Yugoslavia on a quest to find this man and bring him back. The book starts high tech and ends up with Billy and Mike on horseback in the Yugoslav forest. It’s a beautifully told adventure from the pen of a master.
Benn is an author who, while he writes about war – and he writes very specifically about weapons, airplanes, and battles – also has a high regard for women and includes them in the cast of his stories. As mentioned, Jean Conan-Doyle is in this book, but regular character and Billy’s girlfriend, Diana, is a smart and strong female, as is Kaz’s sister, recently returned from a concentration camp at Ravensbruck. Kaz is very meticulous in his care for her but she’s a pretty strong sister herself. And in this book there’s also the fabulous Sanja, a Yugoslav who leads Billy and Kaz to get their man and out of the woods at the end.
As always with a Benn novel, stick around for the historical notes at the end. The book is packed with history, but it’s a story. There are a few facts Benn sheds light on, as well as a gem about George McGovern. If you know who George McGovern is, you’re probably of a certain age, but at any age, the story Benn tells about him is well worth learning. These are wonderful novels about a far away time that the author brings to vivid life on the page.
The story really begins with Billy, who as always is hoping for a much needed rest (and it’s Christmas for heaven’s sake) as well as a short visit with his sweetheart, Diana, who is doing classified work at RAF Hawkinage. Billy is just there for Christmas day and to get a look at the famed White Cliffs of Dover. Of course he and Diana discover a body on their holiday walk, and it turns out (also of course) to be a murder, not an accident.
In a comment worthy of Jessica Fletcher, Billy declares he’ll be heading back to his base after giving a statement to the police. That is of course, as it is with Jessica, complete nonsense. The local constabulary consists of an arrogant DS and a more sensible constable. When Diana discerns some things about the corpse, she takes matters in hand, and before Billy knows what’s happened, he’s been seconded to the RAF for the duration of a murder investigation.
Billy, as readers of this series know, is the nephew of Dwight Eisenhower, or as he thinks of him, Uncle Ike. He’d been with the Boston PD when war broke out, and a job behind the lines with Uncle Ike had seemed safe to his older brothers who served in WWI. As Billy puts it: “Uncle Ike thought it was swell to have his own personal detective to tackle low crimes in high places.” Through his detective work, Billy has seen a great deal of the war, including, in the last book (The Phantom Patrol) the Battle of the Bulge.
While we know the war is headed to a conclusion, in December of 1944 it didn’t feel that way on the ground. Diana’s unit is hard at work, under the command of Jean Conan-Doyle. Benn has sprinkled real people through all of his books – including Eisenhower, of course – and they are never too front and center, but they provide some richness and authenticity to the stories. Jean was the fifth daughter of Conan-Doyle. (She was apparently called “Watson” or “sleuthie” by some of the guys but the comments died off when she got to work).
While the plot is fairly complicated, the main idea is this: there are two murders, both seemingly tied to missing, and very secret, radio equipment. The one man who knows who the culprit might be has unfortunately been taken prisoner in Germany, though he’s escaped. Billy’s friend Kaz is on the ground at Hawkinge, and Billy gets the help of his buddy Big Mike to go into the wilds of Yugoslavia on a quest to find this man and bring him back. The book starts high tech and ends up with Billy and Mike on horseback in the Yugoslav forest. It’s a beautifully told adventure from the pen of a master.
Benn is an author who, while he writes about war – and he writes very specifically about weapons, airplanes, and battles – also has a high regard for women and includes them in the cast of his stories. As mentioned, Jean Conan-Doyle is in this book, but regular character and Billy’s girlfriend, Diana, is a smart and strong female, as is Kaz’s sister, recently returned from a concentration camp at Ravensbruck. Kaz is very meticulous in his care for her but she’s a pretty strong sister herself. And in this book there’s also the fabulous Sanja, a Yugoslav who leads Billy and Kaz to get their man and out of the woods at the end.
As always with a Benn novel, stick around for the historical notes at the end. The book is packed with history, but it’s a story. There are a few facts Benn sheds light on, as well as a gem about George McGovern. If you know who George McGovern is, you’re probably of a certain age, but at any age, the story Benn tells about him is well worth learning. These are wonderful novels about a far away time that the author brings to vivid life on the page.
March 30, 2025
I have been a fan of the Billy Boyle WWII mysteries since I saw a review in the Hartford Courant for author James Benn’s second book in the series about twenty years ago. Every year, I have eagerly waited for the publication of the next book, often attending the author’s events to hear more about the setting and inspiration for his stories. I would like to thank James Benn and Soho Press for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader copy of A BITTER WIND.
Once again, Captain Billy Boyle is involved in the investigation of a crime that will take him into one of the lesser-known areas of conflict in Europe. The book begins on the crumbling cliffs of Dover where Billy and his girlfriend, Diana Seaton find the body of an American Air Force officer who, as a radio expert and inventor, is attached to a top-secret installation at RAF Hawkinge. Diana, because of her extraordinary language skills, is also working in the locked facility on highly classified Operation Corona with a special corps of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force members, many of whom are German Jewish refugees. When a second murder occurs within Hawkinge’s gates, Billy is sent to Yugoslavia to find a flight crew radio operator who has escaped from his German captors and may know the identity of the murderer at the base back in England.
Besides the recurring characters Billy Boyle's fans have grown to love, I love that Billy frequently encounters real historical figures in every book. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s daughter, Squadron Officer Jean Conan Doyle, appears in this one. She did serve in the British Royal Air Force for thirty years, and her role during the war was very close to the one that she has in this story. The author explains in his historical note at the end of the book that Conan Doyle was stationed in another location. When James Benn brings in an historical figure as a character, that person is portrayed as close to historical records of where and when as possible to fit into the tale. The author carefully explains any deviations in the afterword.
Author Benn doesn’t pull any punches nor whitewash history that could make the allies look foolish or worse. Horrendous political decisions, allied missteps and mistakes, poor leadership and incompetent officers are exposed throughout the series. Sometimes, I find myself gasping at the errors that resulted in devastating outcomes. Although these stories are fiction, as are the main characters, the events that surround the mysteries are all real enough and a part of the history of WWII. That is the genius behind this series.
Once again, Captain Billy Boyle is involved in the investigation of a crime that will take him into one of the lesser-known areas of conflict in Europe. The book begins on the crumbling cliffs of Dover where Billy and his girlfriend, Diana Seaton find the body of an American Air Force officer who, as a radio expert and inventor, is attached to a top-secret installation at RAF Hawkinge. Diana, because of her extraordinary language skills, is also working in the locked facility on highly classified Operation Corona with a special corps of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force members, many of whom are German Jewish refugees. When a second murder occurs within Hawkinge’s gates, Billy is sent to Yugoslavia to find a flight crew radio operator who has escaped from his German captors and may know the identity of the murderer at the base back in England.
Besides the recurring characters Billy Boyle's fans have grown to love, I love that Billy frequently encounters real historical figures in every book. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s daughter, Squadron Officer Jean Conan Doyle, appears in this one. She did serve in the British Royal Air Force for thirty years, and her role during the war was very close to the one that she has in this story. The author explains in his historical note at the end of the book that Conan Doyle was stationed in another location. When James Benn brings in an historical figure as a character, that person is portrayed as close to historical records of where and when as possible to fit into the tale. The author carefully explains any deviations in the afterword.
Author Benn doesn’t pull any punches nor whitewash history that could make the allies look foolish or worse. Horrendous political decisions, allied missteps and mistakes, poor leadership and incompetent officers are exposed throughout the series. Sometimes, I find myself gasping at the errors that resulted in devastating outcomes. Although these stories are fiction, as are the main characters, the events that surround the mysteries are all real enough and a part of the history of WWII. That is the genius behind this series.
October 18, 2025
A WW2 detective (sort of) series that I've been following since the beginning. This should really be read from the start since the story is on going. The writing is fairly easy to read and follow but it is slow. The author just doesn't seem to be able to make the reading flow smoothly and the plot just plods along.
I won't explain the characters as I'll assume the reader is following the series like me. Billy and Diane are walking along the Cliffs of Dover when they find a dead body. It's an American major (Brockman) who was overseeing the installation of airborne jamming equipment into American bombers. Both the Brits and the Americans had developed these devices but the British ones were better.
This work was being done in a secure facility and as they started to investigate, another aircrewman was killed. The killer of both was apparently someone who was stealing the equipment or trying to find out more about it. Then they find out that another aircrewman (Johnny Adler) probably knew who was stealing the equipment but wanted to get more evidence before reporting him. Unfortunately Adler was sent out on a bombing mission over the Balkans and was shot down, but was alive.
Therefore the next step was for Billy and Big Mike to jump into occupied Yugoslavia and make sure he got back alive through the aircrew rescue network. We follow Billy and Big Mike as they make their jump and battle Germans and Ustaše before getting back.
As the series nears the end of WW2, I'm not sure what else the author will be able to involve Billy in but in this book we get to know about airborne jamming and a bit about the air war and then a ground POV in Yugoslavia where we learn a bit about the back and forth killing during WW2.
Overall, a good read I think the author is getting better in his writing.
I won't explain the characters as I'll assume the reader is following the series like me. Billy and Diane are walking along the Cliffs of Dover when they find a dead body. It's an American major (Brockman) who was overseeing the installation of airborne jamming equipment into American bombers. Both the Brits and the Americans had developed these devices but the British ones were better.
This work was being done in a secure facility and as they started to investigate, another aircrewman was killed. The killer of both was apparently someone who was stealing the equipment or trying to find out more about it. Then they find out that another aircrewman (Johnny Adler) probably knew who was stealing the equipment but wanted to get more evidence before reporting him. Unfortunately Adler was sent out on a bombing mission over the Balkans and was shot down, but was alive.
Therefore the next step was for Billy and Big Mike to jump into occupied Yugoslavia and make sure he got back alive through the aircrew rescue network. We follow Billy and Big Mike as they make their jump and battle Germans and Ustaše before getting back.
As the series nears the end of WW2, I'm not sure what else the author will be able to involve Billy in but in this book we get to know about airborne jamming and a bit about the air war and then a ground POV in Yugoslavia where we learn a bit about the back and forth killing during WW2.
Overall, a good read I think the author is getting better in his writing.
December 13, 2025
James R. Benn just gets better. I cannot believe how much research he's done in the 20 or so years he's been writing this series.
This book touches on a relatively little known story of WWII--the rescue of 500 airmen by the partisans of Yugoslavia at a time when it was crawling with Nazia, and the pro-Tito forces that ran roughshod over the people of that poor, rural country.
Benn ties the another little-known WWII secret of electronic warfare and the work of German Jews who fled the Nazis before the war to listen in on radio chatter and misdirect German forces away from the bomber streams.
Benn weaves these 2 aspects together into an intricate, believable mystery/police procedural. If it wasn't the need for sleep, I would not have put this down.
There is a non-fiction book by Gregory A. Freeman titled "The Forgotten 500" that explores the politics, and people who saved 500 American airmen from the forces of the Nazis and the fear of the pro-Tito regime.
And I also enjoyed the aspects of the relationships as they've grown during the series (and the war).
I do fear that as the war is drawing to its finality, how many more novels are left in this series. I would love to see a post-war series aka The Irish Country Doctor, where Billy, Diane and Kaz settle into idyllic lives where they no longer need the adventure and near-death experiences that war brings out. I know this sounds boring, but after all of the adventures these characters have been through, I'd love to see them enjoy peace and prosperity post-war. Plus we all could use some peace and tranquility right now.
This book touches on a relatively little known story of WWII--the rescue of 500 airmen by the partisans of Yugoslavia at a time when it was crawling with Nazia, and the pro-Tito forces that ran roughshod over the people of that poor, rural country.
Benn ties the another little-known WWII secret of electronic warfare and the work of German Jews who fled the Nazis before the war to listen in on radio chatter and misdirect German forces away from the bomber streams.
Benn weaves these 2 aspects together into an intricate, believable mystery/police procedural. If it wasn't the need for sleep, I would not have put this down.
There is a non-fiction book by Gregory A. Freeman titled "The Forgotten 500" that explores the politics, and people who saved 500 American airmen from the forces of the Nazis and the fear of the pro-Tito regime.
And I also enjoyed the aspects of the relationships as they've grown during the series (and the war).
I do fear that as the war is drawing to its finality, how many more novels are left in this series. I would love to see a post-war series aka The Irish Country Doctor, where Billy, Diane and Kaz settle into idyllic lives where they no longer need the adventure and near-death experiences that war brings out. I know this sounds boring, but after all of the adventures these characters have been through, I'd love to see them enjoy peace and prosperity post-war. Plus we all could use some peace and tranquility right now.
October 17, 2025
Another interesting outing for Billy Boyle, his 20th, even as WWII is beginning to march towards the end. "A Bitter Wind" starts with Billy and Diana enjoying a romantic walk along the Cliffs of Dover, when (of course) they run into a recently murdered victim.
The body turns out to be a soldier from the secret airbase nearby where Diana is currently stationed, working on a project where native German speakers (mostly Jewish refugees) countermand German orders over the radio and allow the Allied bombers a greater chance of success. Billy is quickly assigned to the investigation, and enters the world of bomber crews and communications. Missing equipment and a second murder, along with an attempt on Billy himself, quickly convince our heroes that the danger is still very real.
The investigation takes Billy and Big Mike out to Yugoslavia and the different partisan factions as they deal with the Nazis as well as the shape of the world that's about to be created after their fall. Can Billy and Mike find the missing POW that holds the key to the murders back in England, and more importantly can they survive long enough to get the information out?
Once again James R. Benn provides us a glimpse into a part of WWII that most of us know little about. It's fun to see the old crew, Diana and Kaz and even Kaz's sister, back together again. The excuse for going to Yugoslavia is a bit (very) flimsy, and the coincidence of finding a murder victim a bit hard to believe, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy Billy and the partisans.
The body turns out to be a soldier from the secret airbase nearby where Diana is currently stationed, working on a project where native German speakers (mostly Jewish refugees) countermand German orders over the radio and allow the Allied bombers a greater chance of success. Billy is quickly assigned to the investigation, and enters the world of bomber crews and communications. Missing equipment and a second murder, along with an attempt on Billy himself, quickly convince our heroes that the danger is still very real.
The investigation takes Billy and Big Mike out to Yugoslavia and the different partisan factions as they deal with the Nazis as well as the shape of the world that's about to be created after their fall. Can Billy and Mike find the missing POW that holds the key to the murders back in England, and more importantly can they survive long enough to get the information out?
Once again James R. Benn provides us a glimpse into a part of WWII that most of us know little about. It's fun to see the old crew, Diana and Kaz and even Kaz's sister, back together again. The excuse for going to Yugoslavia is a bit (very) flimsy, and the coincidence of finding a murder victim a bit hard to believe, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy Billy and the partisans.
October 17, 2025
First sentence: The body was still warm.
Premise/plot: Billy Boyle (and friends) are back for their twentieth mystery. It opens on Christmas Day 1944. With a literal cliffhanger. Billy and a newly deceased man are quite literally in a precarious situation atop a ledge on a white cliff facing the English channel. Soon, Billy has a couple of murder cases to solve. So he is loaned out for a bit. While solving these crimes, he's forced to go to a war-torn Europe in search of one man who may hold the key to the murders he's trying to solve. The man he's in search of was a prisoner of war but has now escaped and is on the run. It won't be easy to find him, to rescue him, to get OUT and back to England. Many close-calls. Many new allies. Same old enemies. Perils abound.
My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as I usually love Billy Boyle mysteries. I do like that each one is different, unique, focusing on a little known fact of history. I do like that each book is based to a certain degree on real history--be it a person, a place, a battle, etc. This one has Billy Boyle traveling from place to place. By the time he returns to the original murder mystery, it feels like the pacing is a bit off.
All that being said, I do love the characters. And I do enjoy the series.
Premise/plot: Billy Boyle (and friends) are back for their twentieth mystery. It opens on Christmas Day 1944. With a literal cliffhanger. Billy and a newly deceased man are quite literally in a precarious situation atop a ledge on a white cliff facing the English channel. Soon, Billy has a couple of murder cases to solve. So he is loaned out for a bit. While solving these crimes, he's forced to go to a war-torn Europe in search of one man who may hold the key to the murders he's trying to solve. The man he's in search of was a prisoner of war but has now escaped and is on the run. It won't be easy to find him, to rescue him, to get OUT and back to England. Many close-calls. Many new allies. Same old enemies. Perils abound.
My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as I usually love Billy Boyle mysteries. I do like that each one is different, unique, focusing on a little known fact of history. I do like that each book is based to a certain degree on real history--be it a person, a place, a battle, etc. This one has Billy Boyle traveling from place to place. By the time he returns to the original murder mystery, it feels like the pacing is a bit off.
All that being said, I do love the characters. And I do enjoy the series.
October 24, 2025
This is the 20th entry in the series, I've read all of them, and Mr. Benn continues to provide us with scrupulously researched aspects of WWII, finding more than just the major battles. Each outing finds a different location, a different element of the war, a different component of how war is waged. In addition, he shows us that for those who continue to survive it's impossible for them not to become different from, better than they were before. At this point we are rapidly approaching war's end, where what matters most is how the peace will be waged. In this case, the real local struggle is between Tito's Partizans, who were Communist, and the conservative Chetniks. The US and Britain had been supplying both groups, but by this time Churchill had cut off the Brit pipeline. Nonetheless, the Chetniks continued to battle the Germans, and rescued hundreds of Allied combatants, the greater part of which was US Airmen. Their reward? The US ended their supply line as well, and their leader was executed in 1946 after a rigged trial. I'm eager to see how Mr. Benn addresses the problems of the coming postwar Europe.
August 4, 2025
We're now at Christmas 1944. Billy is visiting Diana at RAF Hawkinge, an airbase in southern England. They take a walk along the Dover cliffs, and find the body of a US Airforce man with secret papers in his pocket. Diana goes to the nearest police station and she comes back with a constable Billy knew from Boston as well as a man in plain clothes and Constable Sallow. The police see blood on their hands from dragging the man up the incline. They take the body to the coroner and Billy and Diana back to the station. Sallow will alert the coroner Billy and Diana will see later. Finally Back at Hawkinge, there is soon another dead body, one of the Jewish airplane workers. He has been killed in his plane and dropped out on the ground. Diana has a long talk with the young radio man and as she is leaving the hanger someone hits her hard on the shoulder. There appears to be an anti Jew feeling on the base. At one point Johnny Adler told Sally that he knew the thief of radio parts, but then goes in enemy territory. Billy and Big Mike go to Yugoslavia to try to find Johnny and bring him home.
This is another very exciting Billy Boyle World War II story. I thank Netgalley and Soho Press for giving me an ARC so that I could read the book before publication.
This is another very exciting Billy Boyle World War II story. I thank Netgalley and Soho Press for giving me an ARC so that I could read the book before publication.
August 26, 2025
3.75 stars
James Benn's World War II mystery series featuring ex Boston cop Billy Boyle is always entertaining and full of historical tidbits. This one finds Billy and love interest Diana in England where she is working on top-secret stuff. They (of course) stumble on a dead body and Billy gets assigned to help figure it out and how it relates to the important and confidential projects Diana is involved with. The usual cast of characters is around and it is a great ensemble: Polish aristocrat and office Kaz, fellow city cop Big Mike and Kaz's sister Angelica who they have rescued from a tortured concentration camp experience.
Another body is discovered and soon Billy finds himself traveling -- ending up in Yugoslavia amidst the partisan troubles and German encroachment there. These stories are always full of suspense and lots of of plot machinations. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
James Benn's World War II mystery series featuring ex Boston cop Billy Boyle is always entertaining and full of historical tidbits. This one finds Billy and love interest Diana in England where she is working on top-secret stuff. They (of course) stumble on a dead body and Billy gets assigned to help figure it out and how it relates to the important and confidential projects Diana is involved with. The usual cast of characters is around and it is a great ensemble: Polish aristocrat and office Kaz, fellow city cop Big Mike and Kaz's sister Angelica who they have rescued from a tortured concentration camp experience.
Another body is discovered and soon Billy finds himself traveling -- ending up in Yugoslavia amidst the partisan troubles and German encroachment there. These stories are always full of suspense and lots of of plot machinations. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 1, 2026
A Bitter Wind is James R. Benn's 20th outing his Billy Boyle World War II Series. I had tried to read the very first book in this series but gave up on it. But on a whim I picked up this book and wow! I really enjoyed it. It had helped that I had read The Missing 500 by Gregory Freeman which is the nonfiction book about the daring rescue of 500 stranded US soldiers from war torn Yugoslavia. I couldn't believe it when A Bitter Wind dipped into this historical event from WWII. There was so much action in this story as Billy Boyle raced against time behind enemy lines to rescue a soldier and get safely back to the UK with the soldier in order to solve the murder mystery. This book reminded me of a book written for a junior high aged boy. It was full of mystery, excitement, and knights in shining armor.
November 16, 2025
I didn't get the title's relationship to the story. This was too long with an unnecessary plot line diversion.
Billy is sent at Christmas 1944 to the Dover area to investigate the death of an American AAF major who was involved in some secret electronic warfare. Soon he is in danger. Then the story takes a turn that I didn't agree with at all with him being dispatched to Yugoslavia to find an escaped British POW who knew the murdered major. But then it gets absurd and improbable with Billy meeting a psychopath from book #6- totally unnecessary. I thought Billy was too slow to eliminate a threat too.
Lots of great history and we meet Senator George McGovern. I enjoy how Benn inserts famous people before they were famous into his stories.
Billy is sent at Christmas 1944 to the Dover area to investigate the death of an American AAF major who was involved in some secret electronic warfare. Soon he is in danger. Then the story takes a turn that I didn't agree with at all with him being dispatched to Yugoslavia to find an escaped British POW who knew the murdered major. But then it gets absurd and improbable with Billy meeting a psychopath from book #6- totally unnecessary. I thought Billy was too slow to eliminate a threat too.
Lots of great history and we meet Senator George McGovern. I enjoy how Benn inserts famous people before they were famous into his stories.
March 29, 2025
This 20th entry in the Billy Boyle series is one of the best in my opinion. It has everything I love about the series: a well-plotted mystery, fascinating WWII history, and of course, my favorite characters. There is even a mystery within the mystery which refers back to a previous series entry and leads to the tension of a thriller. There are battle scenes, not my favorite sections to read but so needed to remind us of the violence and evil of war - a reality Boyle never forgets. Highly recommended although if you haven't read previous books in the series, I do suggest starting at the beginning.
Review based on a digital ARC received through NetGalley.
Review based on a digital ARC received through NetGalley.
November 20, 2025
The star of this series, Billy Boyle, began his army career in WWII as a bumbling Boston cop/nephew of Ike special investigator. He was young, inexperienced and, as a fictional character, amusing. Over time, and 20 books, he has turned into a lean, mean, investigating machine.
He is not as colorful, but I don't read these for the characters. The history is what I return over and over for. Mr. Benn infuses his novels with interesting and little known facets of the war and this makes them page turners.
If you have read prior books in this series, this is in the top half. Strongly recommended, but if you haven't read the first few, they are really superior books
He is not as colorful, but I don't read these for the characters. The history is what I return over and over for. Mr. Benn infuses his novels with interesting and little known facets of the war and this makes them page turners.
If you have read prior books in this series, this is in the top half. Strongly recommended, but if you haven't read the first few, they are really superior books
October 22, 2025
3.5 stars! In the first few sentences of this author’s latest book, Captain Billy Boyle and his English sweetheart, Captain Diana Seaton happen upon a murder victim with his skull bashed in. It’s Christmas 1944 and they have been strolling along England’s White Cliffs of Dover. Billy Boyle finds himself assigned to assist in the investigation. The action leads to the southeastern theater of the war in Yugoslavia. Another great addition to this well written and well researched series. We were at the White Cliffs of Dover earlier this year!
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
Read
September 26, 2025I love this series. I have read them all and eagerly await each new one. Again Benn shines a light on a lessor covered or under the radar aspect of the war. In the process we meet some old friends and enemies from previous books, Jean Conan Doyle, daughter of Sir Arthur, and a future political leader in the USA.
I would recommend this book to mystery fans, WWII buffs and anyone who likes a good story.
I would recommend this book to mystery fans, WWII buffs and anyone who likes a good story.
November 5, 2025
James Benn writes a good novel blending World War II action with a good mystery. This one centers on efforts to confuse German nightfighter aircraft with bogus orders relayed by Allied airmen in specially equipped bombers. A murder lands the main character, Capt. Billy Boyle, in the investigation and subsequent adventure in Yugoslavia to rescue an airman with knowledge that could solve the murder investigation. The story moves pretty rapidly. I finished the book in three days.
Read
November 7, 2025A great installment of the series that brings Billy Boyle to Croatia. This mystery focuses on technology and espionage, and the edge it gave the allies in the war.
Plenty of lively characters, with Big Mike playing a significant role in this book.
Not much about Billy's relationship with Diana, but she was present -- really curious on how that relationship will play out.
Looking forward to the next.
Plenty of lively characters, with Big Mike playing a significant role in this book.
Not much about Billy's relationship with Diana, but she was present -- really curious on how that relationship will play out.
Looking forward to the next.
December 23, 2025
Another excellent book in this series. Billy and Diana plan on spending Christmas Day 1944 today. What they don't plan on is finding a body. An officer from a nearby Air Force base whose death was not natural. Thus begins another investigation for Billy, which takes him from the White Cliffs of Dover to danger in war-torn Yugoslavia. Believable characters and a very complex plot make this book hard to put down. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2025
B: The twentieth entry in the Billy Boyle series is a great one. Much of Billy’s early swagger returns after several dark books where one worries for our hero. Greed and death at every turn. Also, a new angel of death enters the cast, where in earlier novels she was the ingenue that had to be rescued and protected. I continue to look forward to Captain Boyle’s continuing adventures.
November 3, 2025
Ok WW2 book- highly sensitive electronics go missing from a hush hush military installation- 2 men murdered,a trip into the war zone to bring back a downed RAF pilot ,some run in’s with Nazis and bad Chetnicks and you have a good story
November 25, 2025
Christmas Day 1944: An American Army Air Corps major is murdered near the white cliffs of Dover. Little does Billy Boyle know that his most exciting adventure is about to begin.
December 13, 2025
More fascinating new knowledge!
It's just fascinating,all the Historical facts that are now rapidly fading from modern memory,Though I imagine That quite a few people did not know what was really going on over there during world war 2
It's just fascinating,all the Historical facts that are now rapidly fading from modern memory,Though I imagine That quite a few people did not know what was really going on over there during world war 2
Want to read
October 10, 2025library doesn't have kindle for early books in this series / this book hardcover has been ordered by library,& I'm on hold list. [led here by BookPage blurb]
October 15, 2025
big fan of the series since book 1. Glad a return to a previous killer to close that out. look forward to more.
October 19, 2025
A Bitter Wind was all right but not the Billy Boyle I am used to.
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