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Billy Boyle World War II #10
The White Ghost
1943: In the midst of the brutal, hard-fought Solomon Islands campaign between the Allies and the Japanese forces, Lieutenant Billy Boyle receives an odd assignment: he's sent by the powerful Kennedy family to investigate a murder in which PT skipper (and future president) Jack Kennedy has been implicated. The victim is a native coastwatcher, an allied intelligence operative, whom Kennedy discovered on the island of Tulagi with his head bashed in. That's Kennedy's story, anyhow.
Kennedy was recovering in the Navy hospital on the island after the sinking of his PT-109 motor torpedo boat. The military hasn't decided yet whether to make him a hero for surviving the attack, or have him court-martialed for losing the boat, and the last thing the Kennedy clan wants is a murder charge hanging over his head. Billy knows firsthand that he shouldn't trust Jack: the man is a charmer, a womanizer, and, when it suits his needs, a liar. But would he kill someone in cold blood? And if so, why? The first murder is followed by two more, and to find the killer, Billy must sort through a tangled, shifting web of motives and identities, even as combat rages all around him.
Kennedy was recovering in the Navy hospital on the island after the sinking of his PT-109 motor torpedo boat. The military hasn't decided yet whether to make him a hero for surviving the attack, or have him court-martialed for losing the boat, and the last thing the Kennedy clan wants is a murder charge hanging over his head. Billy knows firsthand that he shouldn't trust Jack: the man is a charmer, a womanizer, and, when it suits his needs, a liar. But would he kill someone in cold blood? And if so, why? The first murder is followed by two more, and to find the killer, Billy must sort through a tangled, shifting web of motives and identities, even as combat rages all around him.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2015
109 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
About the author
James R. Benn
34 books404 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 112 reviews
June 3, 2015
To Be Published by Soho Crime in September 2015
When one reads a Billy Boyle novel by James Benn it is understandable to think you are reading history. This series is so well researched that one is allowed to mistake plots for real events. Benn has given us a Chinese box of a mystery: first, it seems as if you're reading about some of the shadier exploits of JFK's past, next you're getting background into the coast-watchers in the Solomon Islands, next you're into a traditional whodunnit, and you end up with a crackerjack war novel. As is generally the case, real people (including more than one future President) rub shoulders with the fictional, but every character seems real. A rip-snorter to be sure
When one reads a Billy Boyle novel by James Benn it is understandable to think you are reading history. This series is so well researched that one is allowed to mistake plots for real events. Benn has given us a Chinese box of a mystery: first, it seems as if you're reading about some of the shadier exploits of JFK's past, next you're getting background into the coast-watchers in the Solomon Islands, next you're into a traditional whodunnit, and you end up with a crackerjack war novel. As is generally the case, real people (including more than one future President) rub shoulders with the fictional, but every character seems real. A rip-snorter to be sure
December 21, 2015
Billy Boyle is back! This is one of the very best WWII series, taking a young Boston cop into a bewildering world of detective work within the setting of wartime Europe. The brutality and mechanism of war and those effects on Billy, and the men and women in the action, are eloquently explored in this well researched series by former librarian Benn. He is simply a superb writer. Billy and his colleague and friend Polish baron Kaz are so authentically drawn that the reader is quickly and beautifully engaged in their lives. We are dropped into stories that are so alive and real that it is hard to finish and wait for the next one. This new story is a change of pace, with Billy unhappily going to the Pacific to investigate a murder involving the young Jack Kennedy. Benn has deeply researched this period of Kennedy's life, and that work has resulted in an extraordinary plot that is the best of the series. Benn's touch is subtle but probing, with plenty of action, and grounded in the schizophrenia of wartime action and malaise. Do not miss this rewarding series!
May 31, 2023
Author James R. Benn's THE WHITE GHOST, the 10th in his Billy Boyle World War II mystery series jumps a bit back in time from the previous book THE REST IN SILENCE.
Early in that latter book, there is a mention of a recently finished investigation on the Solomon Islands. And that is the subject of THE WHITE GHOST. Mixing real life with fiction, the initial suspect in the murder that Billy and his partner Kaz are sent to look into has huge implications. That suspect? Jack Kennedy...yes THAT Jack Kennedy.
Still recuperating from the events surrounding the PT 109 incident, Kennedy is on the Solomon Islands. The Navy hasn't decided on what to do with him. Is he a hero or heel? But that decision is on hold to say the least when Jack is the last person to see a murdered native alive.
Not one to let family dangle like a puppet on a string Joe Kennedy Sr. has used his connections to have Billy assigned to the case. But for Billy, the assignment is a double-edged sword. Clear Jack, and it can be seen as a whitewash. Find out that he is the killer and Billy's past antagonistic relationship with Jack and the Kennedy family from his Boston days will be used to make it look like he's out to get payback.
Billy may not like Jack Kennedy but that won't stop him looking into the case. But those inquiries are making someone nervous. Because Billy has an attempt made on his life. Worse still, other bodies start dropping. And Jack has a connection to those other deaths as well.
Billy will have to pull out all stops to figure out just who the killer is and bring them to justice. But can he put aside the past with Kennedy in order to do just that?
James R. Benn's series has clearly become a favorite of mine. But I will say this slight detour in the past did test me a little. Not so much the story itself, but delaying the forward movement in Billy's story from how THE REST IS SILENCE ended.
As for the plot of THE WHITE GHOST, I really enjoyed the way Benn wove fact and fiction together here. Sometimes using real events but fictionalizing them or changing who was affected by those events made for some pretty interesting reading (There's an author's note at the end of the book that helps separate that fact from fiction).
Billy and Kaz make for an excellent team as always. Stymied by inconclusive answers and the questionable stories for some possible suspects only makes the reader that much more eager to see how the story will develop. I found the way Benn used Jack Kennedy in the book to be superb. While the majority of his involvement is fictionalized, it was great to see the future president in his war time state, with each facet of his character and attitudes on display.
As I said, I was initially hesitant about jumping back in time with this book, but the quality storytelling from James R. Benn and yet another compelling investigation with Billy Boyle makes for a great read. That fact alone makes me long for the next book in the series...and the uninterrupted time to read it.
Early in that latter book, there is a mention of a recently finished investigation on the Solomon Islands. And that is the subject of THE WHITE GHOST. Mixing real life with fiction, the initial suspect in the murder that Billy and his partner Kaz are sent to look into has huge implications. That suspect? Jack Kennedy...yes THAT Jack Kennedy.
Still recuperating from the events surrounding the PT 109 incident, Kennedy is on the Solomon Islands. The Navy hasn't decided on what to do with him. Is he a hero or heel? But that decision is on hold to say the least when Jack is the last person to see a murdered native alive.
Not one to let family dangle like a puppet on a string Joe Kennedy Sr. has used his connections to have Billy assigned to the case. But for Billy, the assignment is a double-edged sword. Clear Jack, and it can be seen as a whitewash. Find out that he is the killer and Billy's past antagonistic relationship with Jack and the Kennedy family from his Boston days will be used to make it look like he's out to get payback.
Billy may not like Jack Kennedy but that won't stop him looking into the case. But those inquiries are making someone nervous. Because Billy has an attempt made on his life. Worse still, other bodies start dropping. And Jack has a connection to those other deaths as well.
Billy will have to pull out all stops to figure out just who the killer is and bring them to justice. But can he put aside the past with Kennedy in order to do just that?
James R. Benn's series has clearly become a favorite of mine. But I will say this slight detour in the past did test me a little. Not so much the story itself, but delaying the forward movement in Billy's story from how THE REST IS SILENCE ended.
As for the plot of THE WHITE GHOST, I really enjoyed the way Benn wove fact and fiction together here. Sometimes using real events but fictionalizing them or changing who was affected by those events made for some pretty interesting reading (There's an author's note at the end of the book that helps separate that fact from fiction).
Billy and Kaz make for an excellent team as always. Stymied by inconclusive answers and the questionable stories for some possible suspects only makes the reader that much more eager to see how the story will develop. I found the way Benn used Jack Kennedy in the book to be superb. While the majority of his involvement is fictionalized, it was great to see the future president in his war time state, with each facet of his character and attitudes on display.
As I said, I was initially hesitant about jumping back in time with this book, but the quality storytelling from James R. Benn and yet another compelling investigation with Billy Boyle makes for a great read. That fact alone makes me long for the next book in the series...and the uninterrupted time to read it.
September 10, 2015
I finished the White Ghost late last night. I enjoyed it very much. This is the 10th in the series and it is going strong. I can't wait for the next and hope he writes 10 more.
This book fills a few months between two earlier books. Billy Boyle is pulled out of North Africa to solve a Murder in the South Pacific. Boyle being a Boston boy, Billy is know to a powerful family, the Kenndy's. JFK was the first man to find the murder victim. Knowing they had previous run ins Joe Sr. figures that if Boyle exonerates his boy it looks peachy, if he doesn't it looks like an old grudge.
Benn pulls off the shift to the pacific very well. It seemed perfectly natural and believable. That is a tall order.
He showed JFK as a young man, warts and all, not the man he became and we know a lot more about.
I liked the interactions between Billy, in the army, and the Navy folks. Their different ways of doing things, talking and acting made for interesting contrast.
I highly recommend to all fans of Historical fiction, the time period, mysteries and crime novels.
March 1, 2021
Lots of history in this one. We meet Richard Nixon, General Brute Krulak as a battalion commander in the Solomons, and of course JFK and the crew of PT 109. Billy and Kaz are dispatched by General George Marshall at the behest of JFK’s powerful father to investigate the death of a coast watcher who was last seen alive by JFK. The Navy is still trying to decide if JFK is a hero or to court martial him for losing his boat. And of course Billy being from Boston has a turbulent history with the Kennedy’s. No sooner does the duo arrive and start their inquiries than there’s another murder. Soon there’s another murder. The prospect of combat with the Japanese would almost be welcome as someone in their orbit is a murderer. A nicely paced narrative has you turning the pages to catch the culprit. Lots of combat action as Billy seeks to apprehend the suspect while deployed with a platoon of Marines in enemy territory.
November 6, 2020
I missed this book when it first came out, so was happy for the chance to finally read it. I enjoyed Billy's short foray into the the Pacific theater of the war. As always, I appreciated Benn's attention to historical details and the cameo appearances of real people. A classic Billy Boyle mystery, very much enjoyed.
June 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this, the 10th, of the series! I love Billy Boyle’s references to Boston especially because I live just north of the city. Young Joe Kennedy is accused of murder in the Solomon Islands during 1943. Thus Billy & Kaz are in the Pacific Theater. I grew up with stories of JFK’s exploits in his PT 109, so it made this murder mystery even more engaging!
July 4, 2024
Billy & Kaz embark on a dangerous adventure in the Pacific Theater, where he runs into fellow Boston native & frenemy, PT boat captain Jack Kennedy! . . . I'm working through the Billy Boyle series & have been trying not to read them too quickly. Sadly, I have only one more back-list book to read before the new book comes out in September.
May 7, 2016
Author James Benn has written ten novels about Boston policeman Billy Boyle and his WW2 service. Nine of the novels were set in the ETO; this one, "The White Ghost", is takes place in the Solomon Islands. Pretty far from London or North Africa - where Billy and his friend "Kaz" began the novel. How Benn was able to get Billy across the world is a bit sketchy, but once there, they find that the Pacific Theater is just as bloody as the Atlantic. Or maybe even more so...
Anybody familiar with the series knows that Billy Boyle was assigned to a cushy job when he enlisted in the American army. He had been assigned as an aide to a distant relative of his mother - a certain general nicknamed "Ike" - and he became Eisenhower's personal "fixer", sent to look into "problems" and crimes Eisenhower wanted informally investigated. He wondered who his father and uncle had talked to to get Billy this job with Eisenhower; in this book, he finds out. And he ain't happy with what he finds out.
James Benn is pretty good at placing Billy's wartime service - Italy, England, and Norway, among other places - within the overall war effort. Since Billy is usually investigating crime, he doesn't normally fight in battles. In "The White Ghost", much of the action is set in skirmishes against the Japanese. There seems to be more battle scenes - both in the air and at sea - in this book, than in all the previous books. There's also more examples of Japanese cruelty against both civilians and military. A whole lot more graphic.
In "The White Ghost", Billy and Kaz are sent by General Marshall - Ike's BOSS! - to investigate a possible murder committed by young John Kennedy. Kennedy had just been in a PT boat accident - somehow his boat was sliced by a Japanese destroyer in Blackett Straight in the Solomons, in August, 1943. The boat sank, several crew members were killed, and Kennedy led the survivors to an island, where they were rescued a few days later. A young native man is found killed and for some reason I still can't figure out, authorities thought Kennedy might be involved.
The plot of "The White Ghost" is basically used to place Billy and Kaz in the thick of the Pacific battles. There's a fair amount of killing and other personal violence. I'm not sure the book "belongs" in the series, but it seems to be a book that James Benn really wanted to write. I can't argue with that and I did enjoy the book. But, let's take them back to Europe in the next book!
Anybody familiar with the series knows that Billy Boyle was assigned to a cushy job when he enlisted in the American army. He had been assigned as an aide to a distant relative of his mother - a certain general nicknamed "Ike" - and he became Eisenhower's personal "fixer", sent to look into "problems" and crimes Eisenhower wanted informally investigated. He wondered who his father and uncle had talked to to get Billy this job with Eisenhower; in this book, he finds out. And he ain't happy with what he finds out.
James Benn is pretty good at placing Billy's wartime service - Italy, England, and Norway, among other places - within the overall war effort. Since Billy is usually investigating crime, he doesn't normally fight in battles. In "The White Ghost", much of the action is set in skirmishes against the Japanese. There seems to be more battle scenes - both in the air and at sea - in this book, than in all the previous books. There's also more examples of Japanese cruelty against both civilians and military. A whole lot more graphic.
In "The White Ghost", Billy and Kaz are sent by General Marshall - Ike's BOSS! - to investigate a possible murder committed by young John Kennedy. Kennedy had just been in a PT boat accident - somehow his boat was sliced by a Japanese destroyer in Blackett Straight in the Solomons, in August, 1943. The boat sank, several crew members were killed, and Kennedy led the survivors to an island, where they were rescued a few days later. A young native man is found killed and for some reason I still can't figure out, authorities thought Kennedy might be involved.
The plot of "The White Ghost" is basically used to place Billy and Kaz in the thick of the Pacific battles. There's a fair amount of killing and other personal violence. I'm not sure the book "belongs" in the series, but it seems to be a book that James Benn really wanted to write. I can't argue with that and I did enjoy the book. But, let's take them back to Europe in the next book!
October 31, 2017
I haven't read any of the others in this series and I rather fear that the titular character is dragged back and forth through all the significant events of the Second War so the author can write about them. This episode covers part of the war in the Pacific and the islands held by the Japanese and in the process of being retaken by the Americans & their allies. The fact which made the most impression of me was how close everyone was to everyone else. The Americans were on one part of an island while the Japanese still had bases on another part and the feeling is as if one gang is trying to chase another gang out of town with boats and planes taking the place of cars or horses.
I don't know how accurately his portrayals of local life and customs are but it feels right and his description of the PT boats maneuvering at night was particularly good.
I don't know how accurately his portrayals of local life and customs are but it feels right and his description of the PT boats maneuvering at night was particularly good.
July 17, 2015
The Billy Boyle World War II mystery series presents the reader with a double whammy: A thoroughly researched story about the period combined with an excellent crime tale. Until this novel, the series has concentrated on the European Theater of Operations where Billy, a Boston detective in civilian life, serves on the staff of General Eisenhower’s Supreme Command, tracing the progress of the war from North Africa through Sicily, Italy and, finally, the Normandy invasion. For a change of pace, this novel takes Billy and his sidekick, Kaz, to the South Pacific.
The impetus for this sudden development is at the behest of Joe Kennedy, who pulls strings to have Billy investigate a murder in the Solomon Islands. The reason for Billy’s selection derives from the fact that the body was discovered by Jack Kennedy, who was recovering after the loss of PT 109. The Boyles and the Kennedys had a history back in Boston and the theory was that if Billy exonerated Jack as the perpetrator it would not be questioned, and if he accused the future President of murder it would be the result of a grudge.
The novel develops into more than a historical recounting or a mystery with a detailed look at the war operations in the Solomons, which were occupied by both U.S. and Japanese forces, on land, sea and in the air. And a rousing finish with Billy and Kaz in the middle of a firefight between marines and Japanese infantry. All the novels in the series are equally enjoyable, and “The White Ghost” is highly recommended.
The impetus for this sudden development is at the behest of Joe Kennedy, who pulls strings to have Billy investigate a murder in the Solomon Islands. The reason for Billy’s selection derives from the fact that the body was discovered by Jack Kennedy, who was recovering after the loss of PT 109. The Boyles and the Kennedys had a history back in Boston and the theory was that if Billy exonerated Jack as the perpetrator it would not be questioned, and if he accused the future President of murder it would be the result of a grudge.
The novel develops into more than a historical recounting or a mystery with a detailed look at the war operations in the Solomons, which were occupied by both U.S. and Japanese forces, on land, sea and in the air. And a rousing finish with Billy and Kaz in the middle of a firefight between marines and Japanese infantry. All the novels in the series are equally enjoyable, and “The White Ghost” is highly recommended.
October 18, 2015
Jumping back a bit in the war (due to newly declassified documents) Billy and Kaz head to the Solomon Islands, to investigate a murder that happened shortly after a PT boat was destroyed. The boat was captained by another Bostonian, young Jack Kennedy. Benn does a great job using a real historical figure without getting too cheesy. Per usual, Billy faces some resistance from officers wondering why he has so much lee-way in investigating a crime that soon captures more victims. I don't know a whole lot about the Pacific Theater in WWII, but found the information about the Australians, and natives of the Islands, being Coastwatchers very interesting. And yet another book this year that touches on Amelia Earhart. Benn bases a character in the book Deanna Reynolds, on a nurse that is evacuated to Guadalcanal during the early part of the war and is rumored to be Amelia. I was kept guessing about both the crime and motive until the end. It's the bits of history, mixed with the fictionalized murder, that make these Billy Boyle books so good.
September 18, 2015
“White Ghost” is a typical Billy Boyle mystery with well written, engaging characters who behave just as we expect them to in the situations that author James R. Benn places them. The use of John F. Kennedy as a foil and suspect for Boyle to work with and around could have been a disaster but instead Benn makes the relationship seem real and does an excellent job handling the facts and the fiction. The presence of Dick Nixon was fun but not all that necessary and seemed more like author Benn's effort to provide equal billing for both political parties than it was a necessary story element. Overall though this was a fun, entertaining and an easy read - the perfect commuter book, completed it in three days on the train.
October 5, 2015
This is the latest in the Billy Boyle World War II mysteries. I ejoyed it very much with a few reservations.
This time Joe Kennedy pulls a few strings and Bills and Kaz are sent to the South Pacific in 1943 to help Jack Kennedy. Jack has lost his PT boat and there is suspicion that he is somehow ties to the death of a Coast watcher. Billy knew Jack back in Boston and is not fond of him. Despite Jack's undeniable charm he is self centered and gets what he wants including women.
All war is horrible but the war the Pacific seemed to me to be depicted as much more violent and cruel than that in Europe and there were several places where the actions of the Japanese turned my stomach.
That aside, it was a satisfying read and Billy comes through again.
This time Joe Kennedy pulls a few strings and Bills and Kaz are sent to the South Pacific in 1943 to help Jack Kennedy. Jack has lost his PT boat and there is suspicion that he is somehow ties to the death of a Coast watcher. Billy knew Jack back in Boston and is not fond of him. Despite Jack's undeniable charm he is self centered and gets what he wants including women.
All war is horrible but the war the Pacific seemed to me to be depicted as much more violent and cruel than that in Europe and there were several places where the actions of the Japanese turned my stomach.
That aside, it was a satisfying read and Billy comes through again.
October 25, 2016
Billy Boyle is growing up and getting smarter and tougher. We travel to the Pacific in The White Ghost and the Salomon Islands to be exact. Billy and his Polish pal, Kaz, are investigating the murder/murders that take place on one of the islands controlled by the US. The pace is quick and there is a lot of "action"! I did get somewhat confused by all the different islands and towns with such unusual names. We've all heard of Guadalcanal but that's only one of the Solomon's (Love the name Lella Lavella!!!)
Oh, we get to meet John F. Kennedy in his young skinny days. Thought this was a rather quirky addition, especially since he was one of the suspects involved in the murder. \
Warning-some parts of war scenes are rather rough for the faint of heart!
Oh, we get to meet John F. Kennedy in his young skinny days. Thought this was a rather quirky addition, especially since he was one of the suspects involved in the murder. \
Warning-some parts of war scenes are rather rough for the faint of heart!
September 1, 2016
Billy in the Solomons
Book 10 in the Billy Boyle mystery series is one of the best yet. It takes place in the Pacific theater of operations, the Solomons Islands campaign. Billy and Kaz travel halfway around the world to solve the murder of a bright young man killed for no good reason. As they investigate, a sinister threat develops involving false identity , fraud, and unfortunately, two more deaths. This is my favorite of the Billy Boyle mysteries thus far. It combines the complex texture of life in a war theater during World War II with a complex plot that resolves literally during the heat of battle. I highly recommend it.
Book 10 in the Billy Boyle mystery series is one of the best yet. It takes place in the Pacific theater of operations, the Solomons Islands campaign. Billy and Kaz travel halfway around the world to solve the murder of a bright young man killed for no good reason. As they investigate, a sinister threat develops involving false identity , fraud, and unfortunately, two more deaths. This is my favorite of the Billy Boyle mysteries thus far. It combines the complex texture of life in a war theater during World War II with a complex plot that resolves literally during the heat of battle. I highly recommend it.
July 23, 2015
This is going to be on my top ten lest this year. I loved this book. Billy Boyle and his friend and partner in investigation, Kaz, are sent to the Solomon Islands to investigate a murger .... and one of the suspects is JFK, recovering from his wounds received in the sinking of PT 109.
What impressed me the most about this book was the growth in Boyle's character as he matures and hardens due to his war experiences. The mystery itself sheds light on the brutal Pacific campaigns and the lives of the soldiers from Guadalcanal to Choiseul. Fascinating both as a mystery and as history.
What impressed me the most about this book was the growth in Boyle's character as he matures and hardens due to his war experiences. The mystery itself sheds light on the brutal Pacific campaigns and the lives of the soldiers from Guadalcanal to Choiseul. Fascinating both as a mystery and as history.
January 1, 2017
The Billy Boyle Mysteries are always entertaining and the Mystery or ''Who Done it'' is written so that you really have to work for it - trying to beat Billy to the punch. This was no exception.
The only negative I have, for an author that does so much research, he gets some minor things wrong. Not every gun uses a ''clip'', most automatics and semi automatics use magazines. A magazine and an Clip are two different things. That is the only negative thing I can see - these books are fun and if you have not been reading them, you ought to.
The only negative I have, for an author that does so much research, he gets some minor things wrong. Not every gun uses a ''clip'', most automatics and semi automatics use magazines. A magazine and an Clip are two different things. That is the only negative thing I can see - these books are fun and if you have not been reading them, you ought to.
February 23, 2017
This tenth book in the series is the first to be "out of order", being set chronologically between books 2 and 3. Benn has never been better at exploring the baffling face of war: the terrible choices and the worse results, with self-sacrifice and self-interest struggling for supremacy. Billy meets an old acquaintance, Jack Kennedy, as a suspect in the death of a native, in the midst of the Solomons campaign. As always, the author's scholarship is wedded to a tough yet poetical skill with words, and we the readers are the better for it. A very satisfying and thoughtful book.
September 18, 2015
England, Italy, North Africa and now finally James Benn has placed Billy Boyle in the Pacific. Each Billy Boyle novel has been beautifully researched, with a mystery that keeps the pages turning. Since reading the first book in the series, it has become one of my favorites. While it is the tenth book in this series, Benn gives just enough of the characters' past histories to allow new readers to dive right in.
October 1, 2015
My goodness, the Billy Boyle WW II series just gets better & better! And in this one, an appearance of JFK, no less.
Mr. Benn is such an exceptional writer. Once again, the characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and I am just amazed that even the Solomon Islands seem like a living entity, given Mr. Benn's powers of description.
The history was spot on, and the mystery kept me guessing, even after we knew whodunit.
Mr. Benn is such an exceptional writer. Once again, the characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and I am just amazed that even the Solomon Islands seem like a living entity, given Mr. Benn's powers of description.
The history was spot on, and the mystery kept me guessing, even after we knew whodunit.
October 2, 2015
In this WWII Billy Boyle mystery, he is sent to the South Pacific. A young Navy lieutenant, from a prominent family, is a possible murder suspect. His orders are to clear Jack Kennedy's name. The initial murder is soon followed up with two other murders. Meanwhile, they are under almost constant attack by the Japanese. This story offers a good mystery, but also a glimpse of what it must have been like to be fighting in the Solomon Islands (including Guadalcanal).
November 21, 2016
Another nice addition to the Billy Boyle series: his 10th, that actually goes back in time to 1943 and fills a gap. This story takes place on the Solomon Islands. There is a lot of historical military detail and even the Kennedys make an appearance. This is just a great detective series, set in World War II and I can highly recommend the whole series. Blue Madonna, the 11th book is out since September 2016 so, something to look forward to.
September 5, 2015
Years ago I read a good deal about the fighting on Guadalcanal but never much about the marine advance north after the island was taken from the Japanese. James Benn brings this to life, the ending perhaps a little too much to life! Once again he nails historical events, a good mystery and real life characters into a "can't put it down" book. Billy Boyle lives to tell another tale!
September 2, 2015
Whew! An emotional roller coaster. Excellent mystery and excellent history, as are all the Billy Boyle books, but this one was particularly good at pulling the reader into the action. Very graphic battle action in some cases, which is not my usual cuppa. I don't think this is one I will ever reread, but it is an extremely well crafted novel and packs a powerful punch.
September 20, 2015
The Billy Boyle mysteries are excellent and the latest is no exception. Billy and Kaz find themselves in the South Pacific trying to solve the murder of a coast watcher. On their way to the island they meet Richard Nixon and then John F. Kennedy. It is Kennedy that they are expected to exonerate from the list of suspects. This has exciting battle sequences. This series is best read in order.
March 16, 2016
I really loved that this story is about the Coastwatchers and how they interacted with the Marines and Navy. Having Jack Kennedy as a character is tremendously fun. Usually all we hear about Kennedy's service is that PT109 was sunk and that he saved a crewman's life, this helps to fill out his Navy service.
April 3, 2016
This is another excellent book in the series of Billy Boyle, Boston policeman assigned to Eisenhower during WWII. This time, Billy and Kaz are sent to the Solomon Islands where they meet up with a young JFK after PT109. The author shows once again that he can write a terrific mystery and use historical events.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
July 5, 2015
I can tell I'm going to love this, and will have a massive case of withdrawal after finishing it. Might need to go back and re-read the series from the start, soon. Just until the next book comes out.
July 1, 2015
Another great Billy Boyle mystery,this one taking place in the Soloman Islands during WWII. trying to solve three murders,fight the Japanese with old pal Lieutenant Jack Kennedy as the main suspect this series just gets better and
Better.
DGordon
Better.
DGordon
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