What do you think?
Rate this book
Billy Boyle World War II #21
The Ninth Circle
In the latest installment of this fan-favorite WWII mystery series, US Army Captain Billy Boyle is dispatched to Cuba, where he makes unlikely alliances to defeat a common enemy.
January, 1945: If Billy Boyle thinks a summons to Havana will give him a chance to sip a cold Hatuey under the Caribbean sun, the tropical fantasy is dead on arrival. Within hours of landing, Billy and his partner-in-crime-solving, Lieutenant Piotr Kazimierz, are assigned to investigate the murder of a Navy intelligence officer. But as the men wait for an informant at a beachside bar, a bomb goes off—and they narrowly escape with their lives. Then the informant—a Cuban taxi driver named Hector Díaz—is found dead outside his apartment. What did Hector know? And who was so desperate to silence him?
Thrust into a double-murder investigation, Billy and Kaz team up with the brass at the British Legation in Havana, including none other than Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, to gather intel from sources inside Havana’s criminal underworld. Their search takes them from Havana’s Chinatown to the Gran Casino Nacional, where notorious gangster Meyer Lansky offers his services if it means defeating the suspected common enemy—the Sicherheitsdienst, the intelligence wing of the Nazi military—and finding out what sort of intelligence they are so hell-bent on keeping top-secret at this late stage in the war.
January, 1945: If Billy Boyle thinks a summons to Havana will give him a chance to sip a cold Hatuey under the Caribbean sun, the tropical fantasy is dead on arrival. Within hours of landing, Billy and his partner-in-crime-solving, Lieutenant Piotr Kazimierz, are assigned to investigate the murder of a Navy intelligence officer. But as the men wait for an informant at a beachside bar, a bomb goes off—and they narrowly escape with their lives. Then the informant—a Cuban taxi driver named Hector Díaz—is found dead outside his apartment. What did Hector know? And who was so desperate to silence him?
Thrust into a double-murder investigation, Billy and Kaz team up with the brass at the British Legation in Havana, including none other than Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, to gather intel from sources inside Havana’s criminal underworld. Their search takes them from Havana’s Chinatown to the Gran Casino Nacional, where notorious gangster Meyer Lansky offers his services if it means defeating the suspected common enemy—the Sicherheitsdienst, the intelligence wing of the Nazi military—and finding out what sort of intelligence they are so hell-bent on keeping top-secret at this late stage in the war.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
James R. Benn
30 books413 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 3, 2026
There are over 20 books in this WWII mystery series. Billy Boyle has been shot, run over, blown up, and bashed in the head multiple times but still recovers with a quip and crime-solving abilities. Fast-paced stories with lots of WWII history. This book takes place in Cuba as the war starts to roll toward an end, with high-ranking Nazis seeking a way to escape to South America.
October 17, 2026
A favorite character, series, author & narrator! I hope Billy gets to stick with Uncle Ike through war's end & beyond while Ike manages the stabilization of Europe & demobilization of the troops & that we'll see more of Diana.
Read
October 26, 2026Another fantastic installment of the series that takes the reader to Cuba and its underworld. As always history is woven into the story, including references to Ian Flemming (author of the James Bond series), and the reader is pulled into the shady underbelly of spies and treachery.
Loved it!
Loved it!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Author James R. Benn is a terrific storyteller. THE NINTH CIRCLE, the 21st book in his Billy Boyle WWII Mystery series is a study in spy craft and intrigue. In January 1945, when Billy and his friend Kaz are sent by their boss at S.H.A.E.F. (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) to help the British investigate the murder of one of their intelligence officers in Cuba, they land right in the middle of a hotbed of German spies and conspiracies. Soon after their near miss in the bombing of a primitive bar and their meeting with Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, they realize that they are not being told the true purpose of their mission nor the amount of danger involved.
As a huge fan of this series, I love the way that Benn seamlessly includes real historical characters who were in those locations, doing the things that they were actually doing during the war. Another thing I love about this series is how the author spotlights many events, locales and incidents, significant to WWII, that have been overlooked or forgotten.
Never one to back down or shy away from danger, it is always an adventure to follow Billy Boyle. Full of action and suspense, even though we know this story is fiction, it all could have happened exactly this way.
As a huge fan of this series, I love the way that Benn seamlessly includes real historical characters who were in those locations, doing the things that they were actually doing during the war. Another thing I love about this series is how the author spotlights many events, locales and incidents, significant to WWII, that have been overlooked or forgotten.
Never one to back down or shy away from danger, it is always an adventure to follow Billy Boyle. Full of action and suspense, even though we know this story is fiction, it all could have happened exactly this way.
September 18, 2026
Spoilers ahead. I've long been a fan of the Billy Boyle books but some of them are a hit, or a miss. And I think after 20 books, maybe the author's run out of adventures for him. This time Billy Boyle is in Cuba, a sometime backwater of WW2. There are German spies (from the SD) on the island. I'm not sure what they're after but Boyle also meets real life characters Ian Fleming (James Bond author) and Meyer Lansky (crime figure).
The book does point to the latest version of the U-boat as a possible red herring or true herring, but I feel that at this stage of the war the allies are all racing towards Germany and Berlin and no U-boat of any kind, unless it's a nuclear bomb firing one, is going to change the tide of the war.
Unfortunately, the book is too slow. Some of the Billy Boyle books are slow but somehow manages to keep my interest. Unfortunately, it takes a long time for something to happen and every event is spelled out in too many words. I almost feel like the author is dragging the story out. Whatever the case, I lost my interest. The 3 star is a neutral rating. No doubt, I will try the 22nd Billy Boyle book when it comes out but maybe the author should find another horse to flog.
The book does point to the latest version of the U-boat as a possible red herring or true herring, but I feel that at this stage of the war the allies are all racing towards Germany and Berlin and no U-boat of any kind, unless it's a nuclear bomb firing one, is going to change the tide of the war.
Unfortunately, the book is too slow. Some of the Billy Boyle books are slow but somehow manages to keep my interest. Unfortunately, it takes a long time for something to happen and every event is spelled out in too many words. I almost feel like the author is dragging the story out. Whatever the case, I lost my interest. The 3 star is a neutral rating. No doubt, I will try the 22nd Billy Boyle book when it comes out but maybe the author should find another horse to flog.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a great addition to the Billy Boyle books. It takes place in Cuba in 1945 with both Billy and Kaz in Cuba. They are working with Ian Fleming trying to solve a case. Sinclare was shot a week before. Near the beginning of the book they are almost eliminated while waiting for someone at a bar. A bomb has been set and they notice it just in time to get away. They meet Solona at a Casino where she is a photographer. She is kidnapped, and Billy and Kaz manage to rescue her. There are a lot of dangerous people in Cuba, and guns appear to be prolific.
Near the end of the book they go to the Bahamas and meet with the former King of England and Wallis Simpson the Duchess of Winsor. They are getting ready for a clinic opening, and Kaz and Billy convince them to change cars with them so that the bad guys wouldn't shoot them on their way. Again, things get dicey, but at the end, Kaz and Billy are off with a 6 day pass to Boston.
I thank Netgalley and Soho Press for the ARC so that I could read the book before publication.
Near the end of the book they go to the Bahamas and meet with the former King of England and Wallis Simpson the Duchess of Winsor. They are getting ready for a clinic opening, and Kaz and Billy convince them to change cars with them so that the bad guys wouldn't shoot them on their way. Again, things get dicey, but at the end, Kaz and Billy are off with a 6 day pass to Boston.
I thank Netgalley and Soho Press for the ARC so that I could read the book before publication.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75 stars
I have been a fan of James Benn's Billy Boyle series since Book 1, and I definitely think it's worthwhile to start at the beginning.
Benn sheds light on various areas of combat and machinations during World War II, and this time out, Billy and Kaz are in Cuba. While the reasons are not totally logical, it is nice to have a break from the dark gloom of Europe that some previous books were set in.
This one is a bit of a romp, featuring spies, double crosses, and lots of action. There are, as usual, some actual historical figures present, namely Ian Fleming who authored the James Bond books, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. There are still lots of deaths and sobering moments.
These books are compulsively readable. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I have been a fan of James Benn's Billy Boyle series since Book 1, and I definitely think it's worthwhile to start at the beginning.
Benn sheds light on various areas of combat and machinations during World War II, and this time out, Billy and Kaz are in Cuba. While the reasons are not totally logical, it is nice to have a break from the dark gloom of Europe that some previous books were set in.
This one is a bit of a romp, featuring spies, double crosses, and lots of action. There are, as usual, some actual historical figures present, namely Ian Fleming who authored the James Bond books, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. There are still lots of deaths and sobering moments.
These books are compulsively readable. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The first Billy Boyle book was published 20 years ago and I’ve read five or six of the over the years. This new book seemed formulaic and the formula just seemed tired and worn out.
The setting of Cuba and the Bahamas was interesting and the appearance of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor ( and Ian Fleming) was fun but very similar to the sprinkling of famous people in Benn’s other books.
I do not read these books for the romance but at least some of the earlier books had some romance which gave the stories some character development- this book has the same main characters as his previous books and no character development.
I guess this would be fun if you just want another Billy Boyle story but otherwise, I’d skip it.
The setting of Cuba and the Bahamas was interesting and the appearance of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor ( and Ian Fleming) was fun but very similar to the sprinkling of famous people in Benn’s other books.
I do not read these books for the romance but at least some of the earlier books had some romance which gave the stories some character development- this book has the same main characters as his previous books and no character development.
I guess this would be fun if you just want another Billy Boyle story but otherwise, I’d skip it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a ride!
As WWII draws to a close, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (formerly King Edward and Mrs. Simpson) lounge about in Cuba, the Nazis plan to kidnap the royal pair in exchange for amnesty and passage out of Europe; the intrepid and wryly humorous Billy Boyle teams up with locals to foil the plan. With boat chases, bombs, spies, decoys, ambushes, secret caves, and impersonations, it's like a Bond movie on the page -- with Ian Fleming as a character, no less!
Note: this is the 21st Billy Boyle mystery, but the first one I've read. The author has made it easy to jump into the series with this book, which references the past adventures enough for context but not so much it's tedious. Nicely handled.
As WWII draws to a close, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (formerly King Edward and Mrs. Simpson) lounge about in Cuba, the Nazis plan to kidnap the royal pair in exchange for amnesty and passage out of Europe; the intrepid and wryly humorous Billy Boyle teams up with locals to foil the plan. With boat chases, bombs, spies, decoys, ambushes, secret caves, and impersonations, it's like a Bond movie on the page -- with Ian Fleming as a character, no less!
Note: this is the 21st Billy Boyle mystery, but the first one I've read. The author has made it easy to jump into the series with this book, which references the past adventures enough for context but not so much it's tedious. Nicely handled.
September 18, 2026
I had the opportunity to learn about The Ninth Circle, and it immediately stood out as a particularly strong entry in the Billy Boyle World War II mystery series. The combination of a double-murder investigation in wartime Havana, unlikely alliances with British intelligence and the criminal underworld, and the appearance of figures such as Ian Fleming and Meyer Lansky gives the novel several compelling discovery angles for historical mystery, thriller, crime, and World War II readers. With 4.46 stars from 87 ratings and 11 reviews on Goodreads, alongside 4.6 stars from 115 Amazon reviews, the book already has a substantial reader foundation that can be developed further through focused Goodreads engagement and series-oriented discovery.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
James R. Benn’s Billy Boyle Mysteries never ignore how World War II was about people as much as battlefields. In The Ninth Circle Billy and Kaz are investigating in Cuba and drawn into a conspiracy that involves not only the German’s and British Empire, but American Mobsters too.
Benn’s use of Ian Fleming was pitch perfect in rendering the historical figure factually and fictionally at the same time.
The Ninth Circle is a great read that is only a solid mystery on its own, but moves the characters forward for future installments.
Benn’s use of Ian Fleming was pitch perfect in rendering the historical figure factually and fictionally at the same time.
The Ninth Circle is a great read that is only a solid mystery on its own, but moves the characters forward for future installments.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Once again, Benn delivers a Billy Boyle book that shines light on less well-known corners of WWII. In this case, I knew nothing about WWII in the Carribean. One fun aspect of this outing was getting to meet a young Ian Fleming and learning some of the backstory of the man who created James Bond, appropriate for a book that is more of a spy story and less mystery than some of the other series enteries. Still very enjoyable.
September 21, 2026
I once heard Mr. Benn and he lamented that he had allowed Billie to get through the war too fast, leaving to few years and campaigns in which to place him.
I think this book suffered from that. Mr. Benn is a historical fiction star. Spy writer? Not so much. There is the usual insertion of historical figures, but the events and action are more Lecarre than vintage Benn.
I am pleased that the ending portends good things in upcoming books
I think this book suffered from that. Mr. Benn is a historical fiction star. Spy writer? Not so much. There is the usual insertion of historical figures, but the events and action are more Lecarre than vintage Benn.
I am pleased that the ending portends good things in upcoming books
September 5, 2026
A comic book
This is less a novel and more a swashbuckling adventure comic book. No mystery. No intrigue. No character development. Bullets around every corner. Escapes from danger on every page. Three dead, none important. Ian Fleming? the Duke and Duchess of Windsor? This series started strong, got stronger, then died.
This is less a novel and more a swashbuckling adventure comic book. No mystery. No intrigue. No character development. Bullets around every corner. Escapes from danger on every page. Three dead, none important. Ian Fleming? the Duke and Duchess of Windsor? This series started strong, got stronger, then died.
September 24, 2026
The 21st Billy Boyle adventure wasn't disappointing. Jim Benn has given Billy and Kaz a chance to thaw out in sunny Cuba. Unfortunately, murders, spies, and trouble follow them wherever they go. Plenty of excitement in the sun, with action on land, sea, and in the air. Even if you haven't read any other books in the series, this is a great book to enjoy as the seasons change.
Review of advance copy
Excellent story telling! So glad that the folks at Soho Press let me take a copy while I was at ALA. The down side of this series is that the war is nearing the end, what will Billy and Kaz do then? Fight commies?
September 4, 2026
I LOVE all these Billy Boyle books. They always include some niche part of WWII that I didn't previously know about. The characters are well developed and interesting. Real historical people show up in the book doing things that they maybe didn't do but certainly could have. Very well written.
September 25, 2026
One of my September highlights is the new Billy Boyle book. This is another wonderful entry in the series. Once again we meet some famous folks, and get tale set in a lessor known corner of the war. Recommend for all.
October 27, 2026
Entertaining story starts with the investigation of the murder of a Naval Intelligence officer. It leads to a plot to kidnap the Duke and Duchess of Windsor from the Bahamas. Throw in Ian Fleming and an American gangster to keep the story moving.
September 21, 2026
fairly good read
Not as interesting as the rest of the Boyle books but good. I found it to be somewhat slow reading.
Not as interesting as the rest of the Boyle books but good. I found it to be somewhat slow reading.
September 27, 2026
Overall an ok read. Odd mix of characters. The war is ending. Is Billy running out of adventures?
September 29, 2026
Another great book but where was Big Mike?
October 1, 2026
This one was boring sorry to say.
October 20, 2026
Detailed to Havana to investigate the murder of a British Naval Intelligence officer, Billy and Kaz uncover a larger Nazi conspiracy.
October 21, 2026
Always fun and informative.
October 27, 2026
Another hidden piece of World War Two is uncovered by Boyle and Kaz. A great read founded on real events.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews