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Billy Boyle World War II #21
The Ninth Circle
Not yet published
Expected 1 Sep 26In 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.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 1, 2026
About the author
James R. Benn
30 books411 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
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.
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.
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?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews