Billy Boyle World War II Mysteries Books In Order

Publication Order of Billy Boyle World War II Mysteries Books

The Billy Boyle World War II is a set of mystery and historical fiction novels by James R. Benn. Living in the Floridan Gulf Coast with Deborah Mandel his wife, the author doubles up as a copyeditor and psychotherapist. Over the years, he has made a name for himself for writing good critical reads with some of the most intriguing characters. He is father of two sons Ben and Jeff, who have given him seven grandchildren. Earlier on, he attended the University of Connecticut before he went to Southern Connecticut State University, where he graduated with an MLS degree. He is a member of the Author’s Guild and the Mystery Writers of America. Before he quit his job to become a professional author, he had worked in the information and library technology field for more than three decades. He has said that writing the Billy Boyle World War II mystery series has brought him immense joy and enabled him to meet fans, readers, and authors from all over the United States. James R. Benn published the debut novel of the series, Billy Boyle in 2006.

The Billy Boyle World War II mysteries are all about a young police detective from Boston named Billy Boyle, who rises through the ranks to become a lieutenant in the Army during World War II. Since he is a nephew to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, he is offered the job of special investigator in Ike’s staff. He is charged with discreetely solving problems and crimes that could impact the Allied operations in Europe. The work is set against the backdrop of critical events in the Second World War, as the series combines espionage and mystery with historical detail. From the beaches of Sicily, North Africa, and beyond, to the Norwegian resistance in London, every novel has Billy in morally complex and dangerous situations where war, treachery, and murder collide. Along the way, he has to deal with shifting loyalties, tangled alliances, and secret missions. The good thing is that he works alongside his close friends who include Polish intelligence officer and nobleman, Kaz, and his love interest and English SOE agent Diana. It is a series not only about crime-solving but also about the growth of the lead into a skilled investigator. Through well-researched history and thrilling plots, the Billy Boyle World War II series provides an intimate and authentic perspective of World War II alongside some exciting mysteries.

The first novel of the Billy Boyle World War II series of novels is Billy Boyle which he published in 2006. The man who hails from Boston has just been promoted to detective with some help from his police friends and relatives only for the Second World War to break out. His anti-English family calls on Mamie, a distant cousin of his mother and the wife of a general to get him a job that would not involve going into the battlefield. But rather than getting a cushy and safe assignment in the United States, he is sent to London which is still under the bombardment of the Luftwaffe. Then Dwight D. Eisenhower his uncle is picked to lead the Allied forces in Europe and he wants Billy to work with him as a personal investigator. However, he had never been out of Boston before enlisting. He had gone to Officer Candidate School but he is not so sure if he is that good with detective work. Working with a Polish officer of noble birth and a beautiful British woman, they have to find a spy who may have been working there undercover. His investigative powers are tested by two murders and theft, as he confronts the deadly demands of one of the most brutal wars ever. To his surprise, he proves to be one of the best detectives in the Allied forces.

James R. Benn published the second novel of the Billy Boyle World War II series in 2007. In The First Wave, he is working in the Allied invasion of North Africa code-named Operation Torch. His assignment is to persuade pro-allied French military officers to help in the taking of Algiers. But his mission soon goes haywire as his team’s plans are exposed resulting in the suppression and capture of the resistance soldiers by fascists. In addition to the chaos, Admiral Darlan who is a Vichy leader makes an unexpected entrance further complicating efforts at diplomacy. This means the smooth transition of the loyal French to the Allies is particularly difficult if not impossible. Amid all the chaos, there is reported the theft of vital medical supplies and two murders. Making matters even more personal, Billy comes to learn that his girlfriend is a British SOE agent who has been taken along with other resistance fighters. Forced to tread in some dangerous political waters, Billy needs to unravel a complex web of corruption in the ranks of the Vichy, rescue his girlfriend, recover stolen medicine, and solve murders. Meanwhile, his superiors seem hellbent on working with the people responsible for the crimes. In a landscape where justice has to be pitted against strategy and alliances could not be any more fragile, Billy is walking a very perilous line.

Blood Alone is the brillaint third addition to the Billy Boyle World War II series of novels by James R. Benn. In this installment, Billy Boyle wakes up with amnesia in a field hospital in Sicily unsure of how he got there and who he is. He is even more confused when he learns of several murders nearby, but soon, his detective instincts kick in. It is a perilous investigation and since he remembers little, he soon becomes a target as he does not know who to trust. Stumbling through deception and danger, he slowly starts to get his memory back. He soon discovers that enlisting the help of the mafia in Sicily to work for the Allied invasion is his mission. But he has some disturbing flashes of memory, which make him ask if maybe he could have done some terrible things that have alienated him from his most intimate allies. Further complicating matters, he is at odds with the military police too, who believe he may have been involved in a murder. With enemies that include criminals, assassins, and fellow soldiers coming at him, he must rely on his new allies and his resourcefulness to complete the mission.