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"Uncle Ike" (aka General Eisenhower) personally pins silver first lieutenant bars on Billy Boyle in Benn's stellar fifth WWII mystery (after 2009's Evil for Evil). In December 1943, Billy's leave with his British girlfriend in Italy is cut short. Orders send him to London to look into a Soviet officer's shooting murder, which may be retaliation for the execution of thousands of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest that's been blamed on the Germans but probably was committed by Russians. Since the Soviets are allies, the investigation requires the utmost sensitivity. Billy's loyalties are tested because his friend who works for the Polish government in exile, Lieutenant Kazimierz, is a prime suspect. Benn excels at depicting the impact of war on London--the bricks from bombed buildings piled neatly on the streets, families living in Tube stations, "the odor of the Blitz." Destruction aside, Billy never forgets that "Even in the midst of war, murder is unacceptable"--Publisher's Weekly.… (más)
Reading just two James R. Benn novels is enough to make his Billy Boyle books one of my favorite mystery series. “Rag and Bone” (2010), like “Billy Boyle,” the first in the series, is an ideal blend of history, mystery and wartime adventure.
Boyle was a young police detective before World War II intervened and he was assigned to the staff of his Uncle Ike, none other than Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, to solve a ticklish murder. More murders follow, and so the series continues. Even in wartime, when people are being killed all the time, a murder is another matter.
This time the murder that draws Ike's attention is that of a Russian officer stationed in London. Evidence suggests the killer could be Polish, perhaps even Billy's best friend, Kaz, a Polish officer who got out of Poland before the Germans invaded. Now the Soviets covet Poland, and Kaz blames them for the massacre of Polish prisoners at Katyn Forest (an actual event), for which the Soviets blame the Germans. Because the United States has a large Polish population and because the Allies need the Russians to help defeat Germany, the situation is tricky. Ike wants his nephew to discover what really happened to that Russian officer, preferably without making things anymore complicated than they already are.
His investigation takes Billy into both the London underworld and the underground, for there seems to be a connection between the murder and a poetry-reading gangster who, because of German air attacks, has made his temporary headquarters in a subway tunnel. Along the way he comes into contact with Winston Churchill and even Kim Philby, later discovered to have been a spy for the Soviets.
Benn keeps the plot moving nicely, gives us fascinating characters and turns a riveting murder mystery into a painless history lesson. ( )
"Uncle Ike" (aka General Eisenhower) personally pins silver first lieutenant bars on Billy Boyle in Benn's stellar fifth WWII mystery (after 2009's Evil for Evil). In December 1943, Billy's leave with his British girlfriend in Italy is cut short. Orders send him to London to look into a Soviet officer's shooting murder, which may be retaliation for the execution of thousands of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest that's been blamed on the Germans but probably was committed by Russians. Since the Soviets are allies, the investigation requires the utmost sensitivity. Billy's loyalties are tested because his friend who works for the Polish government in exile, Lieutenant Kazimierz, is a prime suspect. Benn excels at depicting the impact of war on London--the bricks from bombed buildings piled neatly on the streets, families living in Tube stations, "the odor of the Blitz." Destruction aside, Billy never forgets that "Even in the midst of war, murder is unacceptable"--Publisher's Weekly.
Boyle was a young police detective before World War II intervened and he was assigned to the staff of his Uncle Ike, none other than Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, to solve a ticklish murder. More murders follow, and so the series continues. Even in wartime, when people are being killed all the time, a murder is another matter.
This time the murder that draws Ike's attention is that of a Russian officer stationed in London. Evidence suggests the killer could be Polish, perhaps even Billy's best friend, Kaz, a Polish officer who got out of Poland before the Germans invaded. Now the Soviets covet Poland, and Kaz blames them for the massacre of Polish prisoners at Katyn Forest (an actual event), for which the Soviets blame the Germans. Because the United States has a large Polish population and because the Allies need the Russians to help defeat Germany, the situation is tricky. Ike wants his nephew to discover what really happened to that Russian officer, preferably without making things anymore complicated than they already are.
His investigation takes Billy into both the London underworld and the underground, for there seems to be a connection between the murder and a poetry-reading gangster who, because of German air attacks, has made his temporary headquarters in a subway tunnel. Along the way he comes into contact with Winston Churchill and even Kim Philby, later discovered to have been a spy for the Soviets.
Benn keeps the plot moving nicely, gives us fascinating characters and turns a riveting murder mystery into a painless history lesson. ( )