Blue Madonna

James R. Benn

Paperback

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Billy Boyle, World War II US Army detective and ex-Boston cop, faces his toughest investigation yet: infiltrating enemy lines in France as the Allies invade Normandy.

May 1944: Captain Billy Boyle is convicted on spurious charges of black market dealings stripped of his officer's rank, reduced to private, and sentenced to three months' hard labor. But Billy is given an opportunity: if he takes on the incredibly dangerous mission of investigating a set of murders at the Allies' safe house in the French town of Chaumont, he can avoid his punishment. Parachuted in as part of a three-man team the night before the Normandy invasion, he has very little time to find the killer's identity and lead a group escape back to England, with a whole army of foes nipping at his heels.

Book Details

Publisher: Soho Crime
Publish Date: Aug 8th, 2017
Pages: 368
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 7.50in - 5.10in - 1.00in - 0.50lb
EAN: 9781616958343
Categories: • War & Military• Historical - General• Mystery & Detective - International Crime & Mystery

About the Author

James R. Benn is the author of the Billy Boyle World War II mysteries. The debut, Billy Boyle, was named one of five top mysteries of 2006 by Book Sense and was a Dilys Award nominee. A Blind Goddess was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and The Rest Is Silence was a Barry Award nominee. Benn, a former librarian, splits his time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and Connecticut with his wife, Deborah Mandel.

Praise for this book

Praise for Blue Madonna

"A non-stop action story that adds in the golden nugget of a really cool history lesson."
--Suspense Magazine

"Benn's 11th Billy Boyle mystery has snappy dialogue, satisfying action scenes, and much interesting history about D-Day."
--Kirkus Reviews

"This is a thoroughly entertaining, well-told war adventure, and since the book ends on June 5, 1944, we know there's much more to come."
--Booklist

"The suspenseful story line, set on the eve of the Normandy invasion in 1944, will keep readers turning the pages... Benn movingly depicts Nazi cruelties that Boyle and his comrades witness."
--Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Billy Boyle series

"Terrific . . . Razor sharp."
--Joseph Finder

"Full of action, humor and heart."
--Louise Penny

"Billy Boyle gets better and better. This is a must-read series."
--Lee Child

"Spirited wartime storytelling."
--The New York Times Book Review

"A fast-paced saga set in a period when the fate of civilization still hangs in the balance."
--The Wall Street Journal

"A complex tale that maps the human cost of warfare in the South Pacific--and delivers a deft portrait of a young Jack Kennedy struggling to recover from the losses of PT-109. Poignant and riveting."
--Francine Mathews, author of JACK1939

"Cleverly told . . . the book weaves fascinating military facts with obscure historical details about the islands and native life."
--The Arizona Republic

"One of Mr. Benn's best books of the series . . . A pleasure to read."
--Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"[An] excellent eighth Billy Boyle whodunit . . . The superior plot and thoughtful presentation of institutional racism directed against American soldiers about to risk their lives for their country make this one of Benn's best."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A smart, fast-paced, action-packed historical mystery series replete with liberal dashes of humor and romance providing broad appeal to readers of military history, thrillers and mysteries. He deftly combines a mélange of edge-of-your seat suspenseful situations with historical accuracy and engaging literary references."
--BookTrib

"The series as a whole is the best set of wartime novels since those of the legendary Nevil Shute."
--BookPage