About this title: A 22-year-old Irish American cop thinks he's avoiding military service by becoming a general's staff member, but the general turns out to be Dwight D. Eisenhower. Dispatched as an "investigator," Billy searches for a German spy amongst the exiled Norwegian government.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Soho Pr Inc, New York, New York, U.S. A
Date Published: 2006-01-01
Description: Very Good. Ex-library book _ Hardcover and Dust Jacket are both in Very good condition _ This will be on its way to you TODAY! Email confirmation _ No hassle returns _ all emails answered promptly _ Outstanding Quality, Value, and Service with Always Great Products _ Check our feedback _ We appreciate your business! read more
Description: Like New. 2007-Paperback-May contain minor shelf-wear. Otherwise, volume un-read and in "As-New" condition. -Used-Like New-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 294 p. Audience: General/trade. Advance Reader's Edition. Read, but in fine condition. 2 small nearly invisible creases to ill. front cover. No spine crease, no stickers etc. read more
Edition: Book Club
Binding: Hardback 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"
Publisher: Soho, New York
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781569474334ISBN:1569474338
Description: Near Fine, corners/spine ends slightly worn, DJ VG 295 pp. DJ corners/spine ends slightly worn, a little rubbed. ISBN 1-56947-433-8, 978-1-56947-433-4, read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Soho Press
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781569474334ISBN:1569474338
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. ~Clean text, tight binding, minimal wear to exterior. Slight scuffs to cover. Support Independent Pacific Northwest Booksellers! Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 294 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Soho Press Inc., New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781569474761ISBN:1569474761
Description: Very Good. No Jacket as Issued. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Signed by Author E3-A trade paperback book signed by the author in very good condition that has some light discoloration on the page edges and light shelf wear. A World War II Mystery. Satisfaction Guaranteed. read more
"Benn, James R. BILLY BOYLE. (2006). **. This is the first novel in the series featuring Billy Boyle. The others, so far, include "The First Wave," "Blood Alone," and "Evil For Evil." The author is a librarian for a school system in Hartford, and I first came across him at the recent Bouchercon convention. He was on a panel called "War Noir." It is obvious that he is a WW II maven and that his facts surrounding his fiction are as true as he can make them. The hero, Billy Boyle, is a young detective policeman in South Boston. He has made detective in only three years, mostly because of the support of his father - also a cop - and the rest of the predominantly Irish force that existed at the time. After Pearl Harbor, he knew he was going to be drafted eventually, so he enlisted. With the help of his family, he got an assignment to be on the staff of his mother's second cousin's husband, Uncle Ike. Turns out that Uncle Ike was General Eisenhower, and Billy is shipped (flown) off to England to meet his new boss. Ike wants him to be his personal investigator, or, as in this novel, spy catcher. Boyle's first assignment is to smoke out a suspected spy in the Norwegian headquarters of the government in exile. Off he goes to Beardsley Hall, along with an American major and a beautiful young WREN. He's not there long when the first murder occurs. Using his scant experience as a policeman, Billy has to solve the murder and still come up with the spy in the ointment. The novel is well written, but I couldn't come across any spark of suspense or tension in the narrative. Billy is also kind of a cultural dodo, having never been out of South Boston in his life. There's lots of "Gees," and "Gee Whizz," kinds of expressions dropping out of his mouth. There are also a lot of then current slang expressions that he uses and has to continually explain to his Brit counterparts. Although written in an acceptable style, this novel never really caught my interest, and I found that reading on became more and more of a chore. I think I'll skip the rest of this series. Sorry. It's not my cup of tea - or coffee."
Pretty good as a first book, I am curious if the series improves in the later installments.
The main character is interesting and the first person narration is often witty and fun. The author also appears to be trying to make Billy a more three dimensional character by giving hints of a slight darker family background and his own possible slightly less than stellar moral code. However, other character were not as strong, I wanted to learn more about Kaz and Daphne. Also, other than Major Harding, the supporting characters blend together and are not very distinguishable from each other.
The mystery is okay, but at times somewhat slow (some parts it felt very much like an English drawing room mystery (ala Agatha Christie)). Overall, the pacing was not great. Some parts were slow, while others, such as the arrival of a love interest and the action climax of the book felt as if they came out of nowhere, as if they had been rushed without a great deal of groundwork.
"Considerably better than I anticipated. The period isn't one I normally take much interest in, but I found this quite well done. I liked the characters, and our Billy in particular is nicely drawn. As a young man newly arrived in an unknowable situation, his bravado and his sense of vulnerability are plain enough; it only gradually becomes apparent that his coping skills are greater than he fears they are. I liked the portrayal of the atmosphere of 1942 England, with America just beginning to become involved in the war; I found that everybody seemed very realistically to be coping with new challenges and new ideas of how to face them - finding and stretching new emotional/philosophical muscles, as it were. I didn't get the impression people were parroting War Slogans, something that does tend to put me off fiction in this temporal setting."
"A Irish Boston police detective, enlists in the Army, relatives pull strings, he's assigned to "Uncle Ike's" staff to investigate goings on. A good historically based mystery. While the characters (except Ike) are fictional, the underlying events are correct."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
