Solemn Graves: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery by James R. Benn (English) Pap

Description: Solemn Graves by James R. Benn A double murder in a French chateau just after D-Day threatens Allied operations, and US Army detective Billy Boyle is called to investigate. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description US Army detective Billy Boyle is called to investigate a mysterious murder in a Normandy farmhouse that threatens Allied operations.July, 1944, a full month after D-Day. Billy, Kaz, and Big Mike are assigned to investigate a murder close to the front lines in Normandy. An American officer has been found dead in a manor house serving as an advance headquarters outside the town of Trevi res. Major Jerome was far from his own unit, arrived unexpectedly, and was murdered in the dark of night.The investigation is shrouded in secrecy, due to the highly confidential nature of the American unit headquartered nearby in the Norman hedgerow country- the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, aka, the Ghost Army. This vague name coversa thousand-man unit with a unique mission within the US Army- to impersonate other US Army units by creating deceptions using radio traffic, dummy inflatable vehicles, and sound effects, causing the enemy to think they are facing large formations. Not even the units adjacent to their positions know what they are doing. But there are German spies and informants everywhere, and Billy must tread carefully, unmasking the murder while safeguarding the secret of the Ghost Army-a secret which, if discovered, could turn the tide of war decisively against the Allies. Author Biography 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. Review Praise for Solemn Graves"Enthralling . . . A complex and somber look at life in the midst of war where betrayals can come from your neighbor, who may be a Nazi spy, and gunfire is constantly in the background. Benns hallmark of meticulous research shines . . . In a series known for excellence, Solemn Graves stands out." —Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel "A highly entertaining murder mystery, as well as eloquently reflecting on the horrors of war." —The Lancashire Post "The ending was a jaw dropper." —Deadly Pleasures Magazine "The stories are riveting, the cast of characters is incredible, and historical accuracy can be found on every page." —Suspense Magazine "Exceptional . . . Benn has never been better at integrating a whodunit plot line with a realistic depiction of life on or near the battlefield." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Once again, Benn has unearthed a fascinating piece of relatively unknown WWII history and built an engaging mystery around it, combining the Ghost Army with a chilling view of the ugly reparations exacted by Resistance fighters on assumed Nazi collaborators. Liberation, Billy is shocked to learn, has its own dark side." —Booklist "Benns plotting and his first-person narrative both acquire more gravitas as they continue to chart the course of World War II. His latest outing is a complex tale that hinges on a particular moment in world history he captures incisively." —Kirkus Reviews "The front lines of Normandy in the weeks after the invasion are the setting for this thrilling battle of wits between a dogged US investigator and cunning killer. Deft, gritty, and real as a howitzer blast." —Andrew Gross, bestselling author of The One ManPraise for the Billy Boyle WWII mysteries "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 "Cleverly told . . . the book weaves fascinating military facts with obscure historical details about the islands and native life." —The Arizona Republic "One of Mr. Benns best books of the series . . . A pleasure to read." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer"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 "Full of action, humor and heart." —Louise Penny Promotional US Army detective Billy Boyle is called to investigate a mysterious murder in a Normandy farmhouse that threatens Allied operations. Review Quote Praise for Solemn Graves "Enthralling . . . A complex and somber look at life in the midst of war where betrayals can come from your neighbor, who may be a Nazi spy, and gunfire is constantly in the background. Benns hallmark of meticulous research shines . . . In a series known for excellence, Solemn Graves stands out." --Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel "A highly entertaining murder mystery, as well as eloquently reflecting on the horrors of war." --The Lancashire Post "The ending was a jaw dropper." --Deadly Pleasures Magazine "The stories are riveting, the cast of characters is incredible, and historical accuracy can be found on every page." --Suspense Magazine "Exceptional . . . Benn has never been better at integrating a whodunit plot line with a realistic depiction of life on or near the battlefield." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Once again, Benn has unearthed a fascinating piece of relatively unknown WWII history and built an engaging mystery around it, combining the Ghost Army with a chilling view of the ugly reparations exacted by Resistance fighters on assumed Nazi collaborators. Liberation, Billy is shocked to learn, has its own dark side." --Booklist "Benns plotting and his first-person narrative both acquire more gravitas as they continue to chart the course of World War II. His latest outing is a complex tale that hinges on a particular moment in world history he captures incisively." --Kirkus Reviews "The front lines of Normandy in the weeks after the invasion are the setting for this thrilling battle of wits between a dogged US investigator and cunning killer. Deft, gritty, and real as a howitzer blast." --Andrew Gross, bestselling author of The One Man Praise for the Billy Boyle WWII mysteries "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 "Cleverly told . . . the book weaves fascinating military facts with obscure historical details about the islands and native life." -- The Arizona Republic "One of Mr. Benns best books of the series . . . A pleasure to read." --Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Full of action, humor and heart." --Louise Penny Promotional "Headline" US Army detective Billy Boyle is called to investigate a mysterious murder in a Normandy farmhouse that threatens Allied operations. Excerpt from Book Chapter One The first dead body I saw in Normandy was a cow, tangled in the branches of a shattered tree at a crossroads by the edge of a field, a good thirty feet off the ground. More of them lay scattered across the pasture, the thick green grass dotted with gaping holes of black, smoking earth. A few cows were still upright. One wandered into the ditch alongside the road, trailing intestines and bellowing, her big brown eyes crazed with fear and pain. "Stop," Sergeant Allan Fair said from the front seat, placing a hand on the drivers arm. "Easy like." The driver, a skinny kid who looked like he might shave soon, if he lived that long, let the jeep roll to a halt. Fair got out, planted his feet, raised his M-1 to his shoulder, and squeezed off a round that found a home between those two brown eyes. The cow collapsed into the ditch, and silence filled the air. "Damn," Fair said to no one in particular, and got back in the jeep. The driver eased into first gear and took off slowly, carefully navigating around a shell hole on one side of the hard-packed dirt road. We passed a sign at the crossroads, tilted lazily to one side and peppered with shrapnel. Dust means death. As we drove on, the roadside was decorated with the burned-out hulks of vehicles whose drivers had not heeded the warning. The bovine casualties had likely been the result of a nervous driver who barreled down the road, kicking up a dust storm and making it through before the German shells rained down on the intersection. "I didnt think we were close to the front yet," I said from the back seat, as we proceeded at a dust-free twenty miles an hour under the hot morning sun. "I mean, for Kraut artillery spotters." "Its close enough. Theyre up in those hills," Fair said, sweeping a hand toward the distant rise to the south. "With a good pair of binoculars, they can pick out a swirl of dust five, ten miles away. Plus, they left spotters behind, hiding out in barns or in the woods." "Scuttlebutt is, they pay the French for any dope they bring them about targets," the driver said. "Hard to imagine any Frenchman would sell information to the Germans," Big Mike said. "How long you been in Normandy?" Fair asked. "We got here yesterday," Big Mike said. "Figures," was all Fair said. "We seen pictures," Big Mike said. "People throwing flowers at GIs, stuff like that." "Anyone throw flowers at you, kid?" Fair asked the driver. "A Kraut threw his helmet at me when his rifle jammed," he said. "But no flowers." "See? So dont believe everything you read in Stars and Stripes ," Fair said. He spat into the road, ending the conversation. Big Mike looked at me, eyebrows raised. Or looked down at me, I should say. Big Mike--Staff Sergeant Mike Miecznikowski--was tall and broad and took up most of the cramped back seat. "I was looking forward to the flowers, Billy," he said. "In Sicily, all they threw were stones." The jeep moved slowly, past open fields and into more hedgerows. Here, the roadway became a narrow, sunken lane with a deep ditch on either side. For centuries, farmers had been mounding earth to mark the boundaries of their fields and to keep livestock in. Topping it all off was a tangle of trees and bushes, their roots intertwined with the gritty gravel, dirt, and stone base. Hedgerows made every pasture a fortress, every lane a death trap. "How long have you been here, Sergeant Fair?" I asked. Fair had been ordered to take Big Mike and me from First Army headquarters to the outskirts of Bricqueville, where a dead body was waiting for us. Not the sort that ended up in a tree or torn apart by explosives, but the kind that found itself wearing a slit throat in the sitting room of a French villa, safe behind the lines, and wearing the uniform of a US Army captain. Simply said, it was murder, an almost quaint and old-fashioned custom these days. Killed In Action was the usual phrase, and here in hedgerow country--the French call it the bocage --there was a lot of it going around. "I been on the line since D+3," Fair said, his voice a low mutter as he turned to study me. He did his best to look unimpressed. My ODs were clean, and from the SHAEF patch on my shoulder, I was obviously nothing but a headquarters feather merchant out for a joyride. Fair was headed back to the front, where hed been since three days after D-Day. His olive drabs were worn and muddy, bleached by the summer sun to a shade not found in any Quartermasters stores. The bags under his eyes were as dark as midnight sin, and crows-feet arced from the corner of his eye, an occupational hazard from squinting over the sights of an M1. His mouth was a thin slit of insolence. His eyes were narrowed, wary, and suspicious. He didnt bother saying "sir," but I didnt care about that. At the front, there was an unspoken rank, and it wasnt based on an officers bars or a non-coms stripes. It had to do with how long a man faced death and kept going despite it. All Fair knew was that Big Mike and I still had the smell of London about us, and that made us nothing but nuisance cargo in his book. I didnt blame him one damn bit. "Anything else, Captain?" Fair said, his eyes scanning the road as it curved ahead. Which was obviously of greater interest to him than any stupid questions a desk jockey from Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force had. Probably why he was still alive. He clamped a hand on the drivers arm, signaling him to roll to a dustless halt. "Look, hes making a run for it," Fair said, pointing to a flurry of road dust off to our right, where the land sloped away. "Who?" Big Mike asked. "The jerk who got all those cows killed," the driver said. "Theyre dead meat," Fair said, leaning back and shaking a Lucky Strike loose from a crumpled pack. He lit one, ignoring the sound of distant booms and the screaming crescendo of shells coming in from the German lines. "The Krauts got a crossroads over there zeroed in." Explosions crumped a mile or so away, just ahead of the dust cloud, belching smoke and fire as they ripped through trees and shrubs. Then it was over. Fair drew in his smoke as if it were oxygen, cupping the cigarette even in broad daylight. "Shouldnt we see if they need help?" I asked. "Naw," Fair said, shaking his head at what to him was obviously a silly question. "Lemme finish my smoke." He did, tossing the butt into the road as two more shells landed out where smoke from a burning vehicle was already curling into the sky. "Krauts always send a few in after the fact," Fair said, signaling the driver to move on. "To pick off guys who dont know any better." Meaning us. The driver eased his way around the curve, keeping the speed down. Down so much we could have walked and kept pace. But I didnt complain, since I liked not being blown up. "They aint going to like keeping a stiff around this long," Big Mike said, meaning our murder victim, who had apparently bled out in the sitting room of a farmhouse. "Theres stiffs all over the place," Fair said. "Ours, Krauts, and plenty of French who cant get out of the way fast enough." "Out of the way of what?" Big Mike asked. "Pissed-off Krauts, our planes bombing and strafing the hell out of everything, artillery, land mines, drunk GIs, you name it," Fair said. "If I was them, Id have gone south." "I think they like the idea of being liberated," Big Mike said. "Yeah, its working out just swell for them, isnt it?" Fair said. He had a point. Along our section of the line, the bridgehead from the beaches to the front lines was no more than eighteen miles deep, after a month of hard fighting and heavy casualties. It was a killing slog for the GIs, but French civilians were often worse off, caught in a cross fire of bullets, shells, bombs, and brutality. Things werent going all that well, truth be told. By now we should have broken out of the bridgehead, our tanks rolling toward Paris. But the Allied armies were still cooped up in Normandy, fighting for every hill and hedgerow and paying a heavy price. "Look," our driver said, pointing to the source of the smoke. A supply truck was on its side, burning, the rubber tires sending up thick, acrid smoke. Two bodies were in the Description for Sales People The 13th book in James R. Benns hugely popular Billy Boyle WWII mystery series. A fan-favourite which appeals to historical fiction lovers and military history buffs alike. Perfect for fans of Philip Kerr and Alan Fursts wartime spy thrillers. With endorsements from Lee Child, Louise Penny, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Details ISBN1641290668 Author James R. Benn Year 2019 ISBN-10 1641290668 ISBN-13 9781641290661 Format Paperback Subtitle A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States DEWEY 813.6 Series A Billy Boyle WWII Mystery Language English Series Number 13 UK Release Date 2019-08-06 Publication Date 2019-08-06 AU Release Date 2019-08-06 NZ Release Date 2019-08-06 US Release Date 2019-08-06 Audience General Pages 400 Publisher Soho Press Imprint Soho Press We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:123910111;

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