Another Wild Ride
James R. Benn, Soho Crime, 2022
And my heart also knew I’d never forget the moment I watched those men advance into hell’s open, gaping jaws. – Billy Boyle
[Excerpt from “The Partisan”:
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we’ll come from the shadows.]
by Debby Montague
Weirs Times Book Reviewer
Reading James R. Benn’s latest Billy Boyle World War II Mystery, From The Shadows, I had the Leonard Cohen version of “The Partisan” for an earworm, understandable since Benn takes his title from a 1943 French version of “The Partisan” composed by Anna Marley, and it is one of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs. It is a haunting piece whether you listen to the 1943 French version or Leonard Cohen’s 1969 cover. And it is a most fitting song to inspire the title of this latest Billy Boyle adventure which finds Billy involved in a meeting to resolve issues between the French Resistance and British SOE while his own thoughts of the war’s struggles and loses plague him.
In this 17th Billy Boyle World War II Mystery Billy, former Boston cop and distant relative of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, is on an assignment that should be straightforward, at least compared to previous undertakings such as finding a spy in Paris during the Liberation or solving a murder in Russia or going undercover as a priest in the Vatican. It is October 1944 and Billy is ordered to collect an SOE agent in Crete, unite him with other SOE agents in France, and help provide security for the SOE when they meet with the Resistance to discuss German collaborators. Billy’s task rapidly turns frustrating and dangerous when he sets out to find the spy who threatens these talks. To make matters worse the spy, and Billy, are headed into the midst of a horrific battle.
Billy’s missions always entail at least one wild ride which Benn presents with great dexterity. As you are reading about Billy’s rough voyage to Crete in a small boat you will feel as if the stormy waters of the Mediterranean are crashing over your head, too. And when Billy goes for broke on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle chasing after the assassin along a narrow track on the ramparts of an ancient fortress, your heart will be in your throat. Benn is just as skillful when depicting Billy’s emotional state. Billy Boyle is only twenty-four years old, but he is ancient in experience after two years spent in the European theater. He has seen the shocking deaths of friends and has been in terrible struggles with the enemy. He knows about the horror of the concentration camps and the personal anguish that bedevils one’s mind after too many loses.
Whether you are a history buff or not you will be impressed by the historical occasions and figures that cross Billy’s path. For example, when Billy encounters the Nisei, the soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (Japanese Americans troops who are the most decorated fighting group in US history), Billy has a conversation with Daniel Inouye, former senator from Hawaii. Billy also connects with Jack Hemingway, the son of Ernest Hemingway, who worked for the OSS, and Wells Lewis, son of Sinclair Lewis, a lieutenant in the 36th Infantry Division.
If you are looking for a great read with terrific characters and a fast-paced, intriguing mystery, From The Shadows is a humdinger. The wind is blowing for the partisans, the soldiers, the enemy, and Billy, but the shadows are only beginning to lift. Billy still has a long road and more wild rides ahead of him. That is bad for Billy, but good for fans of James R. Benn’s Billy Boyle World War II Mysteries. There will be more of Billy’s adventures to come.
