Billy Boyle

A World War II Mystery

By: James R. Benn

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

What's a 22-year-old Irish American cop who's never been out of Massachusetts before doing at Beardsley Hall, an English country house, having lunch with King Haakon of Norway? Billy Boyle himself wonders.

Back home in Southie, he'd barely made detective when war was declared. Unwilling to fight and perhaps die for England, he was relieved when his mother wangled a job for him on the staff of a general married to her distant cousin. But the general turns out to be Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose headquarters are in London, which is undergoing the Blitz. And Uncle Ike wants Billy to be his personal investigator.

Billy is dispatched to the seat of the Norwegian government in exile. Operation Jupiter, the impending invasion of Norway, is being planned, but it is feared that there is a German spy amongst the Norwegians. Billy doubts his own abilities, with good reason. A theft and two murders test his investigative powers, but Billy proves to be a better detective than he or anyone else expected.

©2006 James R. Benn (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Benn crafts a crackling good adventure, with much flavorsome period color." (Kirkus Reviews)

Very good thriller

I don't understand the concern over an accent. The story was great. I understood every word and, to be honest, having been to Boston several times over the years, understanding what was said was not always a given.

To the story, the characters were real, I could see them. The situation was grave. My father had been a member of a B-17 crew based in England and he often praised them for their courage. I wasn't all that familiar with Norway's part in the war but I am now curious and will dig a little deeper. One book leads to another.

I absolutly love this series

I love the Billy Boyle series always looki g forward to the next. Author does a magnificent job at spinning a web of lies and deceit.

Great Period Mystery

A bit slow at first, but being the 1st in the series it sets the characters well. The narrator holds this together during the slow spots. Excellent period accents, I will probably drop out on this series when they switch to another narrator I'm funny about what sound voices go into my head and Marc Vietor is the best.

It's worth the listen if you like the older style mystery without intense gore and sex.

Not for me

Any additional comments?

1. I found the protagonist, Billy Boyle, to be unlikeable. If I got into a conversation with him at a party, I'd be looking for an escape route in about 10 minutes. He's both rude and boring, an intolerable combination. He's not particularly intelligent, has no humor and is too shallow to make his obnoxiousness interesting.

2. The writing seems rather "entry-level" to me. The dialogue is dull, the characters and action predictable. There is very little character development. Billy Boyle is heavily drawn as a Yank in jolly olde England, all stereotypes dragged out. It seems like the author is trying to make sure that he sounds SO American, to the point where his dialogue strikes me as affected, rather than natural.

3. The narrator's Boston accent didn't work for me at all. It sounded to me like the accent I would do if I was trying to mock the Kennedy's, and I'm not much of an impressionist!

The idea for the series seems like a good one but the execution is lacking.

Decent Mystery in a World War II Backdrop

The title says it all -- a World War II mystery. If you are a fan of World War II, you may want to consider this book, since the author does incorporate a realistic plot device involving a diversionary invasion (Operation Jupiter) by the Allies to Norway. Straightforward plot, slight twist at the end, but fairly predictable ending. I did like the way the author portrayed the main character (Billy Boyle) as someone who was less-than-enthusiastic about being in uniform -- I thought that was a realistic touch, since not all GI's were gung-ho to be in the war effort. On the other hand, I found Boyle's connection to Dwight Eisenhower ("Uncle Ike") completely implausible. Narration was only adequate, in part because the narrator did not do women's voices very well, nor did he have a convincing English (and Norwegian!) accent, although his south Boston accent for the main character was okay.

Excellent mystery

Based on an actual historic event, this well-written book keeps you listening. I thought the reader did a great job. Buying the next one!

Good distraction

This qualifies for a ripping good yarn. Good and I enjoyed it. The narrator has a few times where he seemed to forget which accent went with whom. But it is completely forgivable and I’m going straight to the next in the series.

Entertaining Story. Narrator is Quite Good

What does Marc Vietor bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Other reviewers have criticized harshly the narrator's accent. Unless you are a linguistics expert from Boston, don't let this criticism dissuade you from trying this fast-paced mystery. I liked the narrator and his use of accents quite well.

Any additional comments?

This story will keep your attention. It is not bound to be a classic, but the writing is much better than for some of the formulaic mysteries that are so popular these days. The setting during World War II makes for an interesting backdrop.

interesting story good performance

this is the start of a interesting story of the Billy Boyle series. the plot relates to some historical references with Norway and weaves inner out of some great police procedural practices. the audio performance was very good.

"boys own " adventure with wider appeal

I'm not a usual consumer of the "boys own" genre, but I've listened to several in this series and will probably keep downloading, especially when on sale. The mysteries are pretty obvious and the writing pedestrian (with a eye for film options judging from the teleplay "action sequences"), but the dialogue sections are snappier and there is always something to learn about WWII - lesser known operations, medical advances, roles of women, etc. No striking amount of character development or well-portrayed emotional angst - but is that what we look for in an easy listen?

The voice of the protagonist is agreeable - working class Boston guy of his day, BUT the voice of the narrator is all wrong. These are easy listens without gratuitous sex or violence. I found each of the four I've listened slow starters but with stories that caught me after a couple of hours. The closest comparison I can think of is Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands series (WWI and 'tween the wars).