Rag and Bone: Billy Boyle 05

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. "Uncle Ike" (aka General Eisenhower) personally pins silver first lieutenant bars on Billy Boyle in Benn's stellar fifth WWII mystery (after 2009's Evil for Evil). In December 1943, Billy's leave with his British girlfriend in Italy is cut short. Orders send him to London to look into a Soviet officer's shooting murder, which may be retaliation for the execution of thousands of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest that's been blamed on the Germans but probably was committed by Russians. Since the Soviets are allies, the investigation requires the utmost sensitivity. Billy's loyalties are tested because his friend who works for the Polish government in exile, Lieutenant Kazimierz, is a prime suspect. Benn excels at depicting the impact of war on London--the bricks from bombed buildings piled neatly on the streets, families living in Tube stations, "the odor of the Blitz." Destruction aside, Billy never forgets that "Even in the midst of war, murder is unacceptable." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistBilly Boyle, special investigator with General Eisenhower’s staff, is not nearly as naive as he was at the beginning of World War II. So when he’s assigned to find the murderer of a Russian security officer in London during the buildup to D-Day, he recognizes that the stability of the Allied operation could hinge on this politically charged case. The Polish contingent, including Billy’s chum, Lieutenant “Kaz” Kazmierz, is incensed over evidence that implicates the Russians in the murder of hundreds of Polish prisoners in the so-called Katyn Massacre, while the Allies—needing to keep the goodwill of the Soviets—are content with blaming the Nazis for the killings. Could Kaz have killed the Russian as partial payback? The British investigators think so, but Billy doesn’t buy it. Benn shrewdly combines the political cat-and-mouse game with the murder investigation, offering a fascinating glimpse of the wartime intelligence world (Allies spying on Allies) and how it laid the groundwork for the Cold War. In addition, his portrayals of the invdividual lives affected by the global machinations reflect an almost Graham Greene–like feel for nuance. Definitely one of the best in a steadily improving series. --Bill Ott