The Phantom Patrol
The Phantom Patrol
The Phantom Patrol
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Description
Description
In the nineteenth installment of James R. Benn's acclaimed WWII mystery series, an investigation into a secret gang of Nazi-affiliated art thieves in post-Liberation Paris leads Billy Boyle and his comrades into the catastrophic Battle of the Bulge in winter 1944. Months after the Liberation of France, ex-Boston cop Billy Boyle has landed in its war-torn capital city, still carrying with him the weight of his last mission. He witnesses a Paris ailing from the carnage it has endured--blocked roadways, buildings marked by bullet holes--but with the nascent hope that the war might be coming to its end. When Billy and his long-time comrade Kaz survive a tense shoot-out in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, they discover a rare piece of artwork left behind in an unmarked grave. Could the artwork be connected to the Syndicat du Renard, a shadowy network of Nazi sympathizers known to be smuggling stolen artwork out of France? Billy's investigation takes him through a shadowy underworld of art thieves and the heroic squad of cultural protectors, like the real-life Monuments Men, trying to stop them. Trailing the Syndicat and its unknown leader, the Fox, Billy discovers that someone with a high level of security and communications clearance--someone in the Phantom regiment of the British Army--may be using his position to aid the thefts. Determined to stop the gang of looters, Billy heads up to the frontlines of the war, to a tense, frostbitten calvary, where the Phantom unit's headquarters is based. There, the Battle of the Bulge--one of the bloodiest campaigns in the history of World War II--unfurls in the Ardennes Forest, on the border of Belgium and Luxembourg. Can Billy and his team survive the bracing onslaught, and return a throng of stolen artwork to its rightful owners?
About the Author
About the Author
James R. Benn is the author of the Billy Boyle World War II mysteries. The debut, Billy Boyle, was selected as a Top Five Book of the Year by Book Sense and was a Dilys Award nominee, A Blind Goddess was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, The Rest Is Silence was a Barry Award nominee, and The Devouring was a Macavity Award nominee. Benn, a former librarian, lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife, Deborah Mandel.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Praise for The Phantom Patrol "The Phantom Patrol is a fascinating and complex tale of stolen art and the heroes who are determined to get it back that really is quite extraordinary. Set during the infamous Battle of the Bulge, Benn's newest Billy Boyle mystery is a masterful blend of history and heart. I loved this book!"
--Karen Dionne, author of the #1 international bestseller The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister "This fast-paced thriller will keep you turning the page to the end. As a World War II historian, I love the accurate history in these books. As a lover of well-done mysteries, I can't get enough of this series. You can't go wrong hanging out with Captain Billy Boyle and Lieutenant Baron Kazimierz."
--Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, author of Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command Against the Luftwaffe, 1942-45 "Benn has a gift for rendering complex military history understandable and exciting. Here, he includes fascinating details about life after the Paris liberation and intriguing cameos of real people of the time: Hemingway is covering the war for Collier's; Rose Valland (of Monuments Men fame) advises Boyle and his crew on stolen artworks; and British actor and Major David Niven, of the 'Phantom' special reconnaissance regiment, takes Boyle on a wild, witty ride in his M3A1 scout car, outfitted with a mounted machine gun and brandy. An absorbing and entertaining military history-mystery."
--Booklist, Starred Review "Richly detailed . . . The action moves briskly as the determined Boyle, aided by fellow Army investigators (and series regulars) Kaz and Big Mike, gradually uncovers a Nazi plot with the potential to determine the outcome of the war. As always, Benn peppers the action with real history, ranging from the harrowing (the Malmedy Massacre) to the quirky (soldiers J.D. Salinger and David Niven make cameos)."
--Publishers Weekly "A spirited recounting of deeply researched aspects of the war effort . . . Boyle's 19th adventure eventually takes the reader to the bloody Battle of the Bulge, with scenes of gritty action, weaponry, and satisfying historical detail . . . Benn's absorbing series continues at a high level."
--Kirkus Reviews Praise for the Billy Boyle mysteries "Full of action, humor and heart."
--Louise Penny "Benn is a master of suspense; his work builds to the end and never loosens its grip upon the reader."
--Charles Todd "As historical detective series go, this one is extremely well tended by an author who clearly dotes on his hero. As do we."
--The New York Times
--Karen Dionne, author of the #1 international bestseller The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister "This fast-paced thriller will keep you turning the page to the end. As a World War II historian, I love the accurate history in these books. As a lover of well-done mysteries, I can't get enough of this series. You can't go wrong hanging out with Captain Billy Boyle and Lieutenant Baron Kazimierz."
--Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, author of Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command Against the Luftwaffe, 1942-45 "Benn has a gift for rendering complex military history understandable and exciting. Here, he includes fascinating details about life after the Paris liberation and intriguing cameos of real people of the time: Hemingway is covering the war for Collier's; Rose Valland (of Monuments Men fame) advises Boyle and his crew on stolen artworks; and British actor and Major David Niven, of the 'Phantom' special reconnaissance regiment, takes Boyle on a wild, witty ride in his M3A1 scout car, outfitted with a mounted machine gun and brandy. An absorbing and entertaining military history-mystery."
--Booklist, Starred Review "Richly detailed . . . The action moves briskly as the determined Boyle, aided by fellow Army investigators (and series regulars) Kaz and Big Mike, gradually uncovers a Nazi plot with the potential to determine the outcome of the war. As always, Benn peppers the action with real history, ranging from the harrowing (the Malmedy Massacre) to the quirky (soldiers J.D. Salinger and David Niven make cameos)."
--Publishers Weekly "A spirited recounting of deeply researched aspects of the war effort . . . Boyle's 19th adventure eventually takes the reader to the bloody Battle of the Bulge, with scenes of gritty action, weaponry, and satisfying historical detail . . . Benn's absorbing series continues at a high level."
--Kirkus Reviews Praise for the Billy Boyle mysteries "Full of action, humor and heart."
--Louise Penny "Benn is a master of suspense; his work builds to the end and never loosens its grip upon the reader."
--Charles Todd "As historical detective series go, this one is extremely well tended by an author who clearly dotes on his hero. As do we."
--The New York Times
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Soho Crime
Pub date:
2024-09-03
Length:
352 pages
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