Sat 4 Nov 2017
Reviewed by LJ Roberts: JAMES R. BENN – The Devouring.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[2] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
JAMES R. BENN – The Devouring. Lt. Billy Boyle #12. Soho Crime, hardcover, September 2017. Setting: France/Switzerland, World War II.
First Sentence: Light is faster than sound.
Captain Billy Boyle and Lt. Piotr “Kaz†Kazimierz are headed to Switzerland but crash-land in France, meeting up with Anton Lasho, a Sinti (Gypsy) determined to kill every German he meets. The three do make it across the border and connect with members of the OSS. Their task? Investigate Swiss banks that are laundering looted Nazi gold.
Benn throws one into high drama and action from the very start and it’s great. One feels the anxiety of the characters as we are immediately introduced to Billy, “Kaz†and Anton Lasko, who is new to us but who proves to be such a good character, one wouldn’t mind seeing him in the future. Billy and Kaz are truly wonderful characters. One can very much appreciate the way in which Benn sprinkles information on their backgrounds throughout the story. It is through the trio that Benn creates such painful, yet honest scenes that they touch one’s emotions. That’s the mark of a truly fine writer.
Benn has an excellent voice. He includes the vernacular of the 1940’s— “You’re all packing, I assume†… “Can you get us shoulder holsters?†I asked. “It’s clumsy carrying these six-shooters around in a coat pocket.†—without overdoing it. He includes just the right touch of wry humor— “All we had to do was avoid imprisonment and long-range rifle fire. All in a day’s work.â€
This may be Benn’s most complex book so far. It is filled with historical information. One may find it makes them quite angry. Not toward the author, but because of the information which one may not have previously known, yet is important to learn. And that’s what makes this a particularly good book.
The Devouring is a really well-done tale of duplicity, stolen gold, and a not-so-neutral country.
The Billy Boyle World War II series —
1. Billy Boyle (2006)
2. The First Wave (2007)
3. Blood Alone (2008)
4. Evil for Evil (2009)
5. Rag and Bone (2010)
6. A Mortal Terror (2011)
7. Death’s Door (2012)
8. A Blind Goddess (2013)
9. The Rest is Silence (2014)
10. The White Ghost (2015)
11. Blue Madonna (2016)
12. The Devouring (2017)
November 4th, 2017 at 9:52 pm
A fine entertaining series with the war as a background, and you can jump in anywhere.
November 5th, 2017 at 11:17 am
In the middle of reading BLUE MADONNA, and keep thinking it would make a great movie in the vein of “The Eagle Has Landed”, or “Operation Crossbow”. Benn’s series has lots of great, overlooked details about the war. Like the effects of the Japanese invasion on the society of the Solomon Islands in THE WHITE GHOST.