James Benn is nearing the end of his Billy Boyle World War II mysteries with When Hell Struck Twelve. It is 1944 and Paris is about to fall to the Allies. Billy and his Polish friend Kaz are in pursuit of a French traitor who has classified information. Bodies are falling like flies. Nobody knows who is ally or foe. Billy has to enter chaotic Paris to follow the traitor. Read and enjoy the intrigue.

This 14th installment of the Billy Boyle series picks up rather seamlessly from the end of the 13th book, Solemn Graves. The gang is still in France and the turmoil in the countryside is heating up even more between various French Resistance factions, partisans from other nations, French-Nazi collaborators, retreating Germans and the Allied forces. Billy and his friends are tasked with deceiving and flushing out a traitor, but plans go horribly awry resulting in murder. Soon, Billy and Kaz end up in Paris facing more danger than ever on all sides!

This one involves more than a little political intrigue and not quite as much detective work as some of the earlier books. Billy and Kaz both are less than their usual bantering selves as the sheer death toll and horrors of the war wears down on them both. Benn shows both characters growing over the course of the series, but this is perhaps the grimmest installment yet. Billy may not be his boisterous self, but he is still quite brave. The ending, viewed through Billy's rather altered frame of mind feels authentically convoluted. Be warned - this one ends on a cliffhanger, so it will be a long wait for next year's installment! Still, this is an enjoyable addition to the series and one that I read in practically one sitting! Next September can't come fast enough!

I always recommend the Billy Boyle series for patrons that are looking for compelling, readable historical mysteries.

Intense, fast=paced World War II novel. I've mentioned before that I don't know a lot of the details of WWII, only the broad strokes. This series has led me to look into specific battles/theaters of the war. The characters are engaging, and, over the course of the series, I've become invested in their individual stories. Benn left us with a cliff-hanger this time! I look forward to the next novel in the series.

I'm always eager to read the newest Billy Boyle story. As is sometimes true of Benn's works, this is more war story than mystery. The guilty party becomes evident about halfway through the book, and then the focus changes to tracking down the culprit in the chaos of pre-liberation Paris.

Benn writes well with great historical details, and by this point in the series, I'm attached to the characters. Be forewarned: the book ends with a cliff-hanger. Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley.

This is my first Billy Boyle, recommended by esteemed historical fiction author Susan Elia MacNeal, who says she loves this mystery series. I can see why, as it captured my heart and imagination as Boyle, a US Army Detective, is tasked with following a French traitor leaking Allied documents to Nazis in Paris in August 1944. The engaging Billy admirably counterbalances the recent flurry of WWII novels featuring female spies. The writing is taut, narrative gripping and insights penetrating into this critical time in history. A triumph! 5/5

Pub Date 03 Sep 2019.

Thanks to James R. Benn, Soho Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#WhenHellStruckTwelve #NetGalley

Another very well done, tightly executed, superbly plotted story by the best WWII mystery writer around. Readers have followed Benn's wonderfully developed, endearing character Billy Boyle, from his first days in the military in Europe, through many battles, murders, landscapes, intrigues, and horrors, on to this story, set in the weary, nightmarish post-D-Day, killing fields of France. The looming question of Paris - it's liberation or destruction, or both - surrounds this story. Benn again shows his impeccable research skills in illuminating the complex nature of the French during the occupation.