Benn’s grasp of WWII history continues to inform this series. War IS Hell, as he ably demonstrates, while painting believable relatable portraits not only of his principle characters Billy Boyle, Kaz, and Big Mike, but of each one of the characters he portrays. Read the whole series.

James R. Benn continues to explore all the nooks and crannies of the mystery genre, keeping things fresh even in book 15 of this long lived and now beloved series. Main series character Billy Boyle started as a beat cop in Boston, learning the “job” from his father and uncles, who get him a (supposedly) soft wartime post with “Uncle Ike”. As any reader of this series knows, Billy becomes an investigator, finding the smaller crimes within the larger confines of WWII. Sometimes the war is front and center but Benn is always a meticulously detailed pure mystery writer, making his books a real pleasure to read.

Billy and his buddy Kaz have been through a lot in the previous 14 books, and after an especially brutal outing in the last book (When Hell Struck Twelve), they find themselves at St. Albans, a home for recuperating soldiers and officers who have suffered the more horrifying aspects of war. Billy, who is seriously traumatized – and who can’t keep his hand from shaking when he least wants or needs it to – is suffering the psychological probing by his Dr. Robinson somewhat unwillingly.

Kaz, who has suffered from a heart problem throughout the series, is now more or less bedridden with no solution to his ailment in sight. In addition, the two men have women inside of Nazi Germany they are desperate to free – Billy’s girlfriend and Kaz’s sister. But mostly, the closed setting of the hospital gives Benn a chance at a locked room mystery.

As the book opens one of the patients plunges to his death off the clocktower on the property, an apparent suicide, but Billy is sure he saw someone with the man just before he fell. Because he’s a patient any investigating he has to do must be done on the sly, but as a couple more bodies pile up, Billy’s expertise as a detective is more or less requested by the powers that be at the hospital.

Not much of his investigation can happen, though, before he begins to recover, something his doctor effects by giving him an injection and letting him sleep for a couple of days. Billy does emerge from his “sleep cure” much more like his old self and he can get to work, utilizing the skills of some of his fellow patients, to sort things out.

Meanwhile, he also discovers that there’s a doctor who will actually operate on Kaz’s heart. In the 40’s it was thought that the heart was too delicate to be operated on, but what Kaz needs is what is the now a fairly standard valve replacement. There’s a struggle to get Kaz the surgery and Billy worries about Kaz’s declining health along with everything else.

As always, Benn brings an historian’s perspective to his novel, grounding the story and making the mystery part of it all the more vivid and memorable. What makes these books so wonderful though, are the characters and the relationships they have with one another. That’s why I was in tears at the end. If someone hands me a book combining history, character, a great story and a little bit of true emotion to wrap things up – well, that’s a book I can’t pass up. This is another superb entry in a spectacular series.

I fell in love with Billy Boyle. This is the first book I read in the series and while I suggest reading them in order, I was able to figure out some things that had happened previously. This book was fast paced and kept my attention all the way through. I love that this is based upon facts from history and I can't wait to start at the beginning and read everything I have missed! Very easy to read and while we learn history we aren't bombarded with it! Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for review copy!

The Red Horse picks up with Billy waking up from his last adventure. All is not well with him but as usual murder seems to be a close companion. Those who have followed the series (this is #15!) will enjoy this latest outing. As usual Benn gets the history right and puts some interesting historical issues on the table.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I discovered the Billy Boyle series last year and binged all the books, I couldn't wait for this one and it was well worth the wait! This mystery is full of twists and turns, this time some of them in Billy's own mind. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole book. I would highly recommend reading the rest of the series (it's fantastic) before this book but one has to at least read When Hell Struck Twelve before diving into this one.
James Benn is a fantastic researcher and writer, I can't speak highly enough about this series! I'm eagerly awaiting the next book (and hoping that there might one day be a crossover with Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope sereis).

James Benn is back to his usual fine form in Red Horse. Billy Boyle, now a Captain, is "recuperating" at St. Albans Hospital in England when he witnesses a murder. With his usual fast paced writing, Benn takes us through a series of twists and turns - occasionally losing the reader for a moment or two- but always bringing us back to where we need to be. Fans of the series will be happy for this entry; readers new to the series will have a bit of catching up to do. All that's needed is there, but although this can be read as a standalone, it may not be advisable. The author's historical note is most enlightening and helps to make us appreciative of the difficult and risky work that must be done by so many to keep war efforts moving toward success.

3.75 stars

This World War II mystery series featuring former Boston cop (and relative of Gen. Eisenhower) Billy Boyle has been very rewarding over the years. We have watched Billy change during the course of the war and his special investigations. We have watched him toughen up, and seen the books grow darker as the war progresses. In this story, both Billy and his best friend, displaced Polish aristocrat Kaz, are at a low ebb, mentally and emotionally and physically. For that reason, I am not sure this would be a great standalone for anyone not previously acquainted with the series.

As the story opens, Kaz has heart-related medical issues and is worried about his sister Angelika who has been sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany as a Resistance member. Billy is suffering from exhaustion and a brief dependence on amphetamines and his lady love Diane, an intelligence operative, has also been sent to Ravensbruck. The two men are sent to a former asylum in the British countryside to recuperate.

But their refuge has problems of its own: Billy witnesses a death which is thought to be suicide, but which he thinks is murder. And two more deaths soon follow. What is the common link? Billy can't help but sniff around to find out how these murders are connected, even while he is trying to get discharged, working on a way to spring Diana and Angelika, and worrying about Kaz's heart.

The story doesn't always completely hang together, but the action never stops and the narrative is fast-paced. As always, some interesting historical facts are threaded throughout the plot. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After the previous series entry which was stronger as a war story than a mystery, Benn is back to the top of his form in this 15th Billy Boyle tale, weaving fascinating historical facts into a tightly plotted mystery. Possible suspects are myriad, and it takes the combined forces of Billy, Kaz, and Big Mike to find out who is behind the killings at Saint Albans. We also learn more about the fates of Diana and Kaz's sister, Angelika. As always, I finished the book and wanted to know more about the historical details and so am thankful for Benn's notes giving context about what's true and what's fictionalized (very little). And also as always, I want to know what's next for Billy and his friends. Someday the war and the series will end, but hopefully not for a while. Highly recommended!
Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley