I have a confession to make. I have been a Billy Boyle fan and by his side for all his World War 2 adventures ever since I personally met James Benn at Book Expo in Nyc in 2007. Of course he signed The First Wave at that Expo and I went out and immediately purchases Billy Boyle. His books get better and better and richer in historical detail. Before I even read The Phantom Patrol I recommended the book to my Book reading groups. And after I read it I recommended it again. The book is chock full of exciting and meaningful WW2 events. I've always been interested in the art "thefts" by the Nazis and 'Paris involvement in the recovery efforts. The only downside is that Diana only appears fleetingly at the end. But, it was great to be with Kaz and Big Mike and the "celebrities" David Niven and JD Salinger. Eagerly await Book #20. Thank you James Benn..

I was delighted to receive an advance review copy because I have loved this series up to this point.

I still do, after reading this book. If you have not read this series, start with book 1.

Okay. This, obviously is book 19. Book 1 is set in June of 1942 when Boyle, as a new lieutenant, is part of the US army, arrives in London. The 19 books keep him pretty busy investigating crimes and other irregularities in the middle of (mostly) the European theatre of world war II. Because of the complexity and intensity of this vast war zone, Boyle tends to get involved in whatever else is going on around him, usually intense military action.

Book 19 is no different. Boyle and colleagues follow leads to sort out what is going on, and end up in the middle of the battle of the bulge. As you do. As in the previous books, Boyle is trying to work out what on earth is going on with the task he is charged with, while having to frequently fight for his life, participate in battles and other general blowing-things-up type activities. The reader follows on with Boyle, as he keeps discovering new nuggets of information and putting everything together, with his interesting and likeable work colleagues.

As usual, we have deeply realised characters, complex engaging plot, and intense action sequences. I deeply appreciate Benn's deep research. In this book we learn about the way intelligence was fed from the battle front to the command centres, and the process of recovering looted artwork in the middle of a war. As usual we gain some sense of the reality of life in the villages and towns in the war zone. Benn depicts the reality of the human condition, from heroism in everyday life to the opposite, normal people getting through the day in an insane situation.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough if you like mysteries, war novels, or historical novels, excellent plot, and/or great characters. I look forward to the next book in this series.

It's 1944, and WWII is almost over. Billy and Kaz are stationed in France, and are investigating art thefts. Most of the Germans have left Paris, but there is a group of folks seemingly mostly SS who are involved with art thefts. Billy and Kaz are checking out a Cemetary in Paris and they finally find the hidden thieves as well as a valuable painting. However, they weren't able to capture any of the theives. They get to the center where the art works have been stored, and manage to ship them back to Paris. As Billy and Kaz head north supposedly to check out the Phantom Patrols, they find Germans in American uniforms and signs which give the wrong directions. The germans haven't given up even though they have supposedly left Paris. It becomes difficult to know whether they are on the right road or heading to the correct town. They later find out that they have been involved in the Battle of the Bulge.

One group of Germans is determined to take out Eisenhower. Will Kaz and Billly be able to find the SS hideout and prevent an attack? The war isn't over yet! This is a great addition to a very good series. I thank Netgalley and Soho books for the ARC for me to read before publication.

This is an outstanding and long-running World War II series featuring former Boston cop Billy Boyle, a relative of Eisenhower's who is sort of a troubleshooter.

The ensemble cast is terrific and long-time readers enjoy the interactions. Billy and Kaz, his Polish fellow officer, are up to their eyeballs in this action-packed adventure. They become involved with old French resistance politics, Nazi art looting, and a lot of battlefield action with the Germans.

The plots are always complex and Benn doesn't glorify or pretty up the war. Highly recommended series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am always excited when I learn there is a new Billy Boyle book. I sped through this well-plotted mystery which, like most in the series, also introduced me to aspects of World War II history that I was not familiar with, in this case, the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. Billy, Kaz, and other now familiar characters interacted with famous names such as a young J. D. Salinger and the British actor, David Nivens. In addition, readers learn more about the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program which worked to recover art looted by the Nazis. None of this history overrides the story in this thoroughly enjoyable read.
Review based on an eARC received from the publisher through NetGalley.