The Rest Is Silence by James R. Benn, a Mysterious Review.

Review: It is April 1944, just weeks before an anticipated invasion of German-occupied France that is expected will lead to a swift end to the war raging in Europe. Billy Boyle, a US Army investigator, and his best friend Kaz, an exile from the Polish Army, are sent to the southern coast of England where training exercises are being held in secret to look into the finding of an unidentifiable corpse that has washed up on the shore of the restricted area, in The Rest Is Silence, the ninth mystery in this historical series by James R. Benn.

Who is this man? A German spy, a downed pilot, a fisherman, or maybe just someone who had too much to drink and drowned at sea? No one has been reported missing, yet Colonel Samuel Harding, Billy's commander, is concerned. The area in which the body was found was considered to be secure, though the number of people involved with the planning of an exercise this massive probably numbered into the hundreds. Someone must know who the dead man is. But before their investigation is complete, tragedy occurs, and one body becomes many more for Billy and Kaz.

The Billy Boyle World War II mysteries are always a thrilling experience, with historical fact providing a backdrop to a fictional storyline. The Rest Is Silence is another fine example in this series. The camaraderie between Billy and Kaz, indeed between all the men in uniform, in the face of constant peril is well-depicted, as is the suspenseful escapades that take place away from the war's front-line danger zones. Part of the pleasure in reading these books is watching Billy Boyle, who was once a young Boston cop, rise through the ranks as he develops his skills as an Army investigator. Readers will be anxiously awaiting his next adventure.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Rest Is Silence.

Acknowledgment: Soho Press provided an ARC of The Rest Is Silence for this review.

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Soho Crime (Hardcover), September 2013
ISBN-13: 9781616951924; ISBN-10: 1616951923

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ISBN-13: 9781616955113; ISBN-10: 1616955112

The Rest Is Silence

A Billy Boyle, World War II Mystery by James R. Benn