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The White Ghost

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

The White Ghost by James R. Benn

Review: Billy Boyle, a former Boston policemen now an officer in the Army on the staff of General Eisenhower's unit in 1943, is ordered to leave the European Theater of War to head for the Solomon Islands to investigate the circumstances surrounding a murder in which a Naval officer has been implicated, in The White Ghost, the tenth mystery in this series by James R. Benn.

The officer in question is Jack Kennedy, who is recuperating on the island of Tugali following the sinking of the PT boat he was commanding. The victim is a native coastwatcher, who Kennedy discovered on a lonely beach. The man's head had been bashed in and he was dead when Kennedy found him. At least that's the story he told his superior officers. There is no love lost between Billy and Jack, as the two crossed paths back in Boston years ago. And while Billy wouldn't be sorry to see Jack getting what he may think is coming to him, he doesn't hold grudges. On the island, Billy and his investigating partner Kaz can find no evidence suggesting Jack Kennedy had anything to do with the man's death. But that isn't enough; they need to find evidence pointing in another direction, towards the identity of the killer. When two other people are found dead, murdered, none of whom are apparently connected to the others, Billy and Kaz are at a loss to explain what's going on. With pressure from the States to find answers, and the Japanese closing in on the island, time is running short for the pair to exonerate — or not — Jack Kennedy of the crime.

The White Ghost is a strongly conceived, brilliantly executed murder mystery, interweaving (as in past entries in this series) real-life historical figures into a fictional storyline. The time and place are particularly well drawn here, putting the reader squarely on the island with Billy and Kaz as they work to discover the truth. This is one of the best series mysteries currently being written, and each new book is better than the last. Very highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The White Ghost.

Acknowledgment: Soho Press provided an ARC of The White Ghost for this review.

Review Copyright © 2015 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …

Mystery Book Review: The Rest Is Silence by James R. BennThe Rest Is Silence
Soho Crime (Hardcover), September 2014
ISBN-13: 9781616952662; ISBN-10: 1616952660

Location(s) referenced in The White Ghost: Solomon Islands

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The White Ghost by James R. Benn

The White Ghost by A Billy Boyle, World War II Mystery

Publisher: Soho Crime
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-61695-511-3
Publication Date:
List Price: $26.95

Buy the Book (purchase options)

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Page Author: Lance Wright
Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews

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