A Mortal Terror

By James R. Benn

In his time investigating crimes for both the Boston cops and General Ike's European forces, Lieutenant Billy Boyle hasn't encountered a serial killer. But now it looks like he may--a serial killer with a particularly frightening agenda.

Two officers from the American troops stationed in Caserta, Italy, not far from Naples, have been found murdered. Lieutenant Norman Landry was found behind a supply tent with his neck snapped. Captain Max Galante, MD, was strangled on the same night, and his body left in a garden outside HQ. The MOs are completely different, and it seems like the officers had no connection to each other, but one frightening fact links the murders: each body was discovered with a single playing card: the Lieutenant, the ten of hearts; the Captain, the jack of hearts. The message seems to be clear--if the murderer isn't apprehended, the higher ranks will be next.
 
Billy is sent to Italy for the investigation, which grows increasingly sinister. But he has other things on his mind, too. His girlfriend, Diana, is on a very dangerous spy mission, and Billy doesn't know when--or if--he'll see her again. To make matters worse, Billy's just learned that his baby brother, Danny, is being sent over to Europe as an infantry replacement, an incredibly dangerous assignment. And all around him, he sees GIs suffering from combat fatigue preparing for another battle. As the invasion at Anzio begins, Billy needs to keep a cool head amidst fear and terror as the killer calculates his next moves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781569479957

James R. Benn

James R. Benn is the author of the popular Billy Boyle World War II mystery series. The debut title, Billy Boyle, was a Dilys Award nominee and one of Booksense’s top five mysteries for 2006. Subsequent titles have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and two have been tagged as “Killer Books” by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Benn lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut, with his wife, Deborah Mandel. For more information, visit his website at www.jamesrbenn.com.

Reviews for A Mortal Terror

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As if the Germans aren't enemy enough, Billy Boyle is sent to Italy to investigate two murders of American soldiers, that soon multiply into serial style killings. In an area dotted with farms that still support Mussolini, Boyle has to watch his step around men who have been in battle too long. The arrival of Boyle's little brother Danny with replacement troops had me holding my breath, as Benn has shown he has no qualms about using characters as he sees fit. This sixth Boyle story was one of the good ones. I enjoyed the details about the area, the help Billy receives in the form of his old friend Kaz, and another foray into a part of WWII I didn't know much about. I sure hope Benn doesn't run out of war before he runs out of Billy Boyle stories.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The best yet, it has been interesting to watch Billy grow as a character. His supporting cast also adds to the richness and complexities of a murder investigation during a really ugly, certainly botched and likely unnecessary campaign. This was a good mystery in a unique setting. Mark Clark's besotment with being the first army into Rome is aptly exposed by the inexplicable landing to nowhere that happened at Anzio. Another WW2 example of lives wasted to support the ambitions of a general. Benn aptly captures the confusion and conflicts which resulted at the troop level as old soldiers do die and are replaced by younger ones that die even faster.

[auntieknickers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Billy Boyle, whom we've met in five earlier tales of World War II, is now in Italy as the Allies move north. What appears to be a serial killer is targeting U.S. officers, moving up the ranks and leaving a playing card on each body. Billy investigates while also worrying about his lover Diana, under cover at the Vatican, and his brother Danny, a college boy now in the Army. These books are so good, you almost don't want the war to end. Recommended.

[patiencefortitude · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I do like this series. I wasn't entirely convinced by the whodunnit here, but it worked, overall.

[hardlyhardy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Imagine a serial killer in Europe during World War II, when serial killing was the order of the day. This is what James R. Benn does with exceptional skill in his 2011 Billy Boyle mystery “A Mortal Terror.”Boyle was a rookie cop before the war. Now he's an Army lieutenant supposedly given a cushy and safe post as an aide to his Uncle Ike, none other than Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. But because of Boyle's police background, however limited, Ike assigns him to investigate wartime murders. This time his assignment takes him to Anzio in Italy where the fighting is fierce and Boyle is anything but safe, either from the Germans or the Red Heart Killer.An unknown American soldier is killing officers and leaving a playing card at the scene — a ten of hearts for a lieutenant and jack of hearts for a captain. Can Boyle stop him before the killer achieves a royal flush?Complicating the situation is that Boyle's younger brother, Danny, has been sent to Anzio as an infantryman. Boyle's priorities become confused, find the killer or protect his brother? Eventually these priorities become welded together when the killer sees Danny as an insurance policy against his older brother.This is exciting stuff, with plenty of combat interrupting the investigation. Readers may also enjoy the special guest appearances by such historical personages as Kim Philby and Audie Murphy.