Lieutenant Billy Boyle would much rather be a police detective back home in Boston than the personal investigator of his "Uncle Ike" in war ravaged London. Yes, he was recently promoted in Boston to police detective before the war, but that was mainly due to his police family's efforts, not his. Upon arriving in England, Billy is soon placed in a sink-or-swim investigation where he must use his untested detective skills to solve a murder and stop a spy.
Billy Boyle is a good start to a series that combines the setting of World War II with the classic murder mystery genre. The mystery itself is rather clichéd and easily figured out, but the wet-behind-the-ears investigator who really isn't sure at he is doing helps to deliver this tale. With tenacity, a lot of advice from his police detective father (told in flashback), help from well-developed supporting characters, and his own impressive insight, Billy Boyle shows that he might actually be good at this job. I liked watching Billy grow from an untested and somewhat shallow youth into a man willing to obtain justice. There is romance and humor here as well, but both help to add to the story. Only available in eBook format, this title is a good read for fans of Masterpiece Theater’s Foyle’s War.