Just days after the Liberation of Paris, US Army Detective Billy Boyle and Lieutenant Kazimierz are brought to Saint Albans Convalescent Hospital in the English countryside. Kaz has been diagnosed with a heart condition, and Billy is dealing with emotional exhaustion and his recent methamphetamine abuse. Meanwhile, Billy’s love, Diana Seaton, has been taken to Ravensbrück, the Nazi concentration camp for women, and Kaz’s sister, Angelika, who he recently learned was alive and working with the Polish Underground, has also been captured and transported to the same camp.
This news is brought by British Major Cosgrove, who asks Billy for help, unofficially, in solving what he thinks was the murder of a British agent recuperating at Saint Albans. The convalescent hospital is really a secret installation for those in the world of clandestine warfare to recover from wounds, physical and emotional. Some are allowed to leave; others are deemed security risks and are detained there. When a second body is found, it is evident that a killer is at work in this high-security enclave. Now Billy must carry out his covert investigation while maintaining his tenuous recovery, shielding his actions from suspicious hospital authorities, and dodging the unknown murderer.
My Thoughts
The novel begins with Billy Boyle witnessing a patient fall from the clocktower to his death. The authorities deem it a suicide but Billy is certain that the man was not alone before he fell. Being a patient himself restricts his movements, and his befuddled mind, due to sleeplessness and substance abuse, makes rational thought difficult. After undergoing the 'sleep cure', he is better able to focus and sort the reality from the paranoia of his previous mental state. By now there is another body, definitely a murder, and Billy is asked to investigate officially but still covertly. A drawing of a red horse becomes a significant clue that brings Billy into the sphere of military intelligence, an S.O.E operation and a deadly quest for revenge.
Billy Boyle is a lovable character, described as Boston Irish. His father and uncle are homicide detectives with the Boston Police Department and Billy has followed in their footsteps. He is also well-connected through a distant cousin: his "Uncle Ike" is none other than General Eisenhower. Through this connection, Billy's mother envisaged a safe desk job for him in Washington but, ironically, due to his experience as a beat cop and detective, he was assigned to Eisenhower's detective unit in England during the Blitz and, it seems, has been in danger ever since that time.
Kaz, to give him his full name and military title, is Lieutenant Piotr Augustus Kazimierz. He is also a Polish baron, wealthy enough to keep a permanent suite at the Dorchester in London. He is a translator and codebreaker and first met Billy in Eisenhower's Special Office of Investigations. Currently, he is in the medical wing with a heart complaint, hoping for a controversial operation that if successful will land him a desk job rather than a medical discharge.
Both are officers with, SHAEF Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force. Their last mission ended badly, hence their admittance to the St. Albans Convalescent Hospital, which is summed up brilliantly by Billy's thoughts:
"Everything had fallen apart in Paris. Kaz's heart, my mind, and, well, something else. I can't think about that now." (p4)
I didn't notice that this was the fifteenth book in a series when I borrowed it from the library. I had considered returning it and starting the series from the beginning, but after sampling the first chapter I was hooked.
While expecting not to fully understand the relationship between Billy and Kaz, I can definitely say that enough of their backstory was provided to appreciate what they had suffered and the depth of their friendship. This, as well as the mystery and the personal concerns of Billy and Kaz being wrapped up satisfactorily by the end of the book, makes this an excellent standalone. And I just loved the ending, such an emotionally powerful scene delivered in just a few lines.
Whether I read the previous 14 books depends on what is available from the library, but I will definitely continue with the series and look forward to the next book, Road of Bones.
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