Reviews for Blood Alone (Billy Boyle World War II Mystery Series #3)

The average rating for Blood Alone (Billy Boyle World War II Mystery Series #3) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-01-21 00:00:00 Justin Henderson As this book opens, Billy Boyle is waking up in a field hospital. He can't remember who he is or what he is doing there. Slowly, he begins to piece together things like his name and the fact that he is in Sicily in the summer of 1942. He also believes he has an important mission to carry out for his uncle, General Eisenhower. But he can't remember what that mission is. However, he knows he has to keep moving, especially when he stumbles upon a dead body. Following the only clues he has, he sets out across the island, soon joined by a local doctor. Will he recover his memory in time? Amnesia isn't a new plot device, but I thought it was handled well here to set up the story and draw us in. As Billy relearns who he is, it also offers reminders on what has happened before without saddling us with long exposition. New readers should be warned that this does contain some pretty major spoilers for the first two books, however. That information is needed since it allows us to see real growth in the characters; I love how they are developing. We also see the impact of the war, not only on Billy and the other soldiers but also on the people living in Sicily at the time. All of this does sidetrack the mystery at times, and I'm torn on this. I appreciate how rich the book is, but I wish the pacing were a little better. That's not to say there isn't plenty of action; so much so that Billy feels like an action hero at times. There is a solid mystery in the book with some good twists that took me by surprise. Overall, this is a great third book in a series I wish I had started sooner. Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-10-29 00:00:00 Thomas Heyde This is an excellent book. I'm a huge fan of the series, but this it the book where I think the author hits his stride. The book follows the adventures of Billy Boyle, Boston cop who enrolled in the US Army during WWII. His adventures takes us to Sicily prior to the Americans landing. The tone of the book is fantastic, the prose and the dialogue are very much in keeping with the time. Crisp. Full of lingo. Immerses you in the era. There are moments of burst-out-humour and there are key insights into war and its dark moments. I'm disappointed the relationship with Diana wasn't more present in the book. There's a significant trauma from Book II that could have been explored a little more and Billy Boyle could have done some more character growth (as in shown the reader how that growth happened). I can't wait to start the next book.