Solemn Graves

James R. Benn

ISBN: 9781616958497

Published: September, 2018

Pricing

Paperback $16.95

James R. Benn

Hadlyme, Connecticut

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Description

US Army detective Billy Boyle is called to investigate a mysterious murder in a Normandy farmhouse that threatens Allied operations.

July, 1944, a full month after D-Day. Billy, Kaz, and Big Mike are assigned to investigate a murder close to the front lines in Normandy. An American officer has been found dead in a mano...

US Army detective Billy Boyle is called to investigate a mysterious murder in a Normandy farmhouse that threatens Allied operations.

July, 1944, a full month after D-Day. Billy, Kaz, and Big Mike are assigned to investigate a murder close to the front lines in Normandy. An American officer has been found dead in a manor house serving as an advance headquarters outside the town of Trévières. Major Jerome was far from his own unit, arrived unexpectedly, and was murdered in the dark of night.

The investigation is shrouded in secrecy, due to the highly confidential nature of the American unit headquartered at the Manoir de Castilly: the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, aka, The Ghost Army. This vague name covers a thousand-man unit with a unique mission within the US Army: to impersonate other US Army units by creating deceptions using radio traffic, dummy inflatable vehicles, and sound effects, causing the enemy to think they are facing large formations. Not even the units adjacent to their positions know what they are doing. But there are German spies and informants everywhere, and Billy must tread carefully, unmasking the murder while safeguarding the secret of the Ghost army—a secret which, if discovered, could turn the tide of war decisively against the Allies.

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“The front lines of Normandy in the weeks after the invasion are the setting for this thrilling battle of wits between a dogged US investigator and cunning killer. Deft, gritty, and real as a howitzer blast.”
—Andrew Gross, bestselling author of The One Man
“Spirited wartime storytelling.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A fast-paced saga set in a period when the fate of civilization still hangs in the balance.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Cleverly told . . . the book weaves fascinating military facts with obscure historical details about the islands and native life.”
—The Arizona Republic
“The ending was a jaw dropper.”
—Deadly Pleasures