"The Phantom Patrol"

James R. Benn is the author of the Billy Boyle World War II series, historical mysteries set within the Allied High Command during the Second World War. The series began with Billy Boyle, which takes place in England and Norway in 1942.

Benn applied the Page 69 Test to The Phantom Patrol, the nineteenth installment of the series, and reported the following:

In this selection from Page 69, Captain Billy Boyle and his pal Kaz – Lieutenant Piotr Kazimierz – are returning a painting that had been looted by the Nazis and recovered after their retreat from France. They’re headed to a Monuments Men collection point east of Paris, so page 69 does catch them in the process of becoming more involved with the Monuments Men (officially the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section Unit) as well as Rose Valland, a courageous Frenchwoman who risked her life to trace the shipments of stolen art which passed through the Jeu de Paume Museum.

Kaz and I made plans to meet Big Mike at Inspector Fayard’s office after we delivered the Klimt and see if Salinger had come up with anything in the police files. We headed for Lognes, a town about twenty miles east of Paris. The Monuments guys had a collection center for wayward artworks in a building next to an army hospital.

The fog had cleared, but now a chill, thin mist drifted across the roadway. We took a route south of Paris, crossed the Seine again, and followed the road signs east to Lognes. It didn’t take long to leave the city behind. Soon we were driving through fields and woodlands, military traffic heading in both directions.

Vehicles filled with supplies and GIs headed for the front ground their gears on the winding road as the wind picked up and blew away the mist. Ambulances and empty trucks filled the opposite westbound lane—a stark display of the expenditure of lives, blood, and treasure this war demanded.

The brief mention of “Salinger” refers to J.D. Salinger, who was a Counter-Intelligence Corps agent during WWII and fought from D-Day through the occupation of Germany. He plays an important role in Billy’s investigation. Researching his wartime experience gave me a whole new outlook on his writing and went a long way in explaining his desire for seclusion later in life.

The last paragraph foreshadows at a major backdrop to the story. This investigation into murder and theft connected to stolen artwork is about to lead Billy and Kaz straight into the oncoming Ardennes Offensive, soon to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. I tried to show what it was like being caught up in that ferocious surprise attack, having no idea at all of the big picture, only aware of all hell breaking loose in every direction.

So hurrah for the Page 69 Test! It illuminated three key elements from the story. Not bad at all.

Learn more about the Billy Boyle WWII Mystery Series at James R. Benn's website.

The Page 99 Test: The First Wave.

The Page 69 Test: Evil for Evil.

The Page 69 Test: Rag and Bone.

My Book, The Movie: Death's Door.

The Page 69 Test: The White Ghost.

The Page 69 Test: Blue Madonna.

Writers Read: James R. Benn (September 2016).

Q&A with James R. Benn.

The Page 69 Test: Proud Sorrows.

--Marshal Zeringue