Books like Blue Madonna by James R. Benn

In late May 1944, Billy Boyle, an ex‑Boston police officer now serving as a United States Army detective, faces the toughest investigation of his career. Court‑martialed on fabricated black‑market charges, Boyle is stripped of his officer rank and sentenced to three months of hard labor. However, he is given a chance to avoid punishment: infiltrate enemy lines in France to rescue a valuable Allied soldier. Boyle is dispatched to the outskirts of Chaumont, where a secret chamber and tunnel network—once used by 17th‑century Huguenots and now claimed by the Allies—serves as a so‑called safe house. Two downed airmen, a Canadian and an American, have been murdered there. Arriving on June 5, 1944, the night before the Normandy invasion, Boyle joins a three‑man team. He must solve the mystery of the killings, lead a daring escape back to England, and stay one step ahead of both German forces and a determined killer. The novel situates its mystery in the chaos of World War II, blending investigative suspense with wartime action as Boyle navigates treacherous terrain, deception, and the pressure of the looming D‑Day assault.

First publish date: 2016