The Refusal Camp: Stories

(Hardback)

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Description

These dazzling stories show a crime fiction veteran at the height of his career. In his first-ever collection, the award-winning author of the Billy Boyle World War II mysteries presents an eclectic mix of new and previously published mystery stories rife with historical detail and riveting wartime storytelling. "The Horse Chestnut Tree" explores betrayal and murder during the American Revolution. In the speculative work "Glass," an atomic supercollider and the breakdown of the time-space continuum change the lives of two cousins devoured by greed. "Vengeance Weapon," a historical thriller about an enslaved Jewish laborer working at the Dora concentration camp, looks at how far someone will go to get revenge. And for his Billy Boyle fans, Benn delivers "Irish Tommy," a police procedural set in 1944 Boston featuring Billy's father and uncle. Full of terror, action, amusement, and bliss, The Refusal Camp is a must-have collection from a crime fiction veteran at the height of his career.

Reviews

Praise for The Refusal Camp

Gripping . . . The Refusal Camp is a solid look at war through the decades.
Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Evocative.
Financial Times

[Benn]shows again his ability to capture the psychology of men and women at war.
Booklist

These are all richly crafted stories, filled with believable characters and meticulously researched historical details. When you finish reading this, youll want to start right in withBilly Boyle, the first novel in Benns series. Meanwhile, you can enjoy these shorter but equally entertaining stories.
Deadly Pleasures

James R. Benn is a master of mystery and historical crime writing.
Crime Fiction Lover

Riveting . . . Personalizing the various characters of The Refusal Camp seems so effortless for this author that each story deserves a bit of applause at its end.
Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

Top-notch . . . These are full-bodied adventure tales, each creating a fully realized world with three-dimensional people, reminiscent of classic genre stories of a bygone era.
Kirkus Reviews

Benn is at his best when employing dark humor in otherwise grim situations . . . Not just Billy Boyle fans will want to check out this one.
Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Billy Boyle mysteries

Full of action, humor and heart.
Louise Penny

Billy Boyle has been to some awesome places in James R. Benns adventurous World War II series . . . As historical detective series go, this one is extremely well tended by an author who clearly dotes on his hero. As do we.
The New York Times

The painstaking research is evident, the story crackles with life, and the overlay of fictional characters onto very real historical events is seamless.
Bookpage

Benns Billy Boyle mysteries are always entertaining, filled with riveting characters, and beautifully plotted stories.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Author Bio

James R. Benn is the author of the Billy Boyle World War II mysteries. The debut, Billy Boyle, was selected as a Top Five Book of the Year by Book Sense and was a Dilys Award nominee, A Blind Goddess was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, The Rest Is Silence was a Barry Award nominee, and The Devouring was a Macavity Award nominee. Benn, a former librarian, lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife, Deborah Mandel.