Two American officers are murdered near Allied headquarters at Caserta, each body left with a playing card that appears to predict the killer’s next target. Billy Boyle is sent to Italy to identify a murderer whose changing methods have concealed any obvious connection between the victims.
The investigation unfolds as troops prepare for the landing at Anzio and exhausted soldiers are returned to combat despite signs of psychological collapse. Billy is also worried about Diana Seaton’s intelligence work and the arrival of his younger brother as an infantry replacement, making the threat of further deaths both professional and intensely personal.
