Billy Boyle is sent to the Solomon Islands after a native coastwatcher is murdered and suspicion falls on naval officer John F. Kennedy. Kennedy is recovering after the loss of PT-109, and his family wants the case resolved before the navy decides whether he should be celebrated for survival or blamed for losing his boat.
Billy distrusts Kennedy’s charm and shifting account, but the first killing is followed by further deaths among men operating close to the Pacific front. With combat continuing around Tulagi, he must reconstruct the victim’s intelligence work and determine whether Kennedy is being protected, framed or concealing a reason for murder.
