The fifth Billy Boyle investigation American Lieutenant Billy Boyle is assigned to London by his uncle, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, to investigate the murder of a Russian security officer in the buildup to D-Day. Billy recognizes that this is a politically charged case, pitting Allies against one another, and that he must proceed with caution. The Polish contingent is incensed over evidence that implicates the Russians in the murder of hundreds of Polish prisoners in the so-called Katyn Forest Massacre, and Scotland Yard thinks this murder of a Soviet officer may be a revenge killing—perhaps perpetrated by Billy’s friend Kaz, a Polish baron in exile. But Billy doesn’t buy it. Can he find the real murderer, exonerate his friend, and prevent Allied relations from falling to pieces at this critical moment of the war? Praise for Rag and Bone “Stark and poignant.” — The New York Times Book Review “Billy Boyle is a corker.” — The Seattle Times “Stellar . . . Benn excels at depicting the impact of war on London—the bricks from bombed buildings piled neatly on the streets, families living in Tube stations, 'the odor of the Blitz.'” — Publishers Weekly , Starred Review “Graceful plotting, a strong supporting cast and a modern take on ’40s dialogue all come together to make the Billy Boyle series one of the finest—perhaps the finest—of contemporary period mysteries.” — BookPage James R. Benn is the author of ten books in the Billy Boyle series: Billy Boyle , The First Wave , Blood Alone , Evil for Evil , Rag and Bone , A Mortal Terror , Death’s Door , A Blind Goddess , The Rest Is Silence , and The White Ghost . A librarian for many years, he lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut, with his wife, Deborah Mandel. Chapter One Naples, Italy Late December 1943   Everyone was happy. The sky was a vibrant, vivid blue, clear in every direction. The breeze out of the north felt crisp and cool at our backs. Sunlight warmed our faces as it cast long, thin shadows across the gray decks of the destroyer. I stood close to Diana, our hands clasped discreetly amid the folds of my flapping trench coat. We were on duty with the boss, but this was light duty, an excursion out of Naples harbor to the island of Capri, twenty miles due south. Nobody was paying us any mind, so we stood together at the rail, close, touching when we could, making believe it was a holiday outing. Diana and I had been through a lot, separately and together, the terrible and the wonderful. For the last two days we’d enjoyed each other’s company as never before, as if all the burdens and terrors of the past had decided to take a holiday as well. We were together, neither of us in danger, and we had time alone. Nights, as well as days. I heard Kay Summersby laugh. She and the general were huddled in the lee of the deck gun, sheltered from the wind. He leaned in to speak to her, their heads touching. She laughed again and laid her hand on his arm briefly, before she glanced at the naval officers grouped around them. It was a passel of navy brass, all shiny braid, big grins, and ready with a light whenever Uncle Ike pulled a cigarette from the pack in his coat pocket. They reminded me of doormen at the Copley Plaza the week before Christmas. I could tell Uncle Ike was happy. He looked relaxed, and his smile was natural, not the posed face he used for politicians and photographers. Hell, he had just been told by the president of the United States himself that he’d been picked as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Uncle Ike had been expecting to be sent back home, or to watch the big show from the Mediterranean. Instead, he’d beat out his own boss, General Marshall, and gotten the top job, along with a handshake from FDR. Add blue skies and a beautiful woman to the mix and you had all the wartime happiness any man could handle. This was his last day in Italy, and he’d wanted to see the famous Isle of Capri, which he had ordered turned into a rest center for combat troops on leave. He’d made this cruise into a treat for the HQ staff, his family of secretaries and aides who worked long hours, seven days a week, keeping the paperwork, and the war, moving along. Kay was happy, too. She’d just received her orders to accompany the general to London, along with most of his core staff. Not that anyone thought she wouldn’t, but she’d been on pins and needles for a while, especially when odds were that he was headed back to the States. Kay, a British citizen, would have been left behind. When he got the Supreme Commander job, I’d almost asked Uncle Ike if Aunt Mamie would move to London, but fortunately thought better of it. He was my relative, of a distant sort, but he was also the highestranking general this side of the Charles River, and I was a dime-adozen lieutenant. And I liked Kay, whatever was going on between them. Maybe nothing, maybe something. Who was I to judge? There was