Holy Smoke

May, 1944. D-Day looms and the Allies have a foothold in southern Italy. But the Nazis still hold the north, dug in behind the formidable Gothic Line; and far away to the east the question remains of how to quell Japan without incurring horrific casualties.

In this brave new world of total war, intelligence is the dividing line between life and death. And US military intelligence, for its oxymoronic qualities, is the preserve of the OSS--The Office of Strategic Services. Their men in Rome have picked up on an explosive new source, whose reports are juicy enough to be fast-tracked to the desk of Roosevelt himself. Who would have thought that a mole in the Vatican could be crucial to winning the war in the Far East?

All may not be as it seems, though. "Vessel," as the mole is referred to in intelligence circles, is certainly prolific--but sometimes empty vessels make the most noise . . .