A naked, burning man runs up a hill of rubble on the last day of the Second World War in Berlin. In one hand are fragments of a white flower and he whispers “Ich liebe Sie alle,” I love you all. He is saved by a young Irish-American colonel, Kells. Certain the man with no identity or memory will die, Kells gives him the name ‘Hyman Kaplan’ who Kells, as part of Operation Lucy, has been sent to kill because, absurdly, Hyman is part of Lucy, and Lucy kills her own to remain secure.

Pickering’s new novel is a sensationally readable tale of intrigue, sex, horrific killings, and sacrifice.