Melbourne in the bleak winter of 1942, a tense city in a country under threat of invasion. A city where the presence of stationary American forces has aroused mainly gratitude, but also jealousy amongst some for their success with the local girls.
Against this background moves the American G.I. Eddie Leonski; on the surface a fitness fanatic, known for his extraordinary physical strength and good looks; within, a soul which is tortured by the memory of his childhood experiences.
His external character is in command until he starts to drink heavily. In an alcoholic stupor his mind gives in to underlying pressures and, on his lonely drunken wanderings at night, he takes a twisted and savage revenge on the women of Melbourne.
One after another is murdered with a brutality that terrifies the city and baffles the police until Leonski, awakening to his Jekyll and Hyde personality, confesses to his only friend.
Andrew Mallon's intimate knowledge of wartime Melbourne and his empathetic portrayal of the G.I.'s growing mental disturbance has produced a compelling book. Leonski is a gripping true story of a soul in torment.