|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
In her previous books, Margaret Truman has taken her readers on a tour of Washington, D.C.'s deadliest tourist attractions. Her newest crime scene is Ford's Theatre, already famous for an act of violence. It was here that President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. The theater attracts many visitors each year; it still puts on a full schedule of plays, and the building also contains a museum that focuses on Lincoln and his assassination. In Murder at Ford's Theatre, a young woman named Nadia Zarinksi is found dead in the alley behind the theater. Nadia, no stranger to scandal, worked as an intern for Bruce Lerner, a senator from Virginia; recently there had been rumors that the two were sexually involved. Both parties denied the rumors, but Nadia's death again draws the city's attention to the senator, his ex-wife Clarise, slated to be next in line to head the NEA, and their son Jeremiah. As a favor to their friend Clarise, series regulars Annabel and Mackensie Smith agree to help out when the situation starts to get messy. As in all of Truman's books, readers will get piles of information on a famous Washington landmark as well as descriptions of local restaurants and neighborhoods. Any Lincoln enthusiasts will also enjoy the details about his assassination and his career as a lawyer. I appreciate the fact that Truman makes an effort to keep her version of Washington up-to-date. One character mentions the Gary Condit/Chandra Levy case, which also involved a member of Congress and an intern, when discussing Nadia's relationship with Senator Lerner. Truman also makes reference to the increased security measures that have become the norm in Washington since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Truman has created a large, mostly engaging cast of characters, including the two policemen who are assigned to the case and a British actor who has left his glory days behind him. Unfortunately, she seems to lose track of her plot while she describes her character's lives; the investigation wanders, and the motivations and actions of some of the suspects are not fully explained. The end of the novel is disappointing as well; the story ends abruptly, and several plot points that seemed important during the course of the novel are never resolved. I enjoyed Truman's descriptions of Washington but, in terms of the mystery, I found the book disappointing.
Reviewed by Kathleen Chappell, October 2002
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
