"That was one of many reasons I got out of the business, Yale. Criminal law is easy, provided you don't have to deal with people. Like most everything else in life."
-Mac Smith, from the novel
This is the second murder mystery in Truman's Capital Crimes series that I have read. The other was Murder at the Library of Congress. I enjoyed them both. I will rate this one a 4.
Obviously Margaret Truman knows her way around Washington, D.C. It is particularly interesting to read one of her who-dunnits that takes place somewhere you have actually visited. I have been to the Library of Congress but not Ford's Theatre so I was more involved with the former. I will definitely read more of her novels.
Early in the novel a young intern is found murdered outside Ford's Theatre. Detectives Rick Klayman and Mo Johnson discover several unique suspects as they investigate. They have serious doubts about the guilt of the one eventually arrested, Jeremiah Lerner, the son of a powerful senator and his ex-wife who is the head of Ford's Theatre and in line for the top spot in the National Endowment for the Arts. I found myself conflicted as to who to root for. I really liked the two detectives but also identified with Georgetown professor/defense lawyer, Mac Smith. I even felt sorry for Jeremiah even though he was not very likeable. It seems Truman is pretty skilled at character development.
The book becomes a page turner as the plot thickens. The ending is surprising but isn't that what we want in a murder mystery?
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