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Capital Crimes #4
Murder in the Smithsonian
Heather McBean had come from Scotland to Washington to find out who murdered her fiance, Dr. Lewis Tunney. It had happened during a glittering black-tie affair at the Smithsonian. Dr. Lewis Tunney, a brilliant historian, had stumbled onto an international art scandal and was brutally murdered in front of 200 guests. Captain Mike Hanrahan, who was in charge of the case, developed a special feeling for Heather. He knew she was in danger and above all he wanted to keep her safe. When suddenly there were two more murders, Hanrahan was decidedly worried. But heather was very stubborn and insisted on going her own way-right into the arms of a killer... Taken from the back of book.
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
349 people are currently reading
899 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Truman
87 books261 followersMary Margaret Truman Daniel was an American classical soprano, actress, journalist, radio and television personality, writer, and New York socialite. She was the only child of President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. While her father was president during the years 1945 to 1953, Margaret regularly accompanied him on campaign trips, such as the 1948 countrywide whistle-stop campaign lasting several weeks. She also appeared at important White House and political events during those years, being a favorite with the media.
After graduating from George Washington University in 1946, she embarked on a career as a coloratura soprano, beginning with a concert appearance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1947. She appeared in concerts with orchestras throughout the United States and in recitals throughout the U.S. through 1956. She made recordings for RCA Victor, and made television appearances on programs like What's My Line? and The Bell Telephone Hour.
In 1957, one year after her marriage, Truman abandoned her singing career to pursue a career as a journalist and radio personality, when she became the co-host of the program Weekday with Mike Wallace. She also wrote articles as an independent journalist, for a variety of publications in the 1960s and 1970s. She later became the successful author of a series of murder mysteries, and a number of works on U.S. First Ladies and First Families, including well-received biographies of her father, President Harry S. Truman and mother Bess Truman.
She was married to journalist Clifton Daniel, managing editor of The New York Times. The couple had four sons, and were prominent New York socialites who often hosted events for the New York elite.
After graduating from George Washington University in 1946, she embarked on a career as a coloratura soprano, beginning with a concert appearance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1947. She appeared in concerts with orchestras throughout the United States and in recitals throughout the U.S. through 1956. She made recordings for RCA Victor, and made television appearances on programs like What's My Line? and The Bell Telephone Hour.
In 1957, one year after her marriage, Truman abandoned her singing career to pursue a career as a journalist and radio personality, when she became the co-host of the program Weekday with Mike Wallace. She also wrote articles as an independent journalist, for a variety of publications in the 1960s and 1970s. She later became the successful author of a series of murder mysteries, and a number of works on U.S. First Ladies and First Families, including well-received biographies of her father, President Harry S. Truman and mother Bess Truman.
She was married to journalist Clifton Daniel, managing editor of The New York Times. The couple had four sons, and were prominent New York socialites who often hosted events for the New York elite.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
September 3, 2013
It is too bad that former President Harry S. Truman didn’t get to read the positive reviews of his daughter’s mystery novels before he died. “Give ‘em Hell, Harry” brought the inferno to a Washington Post music critic after said writer lambasted a performance by Margaret Truman during her singing career. I think the proud and protective father and President would be thrilled with the body (or perhaps, I should say “bodies”) of work in the mystery genre. Before her death in 2008, someone suggested that she was running out of famous venues in Washington, D.C. in which to have murders take place. I’m personally glad she didn’t run out of venues. I’ve enjoyed every mystery I’ve read over the years.
Murder in the Smithsonian took me back to my first trip to the Air & Space Museum and my first visit to the National Gallery of Art. Neither of those sites are locations of any of the murder(s) in the book, but they do have a role where one locale advances the plot and another provides misdirection. One such event involves the Friendship 7, John Glenn’s space capsule from the Mercury program. I’d never realized what “Spam in the can” meant for those early astronauts, but suddenly I did. The event in the novel brought back that memory.
But the main story in this novel has to do with the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History and, in particular, an exhibition dealing with secret societies prior to the Revolutionary War. The story focuses on the two major societies, the very “patrician” Society of the Cincinnati and the very (for its day) inclusive Legion of Harsa. The murder is apparently precipitated by the display of an artifact from one of these societies and executed with a sword that belonged to Thomas Jefferson. And, since the plot has to do with secret societies and at least one conspiracy, the way the plot unfolds matches the subject matter. At times, the procedures involving some of the characters remind one more of espionage work than detective work. That’s the good news.
The better news is that there are plenty of potential bad guys to choose from. There are suspects who might be suspect only because of their sexual orientation and there are suspects who might be suspect simply for their convenient presence at the critical reception. There are suspects who are simply overbearing and unlikeable and there are suspects who are suspect simply because they may have been wielding power for too long. The list is long, overlaps, and leaves the principal investigator (Hanrahan) often gasping in frustration. I personally targeted the perpetrator early on, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to chase some of these other suspects for a few minutes at various points in the book. I do think that the alibis for one of these red herring suspects was a little too convenient and little too hidden from the readers. I can’t think back to any foreshadowing that prepared us for that alibi and didn’t like the closure of that part of the mystery.
But it’s a good mystery and I won’t spoil it any more than I may have to this point. Suffice it to say that the lack of foreshadowing on that one suspect keeps this book to three stars and not four in my estimation. Truman was as fine a mystery writer as her father was President (and I consider him the best in my lifetime). Murder in the Smithsonian shows some of that brilliance, but tapers off somewhat when she presents her best “red herring.” Perhaps, said “herring” was too good.
Murder in the Smithsonian took me back to my first trip to the Air & Space Museum and my first visit to the National Gallery of Art. Neither of those sites are locations of any of the murder(s) in the book, but they do have a role where one locale advances the plot and another provides misdirection. One such event involves the Friendship 7, John Glenn’s space capsule from the Mercury program. I’d never realized what “Spam in the can” meant for those early astronauts, but suddenly I did. The event in the novel brought back that memory.
But the main story in this novel has to do with the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History and, in particular, an exhibition dealing with secret societies prior to the Revolutionary War. The story focuses on the two major societies, the very “patrician” Society of the Cincinnati and the very (for its day) inclusive Legion of Harsa. The murder is apparently precipitated by the display of an artifact from one of these societies and executed with a sword that belonged to Thomas Jefferson. And, since the plot has to do with secret societies and at least one conspiracy, the way the plot unfolds matches the subject matter. At times, the procedures involving some of the characters remind one more of espionage work than detective work. That’s the good news.
The better news is that there are plenty of potential bad guys to choose from. There are suspects who might be suspect only because of their sexual orientation and there are suspects who might be suspect simply for their convenient presence at the critical reception. There are suspects who are simply overbearing and unlikeable and there are suspects who are suspect simply because they may have been wielding power for too long. The list is long, overlaps, and leaves the principal investigator (Hanrahan) often gasping in frustration. I personally targeted the perpetrator early on, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to chase some of these other suspects for a few minutes at various points in the book. I do think that the alibis for one of these red herring suspects was a little too convenient and little too hidden from the readers. I can’t think back to any foreshadowing that prepared us for that alibi and didn’t like the closure of that part of the mystery.
But it’s a good mystery and I won’t spoil it any more than I may have to this point. Suffice it to say that the lack of foreshadowing on that one suspect keeps this book to three stars and not four in my estimation. Truman was as fine a mystery writer as her father was President (and I consider him the best in my lifetime). Murder in the Smithsonian shows some of that brilliance, but tapers off somewhat when she presents her best “red herring.” Perhaps, said “herring” was too good.
April 11, 2017
I was really excited about this and wanted to love it, but I found the writing annoying on a regular basis. I wasn't expecting literature or anything profound, but it often felt like something a high school student would write. A high school student proficient in English, yes, but without the life experience (or maybe reading experience) to not sound young. Constant listy descriptions of what people were wearing or eating, when it wasn't germane to the story - that sort of thing.
Once I got used to that, I was less annoyed, but still never got very caught up in the plot. I didn't dislike any of the characters (even the bad guys), but didn't really care about them either. As a native of the DC suburbs, I enjoyed the museum settings very much (and that was the main draw of the book), but that certainly wasn't enough to carry the book. I was really looking forward to reading some of the other books in the series for that reason, but it's going to be tough to talk myself into another one, I'm afraid.
Overall, it was a really big MEH. 2.5 stars.
Once I got used to that, I was less annoyed, but still never got very caught up in the plot. I didn't dislike any of the characters (even the bad guys), but didn't really care about them either. As a native of the DC suburbs, I enjoyed the museum settings very much (and that was the main draw of the book), but that certainly wasn't enough to carry the book. I was really looking forward to reading some of the other books in the series for that reason, but it's going to be tough to talk myself into another one, I'm afraid.
Overall, it was a really big MEH. 2.5 stars.
August 3, 2017
When an art expert is murdered at a party, Captain Mac Hanrahan of the Metropolitan Police is on the case. This book has lots of background detail, clothing descriptions, and emphasis on the political and social elites of Washington, D. C. The murder victims fiancée, with ties to the art history world through her Scottish Uncle, assists in the detecting.
April 18, 2022
Again, not up to the hype -- just like the first three in the series.
Where did the author get those names for her characters? And was the editor asleep? Rife with the wrong word (foot rather than food ... and like mistakes) -- errors spell check won't catch. Very easy to predict who the "bad guys" were and what the scheme was.
Where did the author get those names for her characters? And was the editor asleep? Rife with the wrong word (foot rather than food ... and like mistakes) -- errors spell check won't catch. Very easy to predict who the "bad guys" were and what the scheme was.
November 3, 2024
How I wish the Foucault Pendulum still swung through the floors of the American History Museum ! It was a spectacular sight.
August 21, 2012
A "likeable" book. Very quick read, good for 15-minute stretches on break at work. Nothing earth-shattering, and nearly quaint due to being written almost 30 years ago (pay phones, etc). Margaret Truman is the daughter of former USA President Harry Truman, although Wikipedia tells me her Washington DC murder mysteries may have been ghost written. I'd pick another one of these up at the used book store for reading at work. Not a lot of depth to this book, which was oddly juxtaposed by Truman obviously being a "foodie" when describing in detail the meals the characters were cooking or eating. I quite liked the character of police captain Mac Hanrahan, and wish her DC mysteries were based around him, but from what I can gather online, this was his only appearance.
October 5, 2024
I bought a few of these when I bought Murder at Ford's Theatre. This one is much earlier in the series and was published in 1983. I don't think there's any overlap in characters between this and the Ford's Theatre one, which kind of surprised me, despite there being well over a dozen books in the series between them.
Dr. Lewis Tunney is a historian giving a talk at the National Museum of American History to open a new exhibit about the Society of the Cincinnati and the (fictional) Harsa Society, which is set up as an anti-Cincinnati. (The Cincinnati was--and still is--for men who fought in the Revolution and their descendants; the Harsa folks, with Thomas Jefferson as an early president, saw the former group as being elitist. I honestly wish there were an author's note where Truman wrote about her inspirations here.) Tunney is murdered (with Jefferson's sword, and look, I'm not saying Jefferson didn't have any swords, he may have had some, but I just really don't associate Jefferson with sword ownership) and the investigation begins. His Scottish fiance shows up (wearing her clan tartan, of course!), various nefarious characters are introduced, and a LOT of food is described in detail. People take the Concorde to and from London. An impressive house in DC is speculated to be worth $200K...maybe even $300K! A large amount of time in spent in London for a book set in DC. The lead investigator may get back together with his ex-wife. Someone thinks he should be handed ownership of the Smithsonian Institution. There's a lot going on.
I loved the prominence of the pendulum in the American History Museum. (It's long gone, removed in 1998, but when I volunteered there in the 00s, we still frequently were asked about it.) Margaret Truman, daughter of President Harry Truman, clearly knows and loves DC, and I love the characters running around the city.
As ever, though, she includes too many details (what everyone is wearing all the time! Where and what they eat for every meal!) and I didn't enjoy the police investigator Mac AT ALL. Honestly, the man had no redeeming qualities and also . He just acted possessive of the murder victim's fiance and was oddly judgmental about a colleague using perfectly normal vocabulary to discuss the work they were doing and...honestly, was judgmental about everything. Him being able to cook well and randomly bring leftovers to an elderly neighbor didn't endear him to me the way I think it was supposed to have. Also, there was an odd subplot involving some side characters being gay and dressing as woman, and even though Mac was like, "Cool, doesn't affect me," which was possibly progressive for 1983, was not great in 2024.
Even though it was frustrating to read, with a somewhat convoluted ending, I still enjoyed it well enough. Nostalgia read, I guess? I'm sure I'll pick up the others in the series that I have just for a change of pace from my normal types of books.
Dr. Lewis Tunney is a historian giving a talk at the National Museum of American History to open a new exhibit about the Society of the Cincinnati and the (fictional) Harsa Society, which is set up as an anti-Cincinnati. (The Cincinnati was--and still is--for men who fought in the Revolution and their descendants; the Harsa folks, with Thomas Jefferson as an early president, saw the former group as being elitist. I honestly wish there were an author's note where Truman wrote about her inspirations here.) Tunney is murdered (with Jefferson's sword, and look, I'm not saying Jefferson didn't have any swords, he may have had some, but I just really don't associate Jefferson with sword ownership) and the investigation begins. His Scottish fiance shows up (wearing her clan tartan, of course!), various nefarious characters are introduced, and a LOT of food is described in detail. People take the Concorde to and from London. An impressive house in DC is speculated to be worth $200K...maybe even $300K! A large amount of time in spent in London for a book set in DC. The lead investigator may get back together with his ex-wife. Someone thinks he should be handed ownership of the Smithsonian Institution. There's a lot going on.
I loved the prominence of the pendulum in the American History Museum. (It's long gone, removed in 1998, but when I volunteered there in the 00s, we still frequently were asked about it.) Margaret Truman, daughter of President Harry Truman, clearly knows and loves DC, and I love the characters running around the city.
As ever, though, she includes too many details (what everyone is wearing all the time! Where and what they eat for every meal!) and I didn't enjoy the police investigator Mac AT ALL. Honestly, the man had no redeeming qualities and also . He just acted possessive of the murder victim's fiance and was oddly judgmental about a colleague using perfectly normal vocabulary to discuss the work they were doing and...honestly, was judgmental about everything. Him being able to cook well and randomly bring leftovers to an elderly neighbor didn't endear him to me the way I think it was supposed to have. Also, there was an odd subplot involving some side characters being gay and dressing as woman, and even though Mac was like, "Cool, doesn't affect me," which was possibly progressive for 1983, was not great in 2024.
Even though it was frustrating to read, with a somewhat convoluted ending, I still enjoyed it well enough. Nostalgia read, I guess? I'm sure I'll pick up the others in the series that I have just for a change of pace from my normal types of books.
May 4, 2020
Another excellent book in the Capital Crimes series by Margaret Truman. It, as stated, tales place in the Smthsonian. In fact, it takes place in the Nautal History Museum.
A historian is murdered the night of a big event for the Smithsonian featuring the Harsa and Cincinnati Medals. The event is one near and dear to the Vice President's heart and is a major event for the Smithsonian. That is until Lewis Tunney appears and tells his dear friend, the Vice President of the United States, of a disturbing problem. A short while later Mr. Tunnel is found dead in the area displaying the medals and the Harsa Medal appears to have been stolen. The Metro Police Department have a difficult case on their hands. Hundreds of people were there for the opening of the display and when it comes to people with power, the police must tread carefully. Heather McBea, the historian's fiance, shows up in Washington DC to find out who killed the man she loved. Problem is that it quickly becomes apparent to the lead detective that someone wants to harm Miss McBea also. When the Harsa Medal is found in the trash outside the kitchen of the museum, it just leads to more questions. Why was Lewis Tunney killed and by whom? How is Heather involved? She seems to be another target but why? The police need to wrap this matter up quickly and quietly. That is not going to be easy when it becomes obvious that this murder involves other murders and some art dealers of dubious reputation.
This book was so good. Finding a killer leads to much more and as always in the Nation's Capital, you have to be careful of those who have power, especially if it is political power. I love this series and have found each book a wonderful read so far. If you love to read quick mysteries and especially ones that are part of a series give these books a try. One good thing about this series is it is based on a place--Washington DC. So you get some factual information about different parts of our capital but you do not have to necessarily read them in order. The hunt to follow the clues to find the killer is just an added bonus.
A historian is murdered the night of a big event for the Smithsonian featuring the Harsa and Cincinnati Medals. The event is one near and dear to the Vice President's heart and is a major event for the Smithsonian. That is until Lewis Tunney appears and tells his dear friend, the Vice President of the United States, of a disturbing problem. A short while later Mr. Tunnel is found dead in the area displaying the medals and the Harsa Medal appears to have been stolen. The Metro Police Department have a difficult case on their hands. Hundreds of people were there for the opening of the display and when it comes to people with power, the police must tread carefully. Heather McBea, the historian's fiance, shows up in Washington DC to find out who killed the man she loved. Problem is that it quickly becomes apparent to the lead detective that someone wants to harm Miss McBea also. When the Harsa Medal is found in the trash outside the kitchen of the museum, it just leads to more questions. Why was Lewis Tunney killed and by whom? How is Heather involved? She seems to be another target but why? The police need to wrap this matter up quickly and quietly. That is not going to be easy when it becomes obvious that this murder involves other murders and some art dealers of dubious reputation.
This book was so good. Finding a killer leads to much more and as always in the Nation's Capital, you have to be careful of those who have power, especially if it is political power. I love this series and have found each book a wonderful read so far. If you love to read quick mysteries and especially ones that are part of a series give these books a try. One good thing about this series is it is based on a place--Washington DC. So you get some factual information about different parts of our capital but you do not have to necessarily read them in order. The hunt to follow the clues to find the killer is just an added bonus.
December 12, 2018
The human nature being timeless, it is not possible to tell the fact this book was written in 1983, unless one is aware of the recent technological advances, such as smart-phones, computers, answering machines, CCTV, and more, missing from the story. The author’s writing style is so unique, combining so many fast-paced side stories with a main storyline that takes place in Washington D.C., London, and Edinburgh. At the beginning, it was hard to figure out who is whom since there are almost forty some names in the book, and also I didn’t care for the main female character, who seems to have no commonsense and repeatedly endangers her own life and has one of her friends almost get killed. However, this is a well-written international intrigue and a cozy mystery overall. Four and a half stars.
April 10, 2023
I finally read this book and can move it off my BR List. I love the mysteries by Elliot Roosevelt, but I have to say that Margaret Truman's writing is better. I loved the book and am now reading another of hers.
Lewis Tunney is an expert on history and is invited to speak at the Smithsonian Institute. He is murdered during a gala at the museum at which he is the keynote speaker. There are 200 guests and they witness him fall from a balcony onto the ground, stopping the Foucault Pendulum and with Thomas Jefferson's sword sticking out of his back. He is murdered before he can reveal what he has found out about an art scandal. His fiancée, Heather McBean, flies in from London, looking to help the police and Captain Mac Hanrahan solve the murder. All the while putting herself in danger.
I couldn't put this book down. Loved it.
Lewis Tunney is an expert on history and is invited to speak at the Smithsonian Institute. He is murdered during a gala at the museum at which he is the keynote speaker. There are 200 guests and they witness him fall from a balcony onto the ground, stopping the Foucault Pendulum and with Thomas Jefferson's sword sticking out of his back. He is murdered before he can reveal what he has found out about an art scandal. His fiancée, Heather McBean, flies in from London, looking to help the police and Captain Mac Hanrahan solve the murder. All the while putting herself in danger.
I couldn't put this book down. Loved it.
June 3, 2020
This is a well written whodunit murder mystery, full of interesting characters, believable turn of events, interesting plot lines and some side plots thrown in for good measure. It's a quick read and one that I hope you'll enjoy. An art expert is murdered in the middle of a swanky get together with DC bigwigs in attendance at the Smithsonian(one of them). It has to do with secret societies, some still existing today, others long dead. Quite a few people have axes to grind, making them prime suspects. Several people are drawn into the center of this controversy who have nothing to do with the murder. A few people make themselves look guilty and are not, others try to appear innocent and are not. All in all, a fun read to pass a pleasant afternoon or two.
June 11, 2020
A product of its time, some of the views towards minorities and the LQBTQ+ community didn't age well. While I enjoyed the main police character and the victim's fiancee, I found the rest of the characters to be fairly one-note. The murder mystery itself was both too simple (as to who was responsible) and also too complex (the reasons why), so it wasn't something a reader could totally figure out on their own.
I did enjoy the information that was shared about the Smithsonian itself, and appreciated the nostalgia of story-telling, which could not be set in present day, namely the missed messages, and inability to reach anyone at any time by phone. July 4th on the mall to the end of the book would make a nice cinematic film ending, as could some of the foreign travel scenes.
I did enjoy the information that was shared about the Smithsonian itself, and appreciated the nostalgia of story-telling, which could not be set in present day, namely the missed messages, and inability to reach anyone at any time by phone. July 4th on the mall to the end of the book would make a nice cinematic film ending, as could some of the foreign travel scenes.
May 23, 2021
The guest speaker at a Smithsonian gala is stabbed to death; Metro PD captain Mac Hanrahan is assigned; he is assisted by the fiancee of the victim who has come from Scotland. Assorted suspects emerge; in the meantime various subplots get in the way, such as Mike's ex who wants to get back together, a mad man who threatens to bomb the Smithsonian, and a trip to Scotland which has nothing to do with solving the crime. This is not a police procedural like McBain's 87th precinct series with a hard-boiled detective like Connelly's Harry Bosch, or even a cozy mystery. This is more like a G-rated TV show. The characters are shallow and not developed well. Hanrahan needs to get medical treatment for his stomach troubles instead of eating Tums like candy.
November 1, 2017
Margaret Truman’s books always are full of details of our Washington DC locations. This one is set in the Smithsonian’s American History museum. Heather McBean, had come from Scotland to see the opening of the exhibit where the medal, donated to the museum by her uncle, would be put on display. However, just before the exhibit opened, A priceless medal (with diamonds and rubies) of one of the colonial secret societies was stolen, and an expert on these secret societies was stabbed to death with a sword that had belonged to Thomas Jefferson and the medal was stolen from its case. Soon two other murders were connected to the theft of the medal… by whom? Why? … A good mystery.
June 11, 2017
An interesting read. Learned something about Scotland and a little about the Smithsonian. The story was okay...not the most suspenseful of her books. The female character, Heather McBean, was a bit irritating....trying to uncover the murderer on her on and occasionally sharing information with the police detective. She often dismissed vital information as unimportant. I wanted to shake her for being so naive.
June 23, 2017
I learned something about Scotland and a little about the Smithsonian. I've read many of her books and liked them more than this one. The female character, Heather McBean, was somewhat irritating....trying to uncover the murderer on her on and occasionally sharing information with the police detective. She got into some tight spots, mostly because she often dismissed vital information as unimportant. I wanted to shake her for being so naive.
July 20, 2018
It was confusing, at first, keeping tabs on a cast of thousands, as it were.
And I found Killington rather smarmy. I wasn’t expecting him to be one of the good guys ... ☹️
But Ms. Truman wrapped things up rather neatly. And brought her readers behind the scenes of a large museum and its treatment of items that may not be on display. I never gave much thought to the number of people involved in overseeing a museum.
Will Heather & Mac end up together?
And I found Killington rather smarmy. I wasn’t expecting him to be one of the good guys ... ☹️
But Ms. Truman wrapped things up rather neatly. And brought her readers behind the scenes of a large museum and its treatment of items that may not be on display. I never gave much thought to the number of people involved in overseeing a museum.
Will Heather & Mac end up together?
October 24, 2019
very bad. 0/10. Literally couldn't finish it. The book is badly written, and incredibly boring. Every man in this main characters life treats her bad, except her love interest, who she falls in love with 2 WEEKS AFTER HER FIANCEES DEATH. Kinda suspicious. And you can't call something a plot twist if you say it on the back.
August 18, 2021
I'm enjoying these books. I love DC, and the Smithsonian is one of my favorite parts of going to DC. So a murder mystery in one of the best places on earth is just the ticket. Then a trip to Scotland and the story was complete for me. Good characters and great descriptions. Now I want to go to DC and visit the Smithsonian.
September 12, 2023
It was so slow and uneventful.
80% into the book and still wondering how anything connects (not just the plot, but literally why are we reading random thoughts from the characters?)
The entire mystery is solved and summed up in two paragraphs.
There is never a feeling of "the chase" or pieces coming together.
80% into the book and still wondering how anything connects (not just the plot, but literally why are we reading random thoughts from the characters?)
The entire mystery is solved and summed up in two paragraphs.
There is never a feeling of "the chase" or pieces coming together.
October 20, 2024
I'd give this a higher rating, but I guessed the bad guy! I did enjoy the setting and learning about the Smithsonian. It helped feed my current fascination with D.C. The characters were a bit one note and I admit I fell for the red herring. I'd be happy to try another in this series, presuming they're all standalones.
May 23, 2025
A good old-fashioned almost cozy mystery. The action keeps you interested although it isn’t too hard to guess who the culprit is. As a long-time resident in the Washington area and a frequent visitor to London, I enjoyed the place descriptions. Most importantly, there wasn’t anything really annoying in the book.
August 26, 2018
Quick fairly light read and enjoyable traditional mystery with a little history thrown in to boot! Quite a dramatic first murder which hooks one pretty easily. Having been to the American History museum, I could easily visualize the scene. I gave it 4 stars for it's entertainment value.
June 20, 2020
This was published in 1983 so some of the concepts and ideas are dated. It was a decent enough read but it was no Agatha Christie. I felt that she could have focused more on character development rather than giving very elaborate details on what they ate.
November 23, 2021
Lewis Tunney, an historian, is murdered in the Smithsonian after arriving from England. He's killed before he has a chance to talk to the Vice President and tell him something about a rare and valuable medal on display at the museum.
April 20, 2022
Read this series of murder mysteries in the 90's.
I always loved how well researched Truman's books were. Makes you feel like an insider.
It is very "Murder She Wrote" feel, but set in Washington DC.
I always loved how well researched Truman's books were. Makes you feel like an insider.
It is very "Murder She Wrote" feel, but set in Washington DC.
August 12, 2022
I know this was written in the 80s, but I had a very hard time getting past some of the language/attitudes of characters. It all felt very dated. I found myself having to skim just to get through the book, for a book with a murder in it I was very bored.
May 22, 2025
An ok mystery, lots of weak characters, some complex twists but over all, just ok. One highlight is you are interested in the Smithsonian complex, the author describes lots of highlights and details you would enjoy.
January 9, 2017
"Murder in the Smithsonian" - written by Margaret Truman and published in 1983 by William Morrow and Company. Not very exciting DC murder mystery.
July 2, 2017
Although slow-moving at times, this was a good mystery. This was not my first Margaret Truman book and I shall continue reading more of her mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews