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Capital Crimes #25
Monument to Murder
Times are tough in Savannah for former cop and current PI Robert Brixton, so when he agrees to take on a 20 year-old murder case, he figures he’s got nothing to lose. It’s not long before the trail leads him deep into the corrupt underbelly of Savannah’s power elite, and right into the lap of a secret government organization that’s been offing “troublesome” politicians for decades. The cold case heats up when he joins forces with former attorneys Mackensie and Annabel Lee Smith to investigate the organization and the murders they committed in the name of patriotism.
With what he knows, Brixton can bring down Washington, D.C.’s leading social hostess, if not the administration itself. But can he outwit an organization that is hell-bent on keeping its secrets—secrets that go all the way back to the assassinations of Jack and Bobby Kennedy?
Margaret Truman brings us into the corridors of Washington power as only she can, where the end too often justifies the means, where good people are destroyed by those for whom the only goal is survival…whatever the cost.
With what he knows, Brixton can bring down Washington, D.C.’s leading social hostess, if not the administration itself. But can he outwit an organization that is hell-bent on keeping its secrets—secrets that go all the way back to the assassinations of Jack and Bobby Kennedy?
Margaret Truman brings us into the corridors of Washington power as only she can, where the end too often justifies the means, where good people are destroyed by those for whom the only goal is survival…whatever the cost.
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First published July 5, 2011
84 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Donald Bain
147 books180 followersFrom Wikipedia: Donald Bain (1935-2017) was a United States author and ghostwriter.
Author Jack Pearl is his cousin and sometime co-author.
Known Pseudonyms:
Jessica Fletcher
Joan Wood
J.D. Hardin
Nick Vasile
Mike Lundy
Pamela South
Lee Jackson
Stephanie Blake
Marjorie Margolies
Kathy Cole
Donna Bain
Author Jack Pearl is his cousin and sometime co-author.
Known Pseudonyms:
Jessica Fletcher
Joan Wood
J.D. Hardin
Nick Vasile
Mike Lundy
Pamela South
Lee Jackson
Stephanie Blake
Marjorie Margolies
Kathy Cole
Donna Bain
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
May 22, 2019
I have been a fan of Margaret Truman's for as long as I can remember. After her death, I was not sure if her monumental writings would continue (a la Robert Ludlum) and was pleased to see that somoene published this posthumously. While not stellar Truman, it was a good read.<
Mac and Annie Smith make their usual appaerance in this novel, but play a semi-secondary character role, behind PI Robert Brixton. A former MPD and Savannah PD officer and detective, Brixton stumbles on a case with historical, political, and potentially monumental implications.
While the book flowed nicely and was easy to consume, it lacked a murder mystery feel that I am used to reading when things are authored by Truman. It was as though we knew the killer and the story from mid-point in the book and were left to watch Brxton find things out for himself. Add to that a mystery group within the CIA (so cliche), and you have the foundation of the story.
Overall, an ok read, though I hope they dig up some of Truman's actual writings, or put her life and writings to rest!
Mac and Annie Smith make their usual appaerance in this novel, but play a semi-secondary character role, behind PI Robert Brixton. A former MPD and Savannah PD officer and detective, Brixton stumbles on a case with historical, political, and potentially monumental implications.
While the book flowed nicely and was easy to consume, it lacked a murder mystery feel that I am used to reading when things are authored by Truman. It was as though we knew the killer and the story from mid-point in the book and were left to watch Brxton find things out for himself. Add to that a mystery group within the CIA (so cliche), and you have the foundation of the story.
Overall, an ok read, though I hope they dig up some of Truman's actual writings, or put her life and writings to rest!
August 31, 2011
I am always a little cautious when an author dies and books continue to come out. I have been a big fan of Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes series. Each volume always presented a strong mystery tale and a focus on a different location in Washington, D.C. In a way, it was also part travelogue that allowed the reader to learn about the place being highlighted, including its history and architecture, while blending it with the storyline.
In this 25th volume in the series, readers find themselves shifted out of the nation's capital to Savannah, Georgia. PI Bob Brixton is approached by Eunice Watkins, the mother of a local minister and a young woman who had been tragically gunned down 15 years earlier. Eunice's daughter Louise was quite the lost soul. She was an 18-year-old prostitute and drug addict who had gone to prison for four years because of charges of a stabbing murder of a man who tried to rape her. She plead guilty to the crime. The problem is that Louise told Eunice that she had been paid $10,000 to make the false plea and take the blame. Now, Louise's brother has convinced Eunice to come forward to help clear her name.
It does not take long for Brixton to find himself being drawn into the dark underbelly of the Savannah business elite and their ties to Washington's political elite. A photograph turns up showing Louise with a group of girls who attended a local private school. One of the girls is Mitzi Cardell, a grand dame of Washington society and a good friend to First Lady Jeanine Jamison. There is no question that Washington can be full of secrets, and some of the dark secrets Brixton is coming across will likely bring down some major players.
Margaret Truman died in 2008, and her publisher released one additional novel shortly after that. Unlike that work, which wasn't necessarily her best, this volume doesn't even have the feel of her writing or her rich interweaving of capital geography. Sure, Truman's regular amateur detective Mackenzie Smith and his wife Annabel play a role in the tale, but they are about all that is familiar.
The murderer was evident fairly quickly because of the cliched plot and reasoning. I have a feeling that this was ghost written, and it is terrible when they do that for a great author who has passed away. I know there is a drive for money, but it would be so much better for the author to remembered for her great work than the badly done sequels they hoped would keep the interest of fans.
In this 25th volume in the series, readers find themselves shifted out of the nation's capital to Savannah, Georgia. PI Bob Brixton is approached by Eunice Watkins, the mother of a local minister and a young woman who had been tragically gunned down 15 years earlier. Eunice's daughter Louise was quite the lost soul. She was an 18-year-old prostitute and drug addict who had gone to prison for four years because of charges of a stabbing murder of a man who tried to rape her. She plead guilty to the crime. The problem is that Louise told Eunice that she had been paid $10,000 to make the false plea and take the blame. Now, Louise's brother has convinced Eunice to come forward to help clear her name.
It does not take long for Brixton to find himself being drawn into the dark underbelly of the Savannah business elite and their ties to Washington's political elite. A photograph turns up showing Louise with a group of girls who attended a local private school. One of the girls is Mitzi Cardell, a grand dame of Washington society and a good friend to First Lady Jeanine Jamison. There is no question that Washington can be full of secrets, and some of the dark secrets Brixton is coming across will likely bring down some major players.
Margaret Truman died in 2008, and her publisher released one additional novel shortly after that. Unlike that work, which wasn't necessarily her best, this volume doesn't even have the feel of her writing or her rich interweaving of capital geography. Sure, Truman's regular amateur detective Mackenzie Smith and his wife Annabel play a role in the tale, but they are about all that is familiar.
The murderer was evident fairly quickly because of the cliched plot and reasoning. I have a feeling that this was ghost written, and it is terrible when they do that for a great author who has passed away. I know there is a drive for money, but it would be so much better for the author to remembered for her great work than the badly done sequels they hoped would keep the interest of fans.
February 26, 2022
The resolution to this book turned out much better than I thought it would. I enjoyed the story and it was good to see Mac and Annabel show up again.
December 12, 2011
I have been reading Margaret Truman for many years, and I was delighted to stumble upon "Monument to Murder" at a local bookstore. To have one more posthumously published novel by Truman seemed like a gift at first, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I felt that the book had "good bones" but the story did not read like a true Margaret Truman Capital Crimes novel. I got the distinct impression as I was reading the book that perhaps it was started by Truman before she died, and then completed by a ghostwriter, or perhaps a ghostwriter wrote the book based on her notes. All in all, it was an interesting, and readable mystery, and for fans of Margaret Truman, it does bring a bit of closure to the series, but it is not one of the best.
The story begins almost a la John Grisham with Savannah, Georgia retired police officer turned private eye Robert Brixton taking on the case of a family whose daughter and sister, Louise Watkins, who was mysteriously gunned down 20 years ago, after serving a four-year prison sentence for a crime they say she didn't commit. As Brixton starts to dig into this latest case, he finds himself being thwarted by those who are trying to protect the long-held secrets of Savannah's elite society. The case leads him to Washington, D.C. in a mystery that has implications for the White House. Beloved Truman characters Mac and Annabelle Smith make several appearances, doing what they can to help Brixton get to the bottom of his case, and bring some closure for Watkin's family. A close brush with death, and secrets that run so deep in Washington, they date back more than 50 years, are hallmarks of this thriller.
I would definitely recommend this title to other ardent fans of Truman, for for those who haven't read her before, don't start here!
The story begins almost a la John Grisham with Savannah, Georgia retired police officer turned private eye Robert Brixton taking on the case of a family whose daughter and sister, Louise Watkins, who was mysteriously gunned down 20 years ago, after serving a four-year prison sentence for a crime they say she didn't commit. As Brixton starts to dig into this latest case, he finds himself being thwarted by those who are trying to protect the long-held secrets of Savannah's elite society. The case leads him to Washington, D.C. in a mystery that has implications for the White House. Beloved Truman characters Mac and Annabelle Smith make several appearances, doing what they can to help Brixton get to the bottom of his case, and bring some closure for Watkin's family. A close brush with death, and secrets that run so deep in Washington, they date back more than 50 years, are hallmarks of this thriller.
I would definitely recommend this title to other ardent fans of Truman, for for those who haven't read her before, don't start here!
December 28, 2017
It would be nice to know the author; not a word anywhere in the book despite the fact that the "author " died two years before publication. It does not have the sophistication of Truman's writing. It reads like something from a detective magazine, if you remember those. The story itself is far-fetched. The reference to the Kennedy assasinations is implausible and unnecessary. The book seems a money grab by the Margaret Truman Foundation who copyrighted the book.
May 23, 2019
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Admittedly, it's been a long while since I read a Margaret Truman book, and there is speculation as to how much she actually wrote versus how much was the work of Donald Bain on their collaborative books, but past novels have always seemed to be more complex. This book read more swiftly, and the political intrigue was weak. Having said that, it was a good story that held my attention, despite my having some mixed emotions about how it all played out in the end. If I hadn't been familiar with previous Truman novels, I think I would have enjoyed this one more.
I was expecting more lobster tail and prime rib; instead I got a Five Guys burger. Still tasty, but not quite as satisfying.
I was expecting more lobster tail and prime rib; instead I got a Five Guys burger. Still tasty, but not quite as satisfying.
May 12, 2019
I have read almost all of Margaret Truman's books. After she died, Donald Bain, continued her stories along the same vein - mysteries that take place in the D.C. area. I already have two of Bain's other "Truman" books, so I will read them...but was very disappointed in this one. For a man with 20+ years of police experience, the main character, Robert Brixton, was very naive in his thinking that he could just ask the protagonists a few questions about who and how they committed a murder 20 years ago and allowed someone else to take the blame; yet expect they would answer and that would be that. Brixton would let his client know what he learned and just walk away...no longer his problem!!!! I do hope the next one is better written and believable. Typical Washington D.C. though: sweep everything under the rug by throwing money at it. I do hope that the other Bain books are better than this one.
September 16, 2016
Sept 2016 no wonder I felt like I just read it and skipped to the end.
I continue to like the story more as I keep reading it.
June 1, 2016 I definitely liked this story much more in 2016 but I do understand my criticisms.
August 2011 A better title would be: DEAD WOMAN WRITING"
because she died at age 83 and january 29 , 2008, gosh - 3 1/2 years ago.
I guess this is more of a franchise business than murder mystery writing.
I like a good murder mystery, this is great..... even the author is DEAD!!!!!!
this is not a who dunnit but
how did she dunnit
as for the story, can't help but hate the president and his first lady and the worthless socialite and her evil father and his cronies,
and we must love the heroes mac and annabel smith.
I must say ... the ending was wrapped up in 3 sentences and quite forced.
so, instead of 4 stars because i like mac, it is 3 stars.
still, a book bedside mystery.
really, who knew truman was still writing after ALL these years of deadness?
I continue to like the story more as I keep reading it.
June 1, 2016 I definitely liked this story much more in 2016 but I do understand my criticisms.
August 2011 A better title would be: DEAD WOMAN WRITING"
because she died at age 83 and january 29 , 2008, gosh - 3 1/2 years ago.
I guess this is more of a franchise business than murder mystery writing.
I like a good murder mystery, this is great..... even the author is DEAD!!!!!!
this is not a who dunnit but
how did she dunnit
as for the story, can't help but hate the president and his first lady and the worthless socialite and her evil father and his cronies,
and we must love the heroes mac and annabel smith.
I must say ... the ending was wrapped up in 3 sentences and quite forced.
so, instead of 4 stars because i like mac, it is 3 stars.
still, a book bedside mystery.
really, who knew truman was still writing after ALL these years of deadness?
October 5, 2014
Sadly, Margaret Truman's last book.
Good premise and plot, but we don't always like "change" and so I missed the Washington DC setting and 'insider' info on the buildings and institutions that were a core of her earlier works.
Not sure I could find much of a DC link to this - title seems misleading to me.
And although Mac & Annabelle Smith appear on these pages, I missed their love story.
It's a worthwhile read, just sad that we've lost Ms. Truman and the DC series. Sigh.....h
Good premise and plot, but we don't always like "change" and so I missed the Washington DC setting and 'insider' info on the buildings and institutions that were a core of her earlier works.
Not sure I could find much of a DC link to this - title seems misleading to me.
And although Mac & Annabelle Smith appear on these pages, I missed their love story.
It's a worthwhile read, just sad that we've lost Ms. Truman and the DC series. Sigh.....h
Want to read
December 27, 2019Synopsis: former cop Robert Brixton takes on a 20-year-old Savannah murder case which leads him to Washington. A Margaret Truman title.
September 22, 2023
THis is number 25 in a series and my first. Evidently Margaret Truman the author died and a new author carried on her series. Sounds like most of the series are stand alone mysteries with a few repeating secondary characters.
This book takes place in Washington DC and Savannah. Brixton , a retired cop now turned PI is asked to solve a 20 year old crime. Twenty years ago, a young black woman confessed to killing a man raping her. Because she was a prostitute and a drug addict, no one totally believed her story and she went to jail for 4 years. When she was released she was gunned down and killed in an unsolved murder case. Her mother hires Brixton to find out if her daughter was innocent. Her daughter told her she was paid to plead guilty and after she went to jail $10 grand showed up at her mother's house. Once agreeing to the case, Brixton is mugged, his office is broken into , the mom starts receiving strange phone calls but he does not tie anything together.
On a secondary story line, there is an assassin who works for a shadow government agency that is fueled by money from rich business men all over the United states. If they do not agree with certain government policies , they take matters into their own hands... like the Kennedy assassination ( ?????? )
Then we move to DC where the president's wife grew up in Savannah and her best friend who also lives in DC and throws the best dinner parties also grew up in Savannah. They attended a private school where occasionally they would have special events for the local poor girls to attend and guess who attended?
Both women still rely on their fathers' to fix any problem even before their husbands. they are all about being privileged.
So pretty decent mystery, I did not like the shadow government stuff.. too much like what is in the news today. I liked Brixton...not sure how smart he is.. I liked his girlfriend..not sure why they brought in his ex wife and kids for an appearance. Thought we needed more of an ending... nothing changes for the bad people??
This book takes place in Washington DC and Savannah. Brixton , a retired cop now turned PI is asked to solve a 20 year old crime. Twenty years ago, a young black woman confessed to killing a man raping her. Because she was a prostitute and a drug addict, no one totally believed her story and she went to jail for 4 years. When she was released she was gunned down and killed in an unsolved murder case. Her mother hires Brixton to find out if her daughter was innocent. Her daughter told her she was paid to plead guilty and after she went to jail $10 grand showed up at her mother's house. Once agreeing to the case, Brixton is mugged, his office is broken into , the mom starts receiving strange phone calls but he does not tie anything together.
On a secondary story line, there is an assassin who works for a shadow government agency that is fueled by money from rich business men all over the United states. If they do not agree with certain government policies , they take matters into their own hands... like the Kennedy assassination ( ?????? )
Then we move to DC where the president's wife grew up in Savannah and her best friend who also lives in DC and throws the best dinner parties also grew up in Savannah. They attended a private school where occasionally they would have special events for the local poor girls to attend and guess who attended?
Both women still rely on their fathers' to fix any problem even before their husbands. they are all about being privileged.
So pretty decent mystery, I did not like the shadow government stuff.. too much like what is in the news today. I liked Brixton...not sure how smart he is.. I liked his girlfriend..not sure why they brought in his ex wife and kids for an appearance. Thought we needed more of an ending... nothing changes for the bad people??
April 4, 2018
I was unaware this book was not actually written by Margaret Truman until I started reading and added it to my Goodreads page...but I could soon tell...the author's attempt to write a "Southern" accent was inconsistent and frustrating and distracting at first...then it just became downright annoying...very little of the story actually takes place in Washington, so the "Capital Crimes" tag is rather misleading...and Mac and Annabel Smith play such a small role, it seems they are included just to add justification for the Washington, DC setting...don't know if I'll pick up another one by this ghostwriter...it's just not Margaret Truman's style
June 4, 2024
A 20 year old murder comes back to haunt some powerful people in the nation's capital. Robert Brixton is a Private Investigater hired to clear the name of the young woman who confessed to commiting the murder but later claimed that she was paid to take the blame.
While I wasn't thrilled with the ending it was the only way it could have ended. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but I think even the most naive reader knows that you can't win against power and money.
While I wasn't thrilled with the ending it was the only way it could have ended. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but I think even the most naive reader knows that you can't win against power and money.
November 22, 2025
An exciting story about how the wealthy and well connected can literally get away with murder. Especially if you're ready to spend your money to bribe the right people.
I really enjoyed this book because it was interesting right from the start. It caught my attention and had many twists and turns. I highly recommend it to both adults and high school readers.
I really enjoyed this book because it was interesting right from the start. It caught my attention and had many twists and turns. I highly recommend it to both adults and high school readers.
October 14, 2018
I have read read only 3-4 of the novels in this series. I have found them moderately entertaining. This is the best one yet. The story is intriguing. The main character is a Savannah, GA PI not the Smiths. They are characters in the story but not the main ones.
July 14, 2020
Cover ups and politics
A mother wants her daughter's name cleared and hires a private detective. The detective goes all out and almost lost his life. Money talks in this story, even for one's that should not.
A mother wants her daughter's name cleared and hires a private detective. The detective goes all out and almost lost his life. Money talks in this story, even for one's that should not.
December 28, 2025
The plot and action hled my attention to the very end of the novel. There is no mystery as to who the murderer was but the lengths to which the private investigator must go to prove it was exciting, not to mention the roadblocks thrown in his way.
April 19, 2018
I thought it was pretty good - not much mystery, but I enjoyed it.
April 27, 2018
An easy read
I would have preferred a different ending but this one was probably a little more true to life. It was a nice diversion.
I would have preferred a different ending but this one was probably a little more true to life. It was a nice diversion.
March 7, 2020
January 2015
Very good quick read
Very good quick read
May 22, 2020
This book is okay. It is a contiuation of Margaret Truman's series.
August 18, 2020
well written
February 28, 2021
This book, published after her death, is part thriller, conspiracy and mystery and as in all Margaret Truman's books an excellent read.
April 11, 2022
Good story. Easy read.
July 1, 2022
You will
January 16, 2023
excellent
July 4, 2023
Savannah, GA is an unusual setting for a Margaret Truman novel but similar steamy summers set the scene for murder. Mac is at his best, albeit in a minor role. An unusual, but fitting, ending.
July 23, 2023
The way this book is written just makes you paranoid about all the characters. It’s a great ride.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews