Murder on Embassy Row

Capital Crimes #5

by Margaret Truman

Ambassador Geoffrey James might be a British citizen, but when he dies on the night of a gala party, it's up to Captain Sal Morizio of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department to investitgate. Despite orders to desist, Morizio and his lady love, fellow officer Connie Lake, know too much. And what they learn on an international search for missing clues tells them a lot about corruption in high places--and the effects of caviar on otherwise rational people....

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[Kayla Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

was SO slow.. it was very difficult to get into. The book was very choppy and didn't seem well put together. It seemed like it was missing so much.
The ending wasn't worth the wait in my opinion.

[Phillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intersting book with twists and turns. Glad to see one of the MPD got out of town to do some investigating...all the way to Copenhagen. However I did not like the ending. Not sure why she ended the book that way, seems unfinished to me. Or maybe its the 1980's way of ending a murder mystery. I'm just saying...! Margaret Truman didn't have a recurring character for the Capitol Crimes series as of yet. This is book #5. She uses the Metro Police Department as her main source of investigators. For those of us who like to follow a character will get a little put-off by it, but the stories are good (for the 1980's). On to book 6 "Murder at the FBI".

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT

As I read this, I thought to myself that the author has finally hit her stride in the mystery/fiction genre. And then, she stopped the book without finishing. The protagonists are in a basement room with the villain pointing a gun at them. End of chapter. Then flash to the epilogue set 6 months in the future. Obviously, they survived, but how?

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a more interesting book than I was expecting. The British ambassador to the United States is murdered at an anniversary party. The Washington D.C. MPD is made to investigate, especially one Sal Morizio, and Constance Lake, Morizio's parnter on and off the force. After the ambassador's valet is fingered as the suspect, the case is closed. Or is it? Morizio and Lake go over the heads of all their superior's trying to get to the bottom of the ambassador's death. Things become personal for Morizio when a very close friend is murdered and accusations. Then Morizio learns things about his friend he never knew. The book was a very exciting read. The author had this weird obsession with food. Now, yes, caviar did play a very important role in the story. But all throughout the story, detailed descriptions were given about every single piece of food every character ate. Maybe the author was on a diet when she wrote this book. I was very disappointed in the ending. It was rather anti-climactic for me. I remember thinking, "That's it? After all that build-up, that's what I get?" I think the author tried to hard to tie everything up in a neat little package.

[jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like "who-done-its" on the international level it's a great read. Was the murder do to international intrigue while transporting Iranian & Russian caviar, or connected with an oil business or perhaps with drug traficking? It includes a romance set on embassy row in Washington- a rousing read of international interest! "

Margaret Truman, the author of many mysteries gives you satisfying entertainment and the need to purchase a can of caviar with a glass of champagne or wine while you digest both the extravagant snack and the inside action on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C.!! Check it out!

[Elaine Magalis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read several of Margaret Truman’s mysteries and enjoyed them. She was a good writer; her plots are muscular and lively, although her characters were always a bit stereotypical. What’s been most interesting is to compare this mystery with the ones she wrote before. Her cynicism seems to have grown by leaps and bounds. Great Britain, to rid itself of a bad apple in its diplomatic corps, murders him and several others besides, while the U.S. stands by in silent assent, and her leading characters give up their law enforcement work to look for a life where they can be moral. If you love a good yarn, this book will please.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read in the Capital Crimes series. It's an intriguing story of murder, corruption, and conspiracy. I always enjoy the Washington D.C. details in these books, although many references are now dated, and this story adds Copenhagen and London to the mix. The main characters, Captain Sal Morizio and Officer Connie Lake of the Washington MPD, are appealing, and Truman does a good job of weaving the story of their personal romantic relationship into the main story of the murder investigation that they are working on. The secondary characters are generally well drawn. The story has some good twists and turns and on the whole is quite satisfying.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Margaret Truman’s first novel when it came out. I enjoyed it, but this is my first attempt at another in forty years. The espionage elements drew me in.

This is one of those stories where the strength is in the telling. The resolution is secondary and ambiguous. Ofttimes I am disappointed by this kind of novel, but not here. The pace is well balanced and engaging. I cared what was happening.

I liked this very much.

[Marguerite MacLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one by Margaret Truman and I'm still enjoying them. I love the scenic views of DC and the different crime fighting characters she chooses. They are fun and quick and easy to read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth book in the Capital Crimes series and while not my favorite, it was still another good story by Margaret Truman. I love this series for no other reason than it takes place in Washington DC. So far all of the stories deal with influential people in a city that thrives on power and influence. Also do not read the last paragraph of my opinion if you do not like to know important details of the story. I feel the need to state my opinion but hate to ruin the book for anyone.

The British Embassy has had a death. The British ambassador to America has died. First it was stated he died of as a result of a heart attack until it gets out that he was poisoned. Well Sal Morizio is assigned to part of the team that is represents the British and American governments working together on the mystery of his death. Morizio, along with his partner, Connie Lake (partner in work and personal life both, are not satifisfied when it is decided the ambassador was murdered by his chauffeur, an Iranian. Supposedly, this Iranian has fled to Iran where he is caught and executed. It does not sit right with Morizio but, every time he questions the accepted answers, he is reprimanded by his boss. Morizio wants the truth and he starts asking questions to any one who is involved no matter how remotely. He even asks a friend of his who works security for the British Embassy. When that friends is sent home to England but discretely returns to America and tries to meet up with Morizio, things go really wrong. The man is found dead in a bad neighborhood of DC from an overdose. Morizio knows his friend was not a drug addict and something is not right. He keeps digging for answers until he ends up suspended. It is not right that his friend is dead and no one is going to have to answer to the crime. He has no choice but to go to England along with Connie Lake. She evens goes to Copenhagen in search of answers to questions pertaining to death of the ambassador and Morizio's friend. They are both on more dangerous ground than either realize. They are getting close to the truth but the truth might get them killed. Even when they get their answers, they both seem to forget that they are dealing with people with power and influence. In the end, who survives and who pays for the wrongs done are not always what should be.

I love this series because it basically takes place in the early 80's and each mystery is a puzzle to solve. This was not my favorite book but it was for a totally personal reason. Bad guys should be punished. I probably should not whine about the fact that I did not like this ending. In all fairness, the ending is not a flight of fantasy of the author. It is a fair representation of how life can truly be. I will read more in this series because I know a good read when I come across them.

[Danielle Gonzalez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my goodness...what a miserable disappointment. How could you do that to me, Ms. Truman? The last book I read in her series was wonderful (I gave it 5 stars). This one, I can barely even give one. While this book is number 5 in the Capital Crimes series, it isn't really a series. All of the books so far have been stand alone books. The first 4 were great...this one, not so much. It begins with brief information about the Americans taken hostage in Iran in 1979. I was a child at the time, so didn't really understand it. But I do remember the news about it. In this story, it appears that the British Ambassador in Iran was instrumental in the release of the hostages. He then gets transferred to a post in the United States. Fast forward 2 years, and he is dead following a party at the Embassy in the US. The Metropolitan Police Department is called, but they are not allowed to do anything about it. The police officer assigned the "case" is Sal Morizio. I liked his character, and his sidekick/girlfriend Connie Lake. This story had a lot of potential. It had interesting information about the import of caviar, and the story took the reader to London then Copenhagen. There were lots of nefarious characters with potentially good reasons for wanting the Ambassador dead, but once the mystery is solved, it's a dud. There was so much build up, that I was left holding the book and thinking "what just happened?" Quite a few things brought up in the story really didn't have any conclusion. This is another book where it seems that the author got tired of writing and decided to end it quickly and move on. If you decide to skip this book in the Capital Crimes series, don't worry...you haven't missed a thing.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read one or two previous books by this author/in this series before (I think it was the Smithsonian one; I was a teenager, I can't remember! ha ha!!) and remembered enjoying it. This one was just okay for me. I liked that the action (what there was of it; it moved pretty slowly, IMO) traveled to London and Copenhagen; I enjoyed the descriptions of the settings in those two places. I also enjoyed the descriptions of DC. It appears that each book in the series deals with a new set of characters; it's really just the setting of the Nation's Capital that stays the same. In this book, the characters trying to solve the murders are two police officers, involved in a romantic relationship outside of work. There's enough background given of the history of their relationship and bits of romance thrown in so I felt I got to know them well. The book just lacked a lot of action for me for a police-driven murder mystery. It would start to and then never build up enough, it would just slow down again almost immediately. And then the ending was just abrupt with an unsatisfactory (for me) ending that's left slightly hanging, almost like the author just wanted to finish with a little epilogue tacked on, with no resolution of what happened to a few of the bad guys that the author made sure to point out leading up to the end were bad guys. With the ending, I understand why she didn't have any sort of penance for those behind the murders, but the rest of the people involved we get no information on. Still sitting here scratching my head over the ending of this one.

Content: Clean, no strong language

Once Upon a Book Club Box 40 Books in 2021 Reading Challenge tag: Published When You were 10 Years Old

[Jeff Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I thought that the actual mystery plot was interesting, this book was a really slow read for me, due to the excessive amount of unnecessary detail. The author took great pains to detail every element of interior decor, clothing, and item of food in the book, at the expense of good pacing and structure.

I found the main characters to be a little dull as well, with a lot of predictable scenes and conversations that went on at length. Every chapter that focused on the actual elements of the mystery were great, but they were interspersed with the chapters that centered on the investigation itself, which were slow and tedious.

Overall, I enjoyed the world that the author created, but think she spent a little too much time on the minutiae and not enough time focused on telling a concise, well-paced story. It wasn't a bad read, but I'm not sure I'll be continuing on with this extensive series either.

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read almost all of the mysteries in the Washington D.C. series setting except for 3 or 4. This was one that I hadn't found as a hardcover to keep. It's a quick read, interesting from the perspective of the Metropolitan Police Dept. as they are required to work with the British Embassy. By "working with", MPD was actually told to back off, do not investigate, and let the British "sweep it under the Embassy rug". The MPD police chief smells a cover up and continues to quietly investigate, which threatens his future in MPD. The original crime remained "solved" as originally decided by the British, as well as another connected murder. So what else is new when it comes to political intrigue among nations? The ending was a bit abrupt, but at least the good guys lived to see a better day.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the darker Margaret Truman mysteries. This was written shortly after the take-over of the American Embassy in Tehran, an event that plays an important, if shadowy, role in the story. The British Ambassador is murdered while at his anniversary party in his own embassy. Because the embassy is technically British territory and British law prevails, American investigators were not involved --- officially. Captain Morizio and his assistant in the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington DC couldn’t follow the “hands off” orders – There was definitely something fishy about the whole business. ------International intrigue at a high level.

[Lana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of the capital crimes series but this one left me lacking. First it seemed odd to me (in this novel and some of the others) that money seems to be no object for the characters in the police force. They live in DC, they eat well, they fly first class overseas. Doesn't match the profile of any of the government employees (law enforcement or otherwise) that I know in DC.

Interesting plot but the ending.....no spoilers but I thought there was another 50 pages of the book missing...really?

Having said that, I will continue with the series because overall it is interesting and the setting reflects places I know and love.

[Sally Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this very much, although I could use a lot less description of every kind of chair, rug, and desk in every room.

The tale of what goes on between countries was really well done, and the bits about drug smuggling and importing were also very interesting. This was written quite a while ago, but it still sheds light on the fact that the average Joe has no clue what is going on under the table and behind the scenes. I loved that part of this mystery!

Great characters, wonderful story, but then....it's Margaret Truman. You'd expect no less. She's a stellar author!

[American Maid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time when I was in high school. I remembered liking it, so I thought I'd revisit it when I found it among my childhood belongings.
Interesting details about fancy foods, foreign service, smuggling, etc. help form a nice plot. Likeable main characters. But I did feel at times that the book was making them move forward because that's what books do. Yes, their reputations are high stakes for them, but what they do to try to clear their names seems outsized and dangerous in comparison. Maybe that's just me.
Non US parts were the most fun to read.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was good in an understated way; not flashy, not sentimental, not poetic, but I felt it was really good. It was an easy book to read and get into, and it was interesting to see what the world was like in the 80s in D.C. and Europe. The ending made me angry, but it was realistic. The ending that I hoped for was not, unfortunately. It at least felt satisfactory, but it's another example, albeit a fictional one, that human nature stays the same.

[Scott Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nicely paced thriller that piques interest early and then glides through the development without unnecessary sidebars. Some extra baggage in characters, but they all find a worthy reason for inclusion. A little slow to conclude and the road is a bit uneven, but the conclusion is fair and realistic. Great weekend read.

[Charlene A. Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espionage and Treason

Great book! Hard to put down. Ms Truman was an excellent author.

Ambassador dies suddenly at a State Dinner. Original report indicated he had died from a heart attack. However the autopsy report showed he ha been poisoned. But how and by whom was a mystery.

You will have to read the book to get the answers to these questions.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been years since I've read one of Margaret Truman's "Capital Crimes mysteries." I enjoyed the previous books, but found this one a bit dark for my taste. I liked her protagonists, but never fully bonded with their quest.

I am enjoying a sultry summer of light reading and this took me to places I didn't want to go.

[Diane Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder on Embassy Row by Margaret Truman has several stories woven into the plot. It’s an interesting premise of criminal intrigue between nations. The main characters are determined to solve and understand what has transpired even though they are forbidden to do so.
I like her style, looking to find another by MT.

[Frances Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line was good but the writing contained too much extraneous detail not relevant to the story line. If the character goes from A to B and the route is not significant, I don't need to know each turn they took. Similarly for other detail. I need enough to paint a picture, but otherwise just detail that advances the story.

[Gina Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. I thought this book was so interesting historically. The author was the daughter of a former president and she had a pretty cynical view of the CIA. Given that she must know a lot more than the average person of how the intelligence services perform I thought that was worth reading about.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The British ambassador to the US is murdered on the night of a gala in the British embassy. Captain Morizio of Washington's MPD is asked to investigate, however he is blocked from truly investigating by higher authorities. When a friend is murdered he is determined to find the truth even if it means losing his job.

[Laura d’Angelo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed. Characters spent so much time throughout the book wondering if they should or should not pursue the investigation that it almost became the plot. And, most embarrassing, Iran is NOT an ARAB country it’s Persian. Author should do their research, especially if story involves ambassadors and embassies. I enjoy mysteries, but this was sloppy.

[LaRee Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complications of Politics

Ms Truman's mysteries are a fascinating look at politics. I have enjoyed any that I have read and would recommend them to anyone who loves a political mystery.

[Judy]

Interesting premise

Good premise, but I question the naivete of two policemen re being tapped or followed or whatever, even at time frame of this book. The assumption that they were working more or less undercover is jarring.

[natalie daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Held my attention well written good story line

I liked the story but was disappointed with the end. I am a big fan and have thus far enjoyed all of the stories. I did like it very much but.....