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Capital Crimes #7

Murder in Georgetown

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First published January 1, 1986

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About the author

Margaret Truman

86 books259 followers
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.

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5 stars
297 (21%)
4 stars
478 (34%)
3 stars
481 (35%)
2 stars
93 (6%)
1 star
17 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
Profile Image for Kathi.
1,340 reviews4 followers
June 19, 2023
I liked this one -- until the end. Lots of political personages to keep up with, but it kept me guessing. Until the very end, when the "wrong person" got arrested. Then we jump to the main character and the cop sitting at a table discussing the whys and wherefores to resolve the case.

I was surprised to find two typos in a paperback published in 1985.

The books in this series are not related to each other in any way shape or form (at least so far).
Profile Image for Dale.
1,950 reviews66 followers
January 28, 2014
If you didn't already know it, the daughter of our 33rd president is quite the successful mystery writer. All of her books take place in and around the Washington. D.C. area and involve government figures and the temptations involved with power.

In Murder In Georgetown the daughter of a powerful senator with Presidential ambitions is killed in a park after embarrassing her father at a socialite party with her lewd and suggestive dancing. Is it the father, enraged by the threat to his candidacy? Is it a jealous ex-boyfriend? Is it a jealous classmate from her Georgetown University journalism seminar? Reporter Joe Potamos is on the case but is suddenly fired when he gets to close to the answer. Too late - his curiosity drives him on.

This is a decent mystery - the main characters are solid and likable.

See all of my reviews of Margaret Truman's books at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/searc...
5 reviews
April 6, 2017
Mystery one of my favorite genre of books to read and this book caught my attention. I never read a book by Margaret Truman before so it is a new author for me.

The daughter of the senator has been murdered opening a big mystery case. Joe Potamos is a journalist who is writing about the murder to report information about the murder to the Washington Post. He is also apart of the investigation to figure out the murderer. Joe is soon targeted by the murders who killed Frolic’s daughter as well. Through his experience throughout this entire case, he finds that wants to write books on the murders instead of just having the newspapers on it.

I did like the book and I always enjoy reading a mystery book. Most of the book was enjoyable and I thought the story was great. I plan on reading another book Margaret Truman soon.
Profile Image for Natalia Miranda.
52 reviews2 followers
December 3, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries books. I love how the author choose the others, how they flow so nicely and easy it is to read. It shows reality in politics and how many talks no matter of the circumstances. Joe Potamos is very stubborn and finds out who murdered Senator Frolic's daughter and after he was dismissed from the case. His a journalists that writes on a newspaper but he aims to write a book behind these murders. They try to kill Joe but they weren't successfully. A lot of betrayal, dishonesty and disgusting events happen and you don't see them coming. Love it :)
2,311 reviews22 followers
May 2, 2017
I have read about a half dozen of Truman’s Capital Crime Series, although contrary to my usual habit, not in the order in which they were written. I must say this is one of the better ones with a complex plot, a tight narrative and nicely controlled tension.

The body of Valerie Frolich a smart young journalism student and the daughter of prominent senator John Frolich, is pulled out of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Washington the morning after a festive barge party. The pretty young woman had been beaten badly on the head with a blunt object and the autopsy report noted multiple contusions and a skull fracture. Whoever hit her was very, very angry.

Joe Potamos a crime reporter with the Washington Post, is sent out to report on the story. He questions Valerie’s friends in the seminar they attend weekly at Georgetown University run by George Bowen, one of America’s leading journalists. Bowen is also a close friend of Valerie’s father, Senator Frolich.

George Bowen and Joe Potamos have a past history. Joe earned a reputation as a solid investigative reporter after he broke the story of Senator Richard Cables who earned millions from illegal arms deals in the Middle East. Bowen was a good friend of Cables and had tried to get Potamos to back off his story, but Joe refused. After the report hit the papers Potamos got a contract to write a book about the Senator and his under the table arms deals, but Joe backed away from the project and never delivered a finished manuscript. The newspaper article garnered him an award, but Bowen was furious at Potamos and influential enough in town to have him blacklisted and demoted to the grime of the cop beat where he has been languishing as a working reporter ever since.

Gerald Bowen and Senator Frolich have a close business and personal friendship. Included in their close circle is Paul Lewis an influential Washington lobbyist and Marshall Jenkins, a multimillionaire real estate developer whose much younger wife Elsa is rumored to be having an affair with the Senator. George Bowen also has a reputation for wandering eyes and bedding beautiful young women including many of his students. Only one woman has managed to have an ongoing relationship with Bowen. Julia Amster, an art historian who finds her friends dull, puts up with George’s philandering ways because she likes to wine, dine and talk with the power brokers he is connected to in Washington. For his part, Bowen maintains a relationship with Amster because he often needs someone with class, the appropriate social graces and intelligence to mingle with his rich and powerful friends among Washington’s elite. He needs someone beside him who makes him look good.

Joe learns that Valerie and her father had a tense and uneasy relationship. She did not approve of what her father stood for either politically or personally and hated the way he treated her mother Harriet. The two often argued and Valerie occasionally talked with her friends about their disagreements. Nevertheless, she was happy to have him support her at school and enjoyed living in the posh Georgetown apartment her father’s friend Marshall Jenkins provided her.

Joe begins gathering the information he needs to write the story by meeting and interviewing the other students in Valerie’s class. Each of them believes they know Valerie well and think they know what might have happened to her. They want to work with Joe to help write the story, hoping they can make a name for themselves and jump-start their careers. One of them even claims to have Valerie’s diary.

Bowen keeps trying to divert Potamos from the story, warning him he is stepping on sensitive toes. He offers him money and a well-paying job to back off, but Joe refuses, determined to find out what happened, especially now that he has learned that Marshall Jenkin’s disputed downtown condo project near the Russian Embassy may be connected to the crime. Then another student is murdered and Joe’s new girlfriend piano player Roseann Blackburn disappears. Joe must deal with being threatened, fired and shot in a number of confrontations before he can put the pieces of the puzzle together and understand what is really going on.

There are a few red herrings, some fast moving action and good characters in this effort. It all unfolds with an insiders’ view of Washington, the place we are all so curious about, even though we know realistically we will never, ever, know what really goes on there between powerful people behind closed doors. It serves as a great backdrop for a series.
Profile Image for Denise Spicer.
Author 18 books70 followers
August 3, 2017
Another book of political intrigue in D. C. More sartorial descriptions that will be of interest primarily to fashion designers or perhaps future costume historians. A newspaper man, Joe Potamos, and Peter Languth, a cop, as well as several journalism students vie for the position of solving several murders.
A quote from page 296 still rings true today. “It was a crybaby generation, Potamos thought. Do your own thing, get your act together, snort and smoke and do whatever else turns you on until somebody catches up with you. Then, you cry, and hope daddy and mommy come to the rescue – which they too often did.”
Profile Image for Geri.
377 reviews10 followers
July 14, 2017
I have read this author before and have
liked her writing but this one, not so much.
Sorry to say.
Profile Image for Helen.
136 reviews13 followers
October 3, 2008
Joe Potamos is a journalist for the Washington Post who gets more involved than he would like with the political intrigue attached to a murder he covers for the paper. He tries to discover who committed the murder only to find another murder, journalism students who want to work with him to solve the crime in exchange for partial credit for the story, and powerful men trying to get Joe off of the story. Along the way, he meets a beautiful pianist who gets dragged into the whole mess with him. Before long Joe is without a job and apparently the target of the same people who have already committed two murders. This was a pretty good mystery story, but fairly easy to put down between chapters.
Profile Image for Ellen Moore.
681 reviews8 followers
September 16, 2015
This was a very good mystery involving the death of college journalism students and the political intrigue of their well connected and influential families. Truman writes well, and the solution is not revealed early. A seasoned reporter is featured as the main character. He explores sources and becomes involved with the students, who seem far more interested in establishing their careers as reporters than in assisting the police solve the murders. He also meets an attractive piano player during his work.
Profile Image for Steve.
925 reviews10 followers
February 27, 2019
Feb 27, 2019 This story has a 1986 copyright or 33 years ago. Just today there was a lengthy Michael Cohen testimony in Congress stating the President of the United States was a crook, a liar, and a cheat. So reading this story now doesn't give the shock value of 33 years ago. Good story!!!! Plus the media whore is is also a crook and scoundrel.
Profile Image for Therese Wiese.
524 reviews19 followers
October 24, 2014
Obviously I picked this up because of the author's father! But she actually is a pretty fun author to read!
Profile Image for Alicen.
688 reviews1 follower
March 7, 2015
This book was okay for setting but surely there are more recently written murder mysteries set in DC?
693 reviews8 followers
June 17, 2019
Good book!

This book was intriguing and had numerous twists and turns. I always enjoy reading Margaret Truman's books. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.
Profile Image for Teri Heyer.
Author 4 books53 followers
October 3, 2024
The books in the Capital Crimes series just keep getting better & better. I can definitely recommend this series. Warning, they are addictive & you'll want to read them all.
15 reviews
January 11, 2020
Exciting

I chose five stars because I found the book interesting and timely. I would recommend this book to my husband and sons. It moved along at a good pace.
Profile Image for Karen.
674 reviews21 followers
July 29, 2020
This is the seventh book in the Capital Crimes series. I hate to say a book is average or awful because each story has something good in it. This book took me so long to get interested in and that made it difficult to read more than a few pages at a time. Overall, I have really like the books in this series so far and still intend to read the next book in the series shortly. Remember this is just my opinion and everyone has one. You might decide this is the best book of the series so far.

A senator's daughter turns up dead after a evening spent on a barge with her parents friends and acquaintances, she had been known to have an argument after Tue party with an ex-boyfriend who was the last person to have been known to see her. This ex was also in the same journalism seminar that the dead girl was in along with a few other journalism majors. The seminar was ran by an influe tail journalist that was friends with all the right people. People who had political power, business money and influential people in art and fundraising--in other words, those who all the other in Washington DC want to associate with or want to be. Joe, a reporter for the Washington Post, has been assigned the job of writing some reports about her pertaining to her school and friends that all readers enjoy--human interest articles. The deeper Joe digs into her life and what lead to her death, the more he realizes that he is stepping on someone's toes. First he is taken off the reporting but he cannot seem to let it go. He wants to find out what happened to her. When Joe cannot let the matter drop, he finds himself fired. He has discovered a few details along the way that having him wanting to know who killed this girl. All of her friends at school want to fall into a job as a Washington Post reporter in return for their own information about her. When one of the students who somehow has gotten a hold of her diary and uses it to create some news articles that are really not substantiated with any proof turns up killed in the same manner, Joe is not about to walk away from this story. Then Joe's new girlfriend disappears, another man is killed and the truth starts tumbling out. Can Joe save his girlfriend? Can Joe get to the bottom of all this mess? Can Joe survive long enough to get the truth to the right people?

Well this story dragged for over half the book and than raced to the end so fast, it made my head spin. What a way to finish the story. Not a bang but an explosion that you could feel might be coming but way more than you expected. Margaret Truman can definitely write a story that lets you inside the evils of power and influence. She reminds you that some people will stop at nothing to get what they want. She also shows you that there are also people who feel that what they want can be justified no matter the cost to others. I love that she does not make her stories all light and fluffy but some can be dark and gritty. That power and even governments are not always good especially when combined together. I love her writing and will definitely read the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Holly Stone.
906 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2022
This is an earlier book in the Capital Crimes series by Margaret Truman, and shows the beginnings of Roseann and Joe's relationship. After a society party a beautiful young woman is dead, her head bashed in with a rock, who killed her and why?? Those questions have Washington Post reporter Joe Potamos wondering and digging into things and places he shouldn't. Soon another young person is also dead and things are getting out of control for Joe. When his girlfriend is kidnapped and held Joe turns every rock to find her and uncovers some shocking revelations along the way...Murder, adultery, schemes and lots of lies nothing is too much for D.C.'s movers and shakers it seems. A good book and a fairly quick read I'm looking forward to reading more in this series
Profile Image for Larry.
16 reviews1 follower
October 13, 2023
So far, this is the seventh of 31 books in this series that I have read. The first six were superb page-turners for me. Although this was an okay murder mystery, my commitment to finish was more of a factor than it had been in any of the other books to this point. Previous books have forced me to lose sleep -- to keep going and find out what happened next. Not so this time. The story was good, but not intriguing. The main character's disdain for cooperating with the police was one negative for me. The last several chapters were a high point, but they led to a different conclusion than I might have guessed or preferred.
Profile Image for LeAnne.
384 reviews9 followers
October 12, 2021
I am in the process of rereading this series. I have recently collected all the hardcovers of all of Margaret Truman's mystery series. It has been years since I first began reading them, so it's such fun going through them again, I noticed that I had not written a review of this one before, I liked it very much. I think her books have improved through the series...more involved, more interesting characters, and better written since the first one (M. in the White House). That one was a bit weak. I do recommend the series as a whole for quick, page turner reading.
1,630 reviews
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November 7, 2022
"The oil of inside knowledge lubricates the asembled whole into a smooth-running, fast-moving narrative."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Beautiful twenty-year old Valerie Frolich, a Senator's daughter, is killed at a posh Georgetown party. And when Joe Potamos, of the Washington Post's police beat, is assigned to report the murder, he finds out a number of things about Valerie which lead him to a number of startling questions about Georgetown's most powerful men and women--questions whose answers have the power of life or death.

Good, but not as good as the later books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Greg.
810 reviews61 followers
November 20, 2022
I had not read one of Margaret Truman's crime capers before, but I found this one interesting and I liked it!

The plot line involves efforts to solve the brutal murder of a powerful senator's beautiful, strong-willed, and something of a "walking on the wild side" daughter. In doing so, it probes the underbelly of the nation's capital, revealing all the kinds of vile things one can anticipate in a place that -- because of its focus on power and money -- draws out the "dark side of the Force" from so many.

A murder mystery that I can recommend.
26 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2023
Margaret Truman's books are always timeless

This story like all of Ms. Truman's are packed with insider details. Political machinations, corrupt politicians, flawed cops, wire-tapping, and a bit of romance all intermingled in an edge of the seat mystery/thriller that kept me turning pages until the wee hours. It doesn't matter that the story was published many years ago, the story line is just as plausible in today's DC...only these days a person would be hard pressed to find a pay phone. Other than the change of technology, it's a great story.
384 reviews1 follower
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June 22, 2024
Joe, a newspaper man, delves into the murder of a Senator's daughter. The more he tries to investigate, the more push back he receives. The victim was a student of Joe's arch enemy, George Bowen. When anther student tries to help investigate, he is also murdered. A the center of this is the condo building built across from the Russian Embassy. Joe's girl friend is kidnapped to try to keep him out of the plan. The cops come to arrest Joe & end up saving him, his girlfriend & breaking up the condo project leaders.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bill.
123 reviews5 followers
November 10, 2017
In the first half of this novel, written thirty years ago, I thought time had dissolved: the Russian threat, the fear of electronic surveillance, the espionage all transported Truman's Georgetown to Trump world. The novel moves smoothly, the characters are reasonably well drawn, and the mystery perplexes. But the last third of the novel runs through unlikely plot developments higgledy-piggedy, so that the conclusion fails to satisfy.
Profile Image for Janet.
873 reviews2 followers
March 16, 2018
Here is my second Truman mystery. This one is an early book, no cell phones, not much technology. The structure was a bit predictable. Once again there is a group of powerful men who wield their power with disregard to others. This one brings in the Russians and how they pose a real risk to our country and democracy. What is old is new again! Anyway, I enjoy the characters and find myself involved with them, especially the protagonists. Fun to read.
41 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2024
Terrible

Can’t believe that Margaret Truman wrote this book. Plot completely unbelievable. I have been a fan of hers for years and have read most of her books prior to this one. I will try another one of her books published after this ones. Hopefully it will restore my faith in her future ebook publications.
1,353 reviews6 followers
August 28, 2017
So confused on this series - no running threads. Here we are in Georgetown and journalism. Really crazy stuff going on when a Senator's daughter dies and a reporter who wont quit even when shat upon from on high.
374 reviews
March 23, 2020
No real ending

I like this author, but this story is frustrating. A young girl accidentally dies because people think they are protecting the country. Yeas, this could happen, but the telling of this idea is the pits.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews

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