Murder Inside the Beltway: A Capital Crimes Novel

Capital Crimes #24

by Margaret Truman

Rosalie Curzon, a Washington, D.C., call girl, is found bludgeoned to death in her Adams-Morgan apartment. At the murder scene a video camera is discovered nestled high on a bookshelf. Had the victim taped some of her clients during their sexual liaisons? As the investigation proceeds, so does business inside the Beltway. President Burton Pyle is heatedly running for reelection against consummate politician Robert Colgate, who is expected to win. Colgate, though, is not without cracks in his slick exterior: Rumors swirl about his failing marriage and various dalliances. But no one is prepared for the explosive development that erupts when the daughter of Colgate’s closest friend is kidnapped and Detective Mary Hall and rookie cop Matthew Jackson uncover a shocking connection between the abduction, the Curzon case—and a killer no one will see coming.

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

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phew! This one reads like today's news. This is the second and last trip down memory lane for me, reading another Truman book published the year of her death (2008) and apparently written by a ghost writer.
What we are treated to here, after the initial discovery of a murdered prostitute, is a set of circumstances linking this prostitute to a presidential candidate as well as a corrupt cop and the fallout from a set of tapes made by the prostitute. This fallout includes the kidnapping of a young girl.

There are some dedicated cops in the mix and some good investigative moves that require the cooperation of the always present Secret Service.

Selfishness is the front and center theme on this trail that leads to the White House.

Library Loan

[Lobstergirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Writing so bad, it crushes the soul.

"As for money, you've been a wonderful provider for me and our three children."

"While aware that prejudice existed despite advances made by African-Americans, he'd suffered little of it growing up...."

[Ellen Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. It described so well politics and corruption in Washington. There was racism and payoffs in the police dept., infidelity in marriages of prominent persons, and corruption of political candidates and officials. There were several surprises in the story and an interesting conclusion. Since Truman died the year this volume was published, I think this was the last book in her political series that she actually wrote. Someone else wrote several more in her name.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good MT mystery. The killer was somewhat predictable, but you weren't sure until the end. Much of the story takes place in Adams Morgan, which is a more interesting part of DC than the touristy parts.
This was Truman's last novel.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stop me if this one sounds familiar. Murder Inside the Beltway, a posthumous publication in Margaret Truman’s Capital Crimes series, begins with the death of a prostitute, reveals “dirty” cops, features sleazy politicians, depicts detective partners sleeping together, and even adds a kidnapping. There is a marriage on the rocks, an identity crisis in an idealist, and a timely death which isn’t a murder. The novel is up-to-date enough to feature a blogger advancing the plot and sophisticated use of stolen cellphones. There is even a minor twist at the end that took me completely off-guard.

In Murder Inside the Beltway, the wealthy son of a prominent billionaire runs for president and wins. He is beholden to and follows the lead of a disingenuous consultant named Kevin Ziegler. Now, I’m not going to say that this president bears an uncanny resemblance to presidents living or dead, but it is interesting to note that Ron Ziegler was press secretary for a president with a bad reputation.

Murder Inside the Beltway shows an investigation with lots of red flags which, when ignored by those who should know better, demonstrates just how convoluted things can get when high-level politics even might be involved. At certain points, the story becomes so ugly that wondered if the plot might be a rejected House of Cards script. [Note: I’m just joking here. Margaret Truman has been writing about the seamy side of Washington, D. C. much longer than the U.S. adaptation of the British television series has been doing so.

For me, the pace picked up after the kidnapping, but it wasn’t sluggish before that. I had the wrong suspect in mind for the first half-dozen chapters, but then the shoe dropped, and I wasn’t disappointed. I liked this book, as I’ve liked most of the mysteries in this series. I also regret that such an active mind is no longer with us.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - i very much enjoyed the DC setting, and it was a good premise. I liked how it was all rounded out in the end too, even if not completely believable/realistic based on how the characters had been set up. All up not a bad read for a random pick up at the truman summer white house.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I read one of these and I enjoyed this. The plot kept twisting and turning.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of Margaret Truman since I dive into Capital Crimes mysteries a couple of years ago. This is probably going to be the last book in the series since she died in January of last year. This book is a complex tale that weaves together two storylines, each with its own mystery, in a way that culminates in one conclusion.

The first centers around the murder of a prostitute named Rosalie Curzon. She was beaten to death in her apartment, but it seems that she might have the last laugh because she had a habit of recording her trysts with her star-powered clients. During the initial search, the police come across them and are able to identify some of her johns, giving them leads to follow up.

The team is led by veteran detective Walter Hatcher. He is an Old-World police officer, who is good at his job, but has a bad habit of making some less-than-appropriate comments about people who are not white, straight, or male. This leads him into some trouble with some of the newer officers, who have filed a complaint against him. He is having similar troubles (though without an actual complaint filed) with one of his trainees, Matt Jackson, who is of mixed parental heritage. He and Mary Hall, the woman he loves and his partner, are quickly drawn into the center of the investigation, which points right back at the department and some major political bigwigs.

At the same time, the nation is facing a major election. Robert Colgate is the liberal leaning challenger that is taking on the unpopular President Burton Pyle in the campaign. He is also known for being a womanizer. It is his good friend and confidante who is at the core of the other mystery in the novel.

Jerry Rollins and his family are out in Washington having a nice picnic when his young daughter is kidnapped. Officers Jackson and Hall are pulled of their murder case to help, but they quickly learn that it is not necessarily a completely different case.

A big part of me doubts that Truman really wrote this final volume in the series. The book is missing the usual historical and visual descriptions of Washington's most interesting locales. In a way, she had an ability to select appropriate locations for the story and making them characters in their own right, and teaching the reader about them in the process. There is only one example of that toward the end of the book.

The writing is also a bit lacking throughout the book, creating scenes and dialog that lurch about. Some characters are well developed while others become cookie cutter clichés that are both predictable and out of place for Truman, who has always done a wonderful job of creating complex and realistic characters.

She may have started writing this book, but the publisher would have done a better service to her memory to allow the series to stand on the last release rather than leaving readers with this as their final memory of a great mystery writer and the daughter of President Harry Truman.

[Christine Zibas · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a plot torn from the pages of very real (and all too common) political indiscretions by high powered political players, Margaret Truman ended her Capital Crimes series with yet another stunning thriller, Murder Inside the Beltway, This novel, and others written by Truman, show just how timely (and timeless) her writing was.

In this thriller, the last of the Capital Crimes series by Margaret Truman (who passed away in January 2008), a presidential candidate's reputation is at stake when a murdered prostitute is found in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. What makes this crime so threatening to so many powerful DC players was the call girl's habit of videotaping her sexual encounters.

Called to investigate this bloody crime is veteran DC Detective Walt Hatcher and his two new assistants. Hatcher has his own set of problems, both personal and within the department. He's just trying to do his time till he can retire, but his own behavior has been called into question, and he doesn't feel like he is getting the respect he deserves. It seems everyone is making his life miserable, including others in the department who have filed a complaint about him and a chief who expects him to apologize when he feels it is totally unnecessary.

Hatcher's assistants, Matthew Jackson and Mary Hall, also have a hard time adjusting to the tactics Hatcher employs. When they are reassigned to another detective working the kidnapping case of the daughter of a presidential advisor, Hatcher realizes his days in the department are numbered. The presidential candidate in question is known for his infidelities, and rumors abound that he may be one of the individuals recorded on the videotapes of the murdered prostitute, along with a Congressman and someone within the police ranks itself.

In addition to these two cases, rumors are surfacing of police who are shaking down local merchants and perhaps even the murdered prostitute. It all builds to a crescendo of politics and crime in typical Truman fashion.

While the author clearly has the pulse and details of life inside the Beltway down to a T, the novel suffers from its anticlimactic ending. Readers will have seen the ending coming from miles (chapters) away. For those who enjoy the trappings of political life and know the streets and neighborhoods of Washington, reading this mystery can provide a pleasant diversion. For those who enjoy a good twist or surprise ending, the book will probably disappoint.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last novel in the Capital Crime Series written by Margaret Truman but continued after her death under Donald Bain.

Washington escort Rosalie Curzon is found viciously beaten and strangled in her Adams-Morgan neighborhood apartment. Senior Detective Walter Hatch and his two junior detectives Mathew Jackson and Mary Hall discover that Rosalie had been video-taping her trysts and there was a camera with a half used role of film and a cache of videotapes neatly stored on one of the shelves overlooking her bed. The initial report of her murder had politicians concerned about whether investigators had found Rosalie’s “little black book” but they are now more worried they may be found on one of those tapes. So far several customers have been recognized including a cop at the academy, a lobbyist working with the White House, the owner of a popular Washington bar and a Untied States Congressman.

Walter Hatch is a veteran detective close to retirement. He is crusty, cranky and opinionated, unable to accept any views unlike his own, a man who is street smart, believes college is a waste of time for anyone in law enforcement and casually uses slang when speaking of women and minorities. He is one of the most decorated men on the force but also has a reputation for being hard-nosed, impatient and unforgiving. Rumor also has it he has taken the law into his own hands on more than one occasion. But Hatch is getting on in years and is beginning to feel he is neither appreciated nor getting the respect he deserves. The latest humiliation was the charges brought against him by two colleagues who accused him of making racist remarks. The complaint, reviewed by Chief Willis Carter led to the Commander demanding Hatch apologize for those comments. Considering Hatch’s reputation in the department, he believes a remark like that would have been ignored in the past and he would have the support of his boss. It is that kind of thing that has Hatch eyeing retirement and heading to his Florida townhome with ever increasing enthusiasm. Maybe it’s time. He has put his three children through college and with some rest maybe he can get some relief from the blinding headaches he experiences which lately are becoming more frequent.

Hatch and his two assistants are struggling in their newly created partnership. Mathew Jackson is a biracial, college educated cop who spent four years on patrol and is now just a year into his job as a detective. He hates Hatch’s derisive comments with their racial overtones which offend and gnaw at him. He and Mary Hall are lovers, a relationship they try to keep quiet as romantic liaisons are discouraged in the department. Hatch feels that his new partners are just soft do-gooders, kids who have all the schooling but not the street smarts to be good detectives.

Meanwhile Washington is abuzz with the upcoming election. President Burton Pyle is running for re-election against up and comer Robert Colgate, the former governor of Maryland who is leading in the polls. Colgate is a handsome ladies man, a serial adulterer who connects easily with his followers. But with the news about the murdered escort making its way through the city, many wonder if he is one of those caught on Rosalie’s tapes. Debbie Colgate knows her husband has slept around during most of their marriage, but seduced by the possibility of political power, refuses to address the issue despite the ongoing rumors of abusive late night arguments with her husband.

Jerry Rollins is Robert Colgate’s closest friend and advisor, an “inside the beltway” veteran who has no official position in the campaign but with whom Robert Colgate discusses every decision. He is the complete opposite of the free-wheeling, charming Colgate. Jerry is quieter, more introspective and a smooth negotiator. He and his wife Sue have a seven year old daughter Samantha who they both adore.

While Jerry, Sue and Samantha are attending a folk music festival on the Washington Mall one weekend, Samantha is kidnapped. Jackson and Hall, on the mall at the same time, are co-opted by Detective Kloss to help with the case. The two quickly form a close connection with Jerry and Sue Rollins and Willis Carter accepts Kloss’s request to keep them on his team as the long harrowing wait for the kidnapper’s requests begins. Hatch is infuriated by the fact that Carter has pushed him out of this high profile case and given it to a couple of rookie cops. He seethes, believing that with his reputation in the department, he should be there.

Truman has more fully fleshed out the characters of Detectives Jackson and Hatch, but all the characters represent well recognized stereotypes. Jackson is the sensitive, educated young man at the beginning of his career, comfortable in a bi-racial relationship. He is also very naïve, leading him to make grave mistakes with a woman he interrogates during Rosalie Curzon’s murder investigation. Jackson is shocked to discover there are cops on the take, shaking down local merchants and prostitutes, something which leads readers to question how he spent those years out on the beat patrolling the streets. Mary Hall, Jackson’s partner fails to even make a dent in the reader’s consciousness. We hardly know her at all.

Hatch is the racist veteran about to retire, struggling to adapt in the changing world of a police force that is moving to a different kind of police officer and a department where what was acceptable in the past is no longer tolerated. He is tough survivor but has created his own problems by lying to his wife, leaning on witnesses and insulting his co-workers.

Robert Colgate is the smooth talking politician who easily connects with the public and expects them and his wife to overlook his shortcomings. He thinks only of himself and relies on others to work around or cover his failures. His wife Debbie Colgate is the picture of the supporting political wife who silently fumes about her husband’s infidelities, takes on the dutiful role of a potential first lady but harbors secrets of her own.

The plot is entirely predictable but has a neat little twist at the end. Still, it is an entertaining read and is representative of the kind of crime novels written in that time period. They did not include the darker tone or the complex psychological profiles of the investigators and the criminals which appear in more recent crime fiction. What captivates Truman’s readers however, are the authentic details she reveals about politics in Washington and life inside the White House. As the daughter of a President, she reveals so much about the city she knew well with the authentic detail that can only come from someone who lived there.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lead detective DET Hatcher, along with his partners, Detectives Mary Hall and Matt Jackson, investigates the murder case of Prostitute Rosalie Curzon who was bludgeoned to death in her Adams Morgan apartment in Washington, DC. President Burton Pyle, who’s running for reelection, learns about a video sex tape of his opponent, Robert Colgate, a slut, and Rosalie Curzon. In following the case we enter a world of political and police corruption.

No one can write about murder in D.C. like Margaret Truman because she draws us in making us feel like we’re members of the world she’s writing about. All of the characters are well developed and have a reason for being in the book, and we learn about all the characters and their relationships to one other within the first few chapters. While following the investigation we believe we’ve identified the murderer and are surprised when we learn we were wrong because the murderer is someone we would have never suspected.

If you’ve never read a Margaret Truman book, it’s time that you do and it doesn’t matter which book you read first because they all are an adventure to behold.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good crime and politics story, where the author did an excellent job of keeping the story "local" and focused on the street level crime that this was even though some of the players were international figures, including the president.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion of this book left me a little dissatisfied. As in real life, some loose ends were left dangling. Who were the kidnappers? Who was Y-man? (Although I have my suspicions.) Who killed McMahon in a drive-by shooting? I guess the readers will never know.

There were a few editing oversights I noticed in the Hardcover version:

Page 29, in front of Joe's Bar and Grille / in front of Joe's Bar and GRILL ("grille" refers to the front of a car) ; 152, sucked into the cortex of a presidential campaign / sucked into the VORTEX of a presidential campaign (this makes more sense, in context) ; 159, go to Joe's Bar and Grille for lunch / go to Joe's Bar and Grill for lunch (ibid. p. 29) ; 172, We'll try and do something about it / We'll try TO do something about it ; 177, not having to go into work meant / not having to go IN TO work meant ;

Page 178, lest the tear in his eye prompted a question / lest the tear in his eye PROMPT a question ; 178, earn a Masters in library science / earn a Master's in library science (possessive, needs apostrophe) ; 182, next to the Rollinses wagon / next to the Rollinses' wagon (ibid. p. 178) ; 185, That a girl / Thatta girl (or, Atta girl) ; 189, One in the same / One AND the same (this phrase is often misheard) ; 206, Yes or so he claimed / Yes, or so he claimed ; 211, You looked exhausted / You LOOK exhausted (in the present) ; 245, We're gewtting ready / We're GETTING ready ;

Page 269, Joe's Bar and Grille in Adams Morgan / Joe's Bar and Grill in Adams Morgan (ibid. p. 29) ; 272, I'll try and whittle it down / I'll try TO whittle it down ; 272, one night at Joe's Bar and Grille / one night at Joe's Bar and Grill (ibid. p. 29) ; 281, How else, Jerry. / How else, Jerry? (query requires ?) ; 317, She's laying low / She's LYING low ("lie low" is the present tense, "lay low" is the past tense; "She had been laying low" would be a correct usage) .

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all of Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes books that I've read & this one is no exception. It begins with the murder of a call girl & the suspects include a wide range of suspects including a presidential candidate, the victim's former pimp & a hard boiled veteran detective who is close to retirement. Just to keep you on your toes Margaret throws in the abduction of the young daughter of a high powered Washington attorney who is also a close friend & advisor to the presidential challenger. Toss in a secondary investigation by the junior detectives, team members of the veteran detective, who stumble onto a "shakedown" scheme run by the veteran detective & you've got a book that you can't put down.

[Joyce]

Metropolitan Police Department outside Washington DC handle the case most other large areas handle. The police also encounter the secrets buried varied advisors for Politicians. When the body of Rosalie Cruzon, a known Escort/Call Girl is found dead in her apartment. When searching the room the police find a video camera and a shelf with tapes of her with her clients. The tapes are dated and Ali Ed in chronological order but there is space for 2 more tapes not to be found in her room. Where are those tapes? Did the murderer know there was evidence that would convict him? Or did he know those tapes would be valuable to someone else?

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Washington prostitute is killed in her apartment. The police find that she routinely (secretly) video taped her clients which included a number of well-known politicians and police members. The investigators were able to identify several of the Johns on the tapes they found …. But two tapes were missing. Did the missing tapes contain information on current candidates for office – including a possible presidential candidate? How far did the corruption in the police department go? How far could the young idealistic police investigators take this case?

[BrkrDave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read most of Margaret Truman's books. She didn't have characters that were memorable. The books themselves weren't memorable until I was reading a review of them to determine if I had read it before. There were no moral judgements that I took from the books and adopted them. She just wrote about situations that were unique and they were entertaining. I can read a Margaret Truman book in a few days and enjoy every minute. This one wasn't one of her best but I still enjoyed it far more than some more decorated authors.

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a great disappointment. I liked the plot but not the storyline. I connected well with Hatcher, but didn't care for Jackson at all. He was a wimp. I didn't appreciate Hatcher being written out of the murder investigation or at the end of the book in favor of Jackson. Hall was okay, and the rest of the characters were interesting. A book that started out with such promise ended with such disappointment. Don't waste your time reading it. Not recommended.

[Alaina G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out so strongly. It had an impressive list of characters, so I wrote them out as to not confuse them later on.

I didn’t end up needing them. At no point was I shocked reading this book. It was very bland and didn’t contain layers as I originally thought the author was attempting to build. This could be a good mystery book for someone’s first mystery. If you’ve read others, maybe skip this one. At least it’s not gory?

[Janet Balliet]

A call girl is murdered & 3 detectives are sent to the crime scene. Looks like she taped some of her clients & some tapes are missing! A MD governor is running for president. He appears on one of the tapes with other well known people. His best friend & confident has the tapes & the other side finds out . The kidnap his daughter to force him to give the tapes to the other side. The lead detective sold the tapes & may be the murderer! He dies before the truth comes out.

[Jane Pye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story

Margaret Truman is a competent writer with an intimate knowledge of Washington and political practices. How she came to be so well-versed in police procedure is a more interesting subject. She writes well and get characters are well-developed. Her subject matter is interesting and plots are realistic. I will read more of her books. Good read anytime.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pleasure to read Margaret Truman's last Washington mystery. Although set 17 years ago, the partisanship, dirty tricks and offensive behavior are still at work today. The ending was not as satisfactory as I would have liked, but I am planning to gradually work my way through the other stand alone novels she has written.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this the last in the Capital Crimes series. Given some of the subject matter I would think perhaps that Mrs. Truman had some assistance but overall I really enjoyed the book and was surprised by the ending.

[Zara A. Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much unanswered in this book...but it is realistic in that manner. The Story was told in two lines, that makes the reader wonder where it could intersect. Although the intersection was both obvious and not obvious, it was a good read.

[Christopher Ramsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough look at political tricks that occur during Presidential campaigns. Detectives Hatcher, Jackson and Hall help investigate the murder of a prostitute who seems to be involved with the challenger.

[Pelican Rapids · Rating 1 out of 5]

listened to part of the first disc of audio cd, but then learned there were to be three murders. I did not listen any further.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last novel written by Truman about the murder of a hooker and how it is involved with a presidential candidate. Very clever ending.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was her last book. It was published in 2008. A little insightful considering our current situation, goventment-wise.

[Russ Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

It kept me guessing!

[Mary Jane]

Read this book already