Murder in the Senate

John Kelmmer (Author photograph) New York: Doubleday, 1993. First Edition (stated). Hardcover. xii, 306, [2] pages. DJ is in a plastic sleeve. Signed by both co-authors on the Half-title page. Includes Acknowledgments and Cast of Characters (in the Capitol police department; In the office of the Architect of the Capitol; In the Senate; in the House of Representatives, and in the Government of the District of Columbia). Written with the unique insider's perspective that only a United States senator could give to it, Murder in the Senate races to an unforgettable climax in the Capitol's most hidden places. More than a thrilling mystery, it is a revealing look into the hard-fought and sometimes ruthless way the game of politics is played at the highest levels of American Government. William Sebastian Cohen (born August 28, 1940) is an American politician, lawyer and author from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as both a member of the United States House of Representatives (1973–1979) and Senate (1979–1997), and as Secretary of Defense (1997–2001) under Democratic President Bill Clinton. Described as "a Republican moderate from Maine, something of a maverick centrist" by David Halberstam, Cohen had very good working relations with President Clinton and National Security Adviser Sandy Berger and "almost ideal" collaboration with the Joint Chiefs of Staff; however, he often clashed with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, whom he saw as "a grandstander, too outspoken on policy matters and too eager to use military force." Cohen has written several books, including mysteries (Murder in the Senate), poetry, and (with George Mitchell) an analysis of the Iran-contra affair. Thomas Benton Allen (March 20, 1929 – December 11, 2018) was an American author and historian. Allen was a contributing editor to National Geographic. Allen had co-authored numerous books with Norman Polmar. He had also written numerous mystery novels.
Derived from a Kirkus review: The chief of the Capitol Police runs afoul of local and Louisiana politics as he tries to solve a series of brutal murders. The victims are women, the stakes are in the zillions, and the authors know Washington from the sub-basement up. Glamorous and possibly rotten Senator Julia Bristow, who inherited her office from her recently drowned husband, holds the deciding vote in the battle for statehood for the District of Columbia until her pretty, behatted corpse is discovered on the senatorial subway. Capitol Police chief and former FBI agent Jeffrey Fitzgerald gets orders from the majority leader to clear things up pronto and without help from the FBI. Fitzgerald gets excellent assistance from his most attractive lieutenant, Alexandra Phelan, but clues are slow in coming to light; and before much progress is made, there's a second murder. The victim this time is a black woman who had been in the forefront of the statehood movement, and the modus operandi is precisely that used on Bristow. Aside from the straightforward detecting, Fitzgerald and Phelan must do battle with the creepy Capitol Architect, an unknown traitor on the Capitol Police force, the rotten mayor of the District, and the crypto-fascist congressman who moved into Bristow's seat rather too quickly. They get help from Fitzgerald's psychic landlady, a right-minded FBI administrator, and the crusty District medical examiner. They get relief from each other. A nicely brisk pace, authentically creepy politicians, and clever use of the Capitol itself keep things interesting.
Condition: Very good / Very good.

Keywords: Senate, Murder, Law Enforcement, Capitol Police, Julia Bristow, Alexandra Phelan, Jeffrey Fitzgerald, District of Columbia, Psychic, Medical Examiner, Capitol Architect, Statehood, John Kelmmer

ISBN: 0385266782

[Book #82719]

Price: $125.00

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