When Senator Cale Caldwell is murdered at a glamorous reception held in his honor, attorney Lydia James is tasked with putting the pieces of his death together. When James starts to draw connections between the Senator’s demise and the murder of his niece two years prior, rumors begins to fly and a web of intrigue springs to life.
"Bright, witty, [and] full of Washington insider insight." (Houston Chronicle)
Senator Cale Caldwell and his wife maintained a far-reaching and powerful grip on Capitol Hill society—but not powerful enough to save him from foul play. Despite his eminence and influence, the Senator’s life is cut short in brutal fashion at a glamorous reception held in his honor, just two short years after tragedy struck the Caldwell family in the form of the unsolved murder of his niece.
When attorney Lydia James suggests a connection between the two deaths, she’s shut down, and fast. But who stands to benefit from the Caldwell’s tragedies, and James’ silence? The Senator’s political rivals? The media? The Caldwells’ closest allies?
Working with a dizzying number of suspects and possible motives, James embarks on a hunt for the Caldwell killer amidst a web of Washington intrigue and political maneuvering that’s sure to leave no stone unturned—or life unthreatened.
Murder on Capitol Hill is the second book in the popular Capital Crimes mystery series, preceded by Murder in the White House. The enduring Capital Crimes series, published between 1980 and 2011, contains twenty-five titles, all set in and around Washington, D.C. As the daughter of President Harry S. Truman, Margaret Truman is uniquely positioned to bring this fascinating city to life.
Margaret Truman
Margaret Truman, the only child of President Harry Truman (33rd President of the United States), was born in Independence, Missouri and spent her early years between Missouri and Washington, DC, where her father was a senator. Upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt, Truman assumed the presidency and the young Margaret moved to the White House. From there it was on to George Washington University and a Bachelors of Arts degree in History. After college, she pursued her interest and talent in singing and from the late 1940s into the early 1950s she performed around the world, as well as on radio and television shows. Her singing career received mixed reviews, but nonetheless was followed closely by the media in her day. Truman remained in the public eye when she went on to become one of the first women to be part of the then fledgling morning news and entertainment shows, paired with Mike Wallace on NBC’s show Monitor in 1955. She began her writing career in 1956 with her first book, Souvenir, Margaret Truman's Own Story. The autobiography was followed by several works of nonfiction including books about her father, her mother, Bess Truman, and several books focusing on the history of the White House and its previous inhabitants, including former pets of White House families. In 1980, with the release of Murder in the White House, Truman began her foray into the world of fiction, which would continue for the rest of her life. Her Capital Crimes series remains popular with a whole new generation of readers who are intrigued by behind-the-scenes pictures of the political process. A prolific writer in both the fiction and nonfiction genres, Truman has written a total of thirty-five books and is today a truly popular American writer. Margaret Truman died in 2008 at the age of 83.
