Capitol Murder: A Novel (Ben Kincaid) [Kindle Edition]

William Bernhardt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Bernhardt's somewhat predictable 14th thriller to feature ace Oklahoma trial lawyer Ben Kincaid (after 2004's Hate Crime), Ben goes to Washington, D.C., to defend his home state's senior senator on a murder charge. Sen. Todd K. Glancy, a former law school colleague who later became "a successful and fabulously wealthy oil magnate" (a fact Ben's mother never lets her son forget), has been caught on video in flagrante with a much younger intern. Soon after the video is shown endlessly on television, the young woman is found dead in a tunnel leading from the Capitol to the Senate offices, and Glancy is charged with her ritual murder. Worst of all, Ben begins to distrust his own client, though dropping the case would be a political and financial disaster. The author has obviously had fun with his research, letting Ben and his team wander around the seats of power, making observations that range from the ironic to the openly gung-ho touristy. If Bernhardt occasionally makes Margaret Truman's books look shrewd and sardonic by comparison, his zeal should please his loyal readers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The author shakes up this long-running series by taking his lead character, attorney Ben Kincaid, out of his familiar Oklahoma surroundings and sending him to Washington, D.C., where an old law-school chum, now a U.S. senator, is, well, waist deep in a sex scandal. When the scandal turns murderous, Ben realizes he needs a crash course in Washington law--not to mention backroom politics--if he hopes to keep his old friend out of prison. Assuming, of course, that the senator really is as innocent as he claims. Despite its serious subject, this Kincaid novel is funnier than many of its predecessors. The new surroundings are a plus, too, focusing the reader on the unfamiliar setting instead of the rather-too-familiar legal-thriller formula. All in all, series fans will be satisfied. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 386 KB
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 31, 2006)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FCKNPA
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,789 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

I love my job. Even on the worst day when I can't seem to put together a coherent sentence, I am grateful for having been given this magnificent opportunity to participate in the literary exchange of ideas. My mother says I was telling people I wanted to be a writer when I was seven. I know that seems incredible, but she's my mom, so we have to believe her. I never missed an opportunity to visit the library, which was blissfully near my home, and the librarians there took a great interest in this nerdy, shy, bespectacled kid who kept reappearing almost every day. They encouraged me to read widely and to read the best of everything, and that is exactly what I did and have continued to do all my life.

I sent off my first submission when I was eleven, to Highlights Magazine. This was a poem of which I was particularly proud concerning the Oklahoma Land Run. They turned me down. Yes, that was my first rejection letter. Over the next twenty years, I collected over 400 more of them. No, I'm not exaggerating. I still have them. Every last one. There was a reason, I realize now, why all those compositions were being rejected. They weren't very good. But they improved over time. I didn't know it, but during the entire torturous process of submission and rejection, I was learning how to write.

I finally had my first novel published (by Ballantine, a division of Random House) when I was thirty-one. To some, this may seem an early age to publish, but if you clock it from my first rejection, it took twenty years. That was a great year--my first son, Harry, was born in August, and my first book, Primary Justice, was born in December. The book surprised everyone and the follow-up did even better and before I even realized it I had accomplished my goal--I was a real honest-to-gosh writer. I've been writing ever since. I've written more than twenty novels, edited two anthologies, done two books for children, and published numerous stories, essays, puzzles, and poems. I have three children now, and this job allows me to be present when they come home from school and available when they need me during the day, which is a blessing I could not have anticipated back when I was a seven-year old gazing dreamily at author photos on dust jackets, wishing I could see myself there.

My goals for the future are to continue to learn, to grow, to find new ways of doing my work and doing it better. I think the current interest in thrillers provides a marvelous opportunity to spin bigger and more exciting stories. I've learned that I enjoy teaching, which has led to the William Bernhardt Writing Programs and The Fundamentals of Fiction DVDs, as well as many speaking and teaching engagements throughout the year. My interest in mentoring aspiring writers led me to start the Small-Group Seminars and Master Classes, which allow me to teach my favorite subject all across the nation. And in my personal life, my goal is I to be the best parent possible to Harry, Alice, and Ralph, and the best possible partner to my wife, Marcia. I'm very excited about the future--my personal life with these extraordinary people, and my professional life, creating new stories for you wonderful people who still understand the importance of storytelling and the written word.
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William Bernhardt is the author of more than twenty novels, including Primary Justice, Murder One, Criminal Intent, Death Row, Capitol Murder, Capitol Threat, Capitol Conspiracy, and Nemesis. He is one of fewer than a dozen recipients of the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He is also one of the country's most popular writing instructors, teaching at various conferences throughout the year. A former trial attorney, Bernhardt has received several awards for his public service. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Marcia, and their children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring...and partisan, March 13, 2006

By 

A. Baker (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitol Murder: A Novel (Ben Kincaid) (Hardcover)

The previous books in the Kincaid series were clever for the most part. Not this one. William Bernhardt discovered his thesauraus for this entry in the series and his soap box. Clearly William Bernhardt felt his political views needed to come through - and they do. Repeatedly. Made the book boring.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Capitol Murder: Thinly veiled political diatribe, September 16, 2007

By 

BookReader "BR" (New Market, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Capitol Murder: A Novel of Suspense (Mass Market Paperback)

I've never gotten so far in a book and then just decided to stop reading it. That happened when I realized that: (a) I really didn't care about whether the Senator was convicted or not; (b) I'd found out who the real murderer was 3 CD's before that, and (c) I couldn't stand another political rant about how evil Republicans are and how holy Democrats are. Bernhardt slanders Nixon (easy to do, I know), and Reagan, while showering pity on poor Bill Clinton for his legal troubles, all the while telling everyone how evil the insurance and oil industries are. I could read MoveOn.org if I wanted that.
Give me Tony Hillerman any day.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So slow, January 31, 2006

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Capitol Murder: A Novel (Ben Kincaid) (Hardcover)

I am a huge Ben Kincaid fan. I was looking forward to this one big time.

What a disappointment. The storyline of a Government official who gets accused of killing an intern - because he was having an affair with her.

The book starts off very well. A murder - and a videotape of the government official and the victim in torrid sex positions (think Monica and Bill). SO far so good.

Except that is when the storyline becomes soooooo borring and soooo slow. We get pages and endless pages of dialogue between the official and Ben, then between Ben and the guy's wife and between Ben and just about everybody else who could possibly be involved in the case.

This is the first time I read a Ben Kincaid book and try to figoure out how many pages I have left to read.

This story dragged and dragged. The usual humour wasn't there, in fact, I felt as though Bernhardt went a little over the top with the "eccentricities of Ben" in this book. Sure, Ben is always a little behind in most things, but in this book, Bernhardt wrote Ben almost over the top - he made him out to be clueless AND a bit of a joke. I did not like that at all. Part of the fun of this series is that Ben is eccentric but interesting. He was neither in this book.

Also, the camaraderie I have come to love between the characters was non-existent here.

Oh, about the murderer. I had it figured out by page 58.

Not a great moment in the Kincaid series.