Elliott Roosevelt's Murder at the President's Door: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Elliott Roosevelt (Author), William Harrington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

Elliott Roosevelt's Murder at the President's Door is the 21st installment in the venerable but still very spry Eleanor Roosevelt mystery series. In her most intriguing adventure to date, the First Lady traces an assassination attempt to the depths of Washington D. C.'s underworld.

It is 1933 and the President and First Lady have just settled into the White House to face a nation in the depths of a depression and a world on the brink of war. When the body of a White House police officer is discovered at the foot of the president's bedroom door, Eleanor knows that the crime must be solved without attracting the attention of the FBI or the press. So with signature determination, the First Lady enlists the confidential aid of District of Columbia Lieutenant Edward Kennelly and trusted Secret Service agent Stanislaw Sxcygiel to help her investigate.

Eleanor soon realizes someone may have been trying to assassinate the president, but it is unclear why, after stabbing the officer, the suspect didn't crash into the bedroom and finish the job. Furthermore, it appears the killer knew the White House and its routines sufficiently well, leading the First Lady to question the motives of her White House staffers and grow wary of she and the President's new surroundings.

As the intrepid and charming Mrs. Roosevelt engages in her latest bit of Hawkshawing, readers are treated to all the historical re-creation and rich storytelling that have become hallmarks of the series. This satisfying wartime whodunit starring America's First Lady of Mystery is a warmly rewarding look at a fascinating era, and at a woman beloved by her family and her country-Eleanor Roosevelt.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Murder at the President's Door, written by William Harrington for the estate of Elliott Roosevelt (d. 1990), the son of FDR and Eleanor and author of an elegant but cozy historical mystery series starring his parents), entwines the stoic first lady in her 21st sleuthing adventure. This time, an assassination attempt sends her deep into D.C.'s criminal world, where, despite the efforts of the nation's top investigators, it's she who hunts down the would-be assassin.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Here's the latest posthumous publication from one of the mystery genre's most prolific dead authors. Although the formula has worn a bit thin over the years, Roosevelt's series starring his mother, Eleanor, as a feisty sleuth remains charming. This time the action takes place during the first 100 days of FDR's presidency. A White House policeman, who was standing guard outside the president's sleeping quarters, is murdered. Was the intruder intending to harm the president, or could the victim have been the target? Because there is no evidence of a stranger on the premises, was the perp even an intruder at all? With so many bold actions already taken by the new administration, there's no shortage of enemies, and the ever-curious Eleanor makes it her business to find the one responsible. With the usual peppering of 1930s celebrities and politicians, not to mention inventive twists on their personal lives, this blend of fictionalized history and cozy mystery delivers light entertainment for series fans. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786240938
• ISBN-13: 978-0786240937
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,926,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fans of this series will like this novel, November 17, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder at the President's Door: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery (Eleanor Roosevelt Mysteries) (Hardcover)

When President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor moved into the White House, it was a shabby place to live. The furniture and curtains were old with most needing replacement, but with the country deep into the Depression, Congress refuses to authorize funds to redecorate the President's home. Thus the Roosevelts do the best they can with what they have.

While the President is a movie with an aide, someone tries to assassinate him, but kills a police officer instead. The First lady theorizes that the killer ran away when he heard voices in her husband's bedroom, not realizing that the sound came from the movie. Obviously, White House security is lax and anyone who knows the layout of the place can easily enter and leave without detection. Eleanor, DC police Lieutenant Edward Kennelly, and the White House police join forces to ferret out the identity of the perpetrators.

MURDER AT THE PRESIDENT'S DOOR is the latest Eleanor Roosevelt mystery in this long running series that provides a fascinating look at the 1930s White House. In this age of terrorism and Pennsylvania Avenue cordoned off it is difficult to fathom the Presidential home lacking security measures, and containing broken down furniture and torn curtains. Though the who-done-it is short on action, history buffs will enjoy the late Elliot Roosevelt's latest homage to his parents early years in the White House.

Harriet Klausner

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story in an accurate historical context, February 10, 2002

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder at the President's Door: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery (Eleanor Roosevelt Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The phrase, "period piece" could have been coined to describe this book, as all the principles are presented in a realistic historical setting. Elliot Roosevelt is the son of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the setting is the white house during FDR's first term. A security man is efficiently murdered outside the door of the room where FDR was staying and it is obvious that it was a professional job as there was no struggle. It is also clear that it was a foiled attempt to assassinate FDR.
While the murder is of course the main point, I was more fascinated with the interactions between all of the historical figures. Joseph Kennedy and his current consort Gloria Swanson; General Douglas MacArthur and his current consort; J. Edgar Hoover and his longtime consort Clyde Tolson; Eleanor's close friends as well as Franklin's longtime companions all play roles in the story. There are also interactions with the current crop of mobsters as well as brief appearances by Harry Truman, Harry Hopkins, John L. Lewis and other figures of significant importance at that time. This lends a backdrop to the story that thrilled my historical roots.
As a murder mystery, this is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller. However, as a story placed in an accurate historical context, there is none better. This is one of the best murder stories that I have ever read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine series, September 21, 2004

By 

Roger Long "longrush" (Port Clinton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder at the President's Door: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery (Eleanor Roosevelt Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The mystery series, featuring Eleanor Roosevelt as the primary detective, is fascinating, not for the inventive plots but rather for the glimpse into the world of FDR's presidency. Only a son could have gotten away with such an unusual set-up.

The historic characters are especially interesting: The hated J. Edgar Hoover with his paramour, Agent Clyde Tolson; FDR's female companion who spent hours alone with him in his bedroom and Eleanor not minding; Eleanor's female companions of questionable sexual orientation; Gen. McArthur, afraid his mama will find he has a Filipino girl stashed in a Washington hotel; etc.

And we learn little tidbits about life in the White House during the Great Depression. Alcohol flowed, and prohibition couldn't stop it. The Roosevelts were responsible for buying all the groceries, and Eleanor had to keep a tight budget; tuna salad sandwiches for lunch, even though FDR hated them. The cook was really bad--on purpose, presumably, so people wouldn't eat so much. The floors sagged. The elevator didn't work much of the time. The furniture and draperies were shabby. There were secret entrances to the White House, tunnels to carry away rain water.

And murders happened with surprising regularity, in practically every room of the White House or wherever Eleanor happened to be. Nevermind that we never read about them in the newspaper. Eleanor kept a tight lid on the publicity.

In this installment a guard is stabbed right outside FDR's bedroom door, and no one saw a thing. Two detectives work with Mrs. Roosevelt in preventing the newspapers from hearing of it and in finding the murderer. The solution is unlikely, even absurd, but who cares? One shouldn't read the Eleanor Roosevelt novels for the plots. In fact, if the murder was omitted entirely in most cases, here especially, this would still be quite fun.