Murder in Foggy Bottom (Capital Crimes Series) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Margaret Truman (Author), Alan Sklar (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000 | Series: Capital Crimes Series

In Margaret Truman's latest mystery, the scene opens with an obscure death in Washington's Foggy Bottom, home of the State Department, shifts to mass murder in the downing of aircraft, and then moves on to mayhem in the streets of the new Moscow. Leaving an airport near New York, a D.C.-bound commuter plane falls to earth. At almost the same time, another crash occurs. And then... Firmly ruling out coincidence, investigators seek means and motive. The means are soon apparent: small-scale weaponry with large-scale impact. Their country of origin? A place where nearly everything - hardware, information, love - can be found for a price. Max Pauling, a State Department investigator, seasoned, good-looking, and hard to fool, quickly takes off on a trail still as warm as the smoking wreckage. A host of vivid characters people the narrative, including a lovely State Department analyst who finds herself attracted to undercover types; a militia leader in Idaho who leads his people into gunfire; a reporter at odds with his boss but not with a good story; and a secretary of state who loves baseball slightly more than her job. Fast-paced and informative about flying, food, statecraft, and the violent "wetwork" under the dryly elegant exterior of diplomacy, Margaret Truman's Murder in Foggy Bottom is another winner in the Capital Crimes series. Praise for Margaret Truman "A first-rate mystery writer, said Charles Champlin in the Los Angeles Times Book Review, "drawing on an I-was-there expertise that makes the Washington scene clang with credibility." "She can write suspense with the best of them," says Larry King. Her work is "the most satisfying sort of popular fiction, a thoughtful thriller," adds The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 17th entry in Truman's Capital Crimes series begins with the discovery of a well-dressed male corpse in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington, D.C. Washington Post reporter Joe Potamos is one of the first on the scene, determined to get the scoop on the dead man's identity. Two days later, three small commercial airliners plunge from the sky (in New York, Idaho and California), killing 78 people. Witnesses claim they saw missiles strike two of the planes. CIA agent Max Pauling, part of a government counterterrorist task force, gets on the case at the State Department, while in Washington State, FBI agents interview Zachary Jasper, head of a white supremacist group, as a possible suspect in the missile attacks. As the scene shifts from CIA headquarters to Russia to a Waco-like standoff with Jasper's group, all three investigations come together in a race to avert a fourth air disaster. Lacking a single main character, the novel offers a strong ensemble cast, all connected in some way to each other and the unfolding tragedies. Joe's girlfriend, professional pianist Roseann, unwittingly makes helpful contacts at her Washington gigs, while Max's flame, Jessica, has an ex-husband who'd been undercover in the white supremacist movement. The action moves at breakneck speed toward a chilling finale. More than simply an entertaining blend of mystery and espionage, this first-rate tale raises some important questions about how the U.S. government copes with terrorism. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-Washington Post writer Potamos has a difficult riddle to solve. How does a murder in the district's Foggy Bottom section relate to the downing of three commuter aircraft by old Soviet missiles? Meanwhile, an undercover FBI agent who has infiltrated a suspicious Western commune discovers that a domestic hate group is responsible for the deaths of the people onboard. At the same time, a CIA agent in Moscow is working to identify the seller of the weapons. Suspense, fast-paced action in many locales, a wide variety of characters, and much dialogue result in a plot sure to please Truman's fans and those new to the series.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567409350
• ISBN-13: 978-1567409352
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,475,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Broader Scope for Truman, October 7, 2000

By 

John W. Bates "jaydubyah" (Americus, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder in Foggy Bottom (Capital Crimes) (Hardcover)

In this latest of Margaret Truman's homicidal tour of Washington landmarks and regions, the author expands her scope beyond the single homicide in DC to mass murder by terrorists. There is a Murder in Foggy Bottom to start the book, but this murder seems almost to be incidental to the story, which quickly moves to the cabin on a commuter airline which crashes soon after takeoff from Westchester County, NY. But then we learn that at almost the same time there have been commuter airline crashes in Idaho and California. Three crashes in one day is too much for coincidence, and then evidence of SAM missiles is found in the wreckage. There is the expected panic and concern as the FBI and looks into domestic terrorist organizations while the State Department and the CIA look overseas. The story is strong, the characters are believable, and the suspense is maintained. While Mac and Annabel Smith, the usual primary characters in Truman's series, are present in supporting roles, the principal characters are different. One interesting aspects of this book is the fact that there are multiple characters, almost an ensemble, who carry the story line to an interesting conclusion.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrorists and Mass Murder of Airline Passengers, October 30, 2002

By 

George Webster, Ph.D., (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder in Foggy Bottom (Capital Crimes) (Mass Market Paperback)

Margaret Truman's mysteries are always fun to read. They are low-key, have a minimum of gory details, and have twists to keep things interesting. This time, we have the murder of a Canadian diplomat and destruction of three commuter planes in flight, killing passengers and crew. We watch the investigation of the crimes through the eyes of a Washington Post reporter, a CIA operative, and several FBI agents. Simultaneous destruction of three planes points to terrorists, but which terrorists? When the CIA man and the reporter find the answer, the story shifts into high gear during the last 100 pages for a breathtaking ending. All in all, it's an enjoyable book for relaxation.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Margaret Truman's better efforts, July 1, 2001

By 

Rich Gotshall (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in Foggy Bottom (Capital Crimes) (Hardcover)

The "bad guy" in this "Capital Crimes" outing is a rather generic white supremacist. We find out about him in a strained set of coincidences that will at best disappoint serious readers, if not infuriate them. Finally, the episodic nature of the book, while it gives the story a sense of immediacy, fails to develop any of the story lines with enough depth. Instead of one good story, we have three mediocre ones.