Murder at Union Station (Capital Crimes Series) [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Margaret Truman (Author), Guerin Barry (Reader)

Book Description

Series: Capital Crimes Series | Publication Date: October 26, 2004

Historic Union Station means nothing to the elderly man speeding south on the last lap of what will turn out to be a one-way journey from Tel Aviv to D.C. – on a train that will soon land him at Gate A-8 and, moments later, at St. Peter’s Gate. This weary traveler, whose terminal destination is probably hell, is Louis Russo, former mob hit man and government informer. Two men are at the station to meet him. One is Richard Marienthal, a young writer whose forthcoming book is based on Russo’s life. The other is the man who’ll kill him. Russo has returned to help promote Marienthal’s book, which, although no one has been allowed to read it, already has some people shaking in their Gucci boots. Those in power fear that the contents will expose not only organized crime’s nefarious business but also a top-secret assignment abroad that Russo once masterminded for a very-high-profile Capitol Hill client. As news of Russo’s murder rockets from the MPD to the FBI and the CIA, from Congress to the West Wing, the final chapter of the story begins its rapid-fire unfolding. In addition to the bewildered Marienthal and his worried girlfriend, Murder at Union Station features an array of memorable characters: rock-ribbed right-wing Senator Karl Widmer; ruthless New York publisher Pamela Warren; boozy MPD Detective Bret Mullin; shoe-shine virtuoso Joe Jenks; dedicated presidential political adviser Chet Fletcher; and President Adam Parmele himself – not to mention freelance snoops, blow-dried climbers, and a killer or two. There’s no place like the nation’s capital, and as her myriad fans know, Margaret Truman always gets it right. Murder at Union Station is a luxury express, nonstop delight.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Truman franchise chugs along with little sign of losing steam in the 20th entry (after 2002's Murder at Ford's Theatre) in this reliably entertaining series. Writer Richard Marienthal is eagerly anticipating his publishing debut, an organized crime exposé that owes much to Louis Russo, a former hitman turned government informant. But when Russo returns from Israel, where he's been living under witness protection, to help promote the book, the elderly mobster is gunned down in D.C.'s landmark Union Station. Apparently, someone is unhappy with the book's revelation of a clandestine overseas operation authorized by the top echelons of power. As the search for the killer expands, Marienthal realizes it's one thing to risk his own life and career, quite another to expose his fiancée and others to potential harm. As usual, Truman supplies a heady mix of high and low Washington. The FBI, the CIA and the D.C. police each have their own agendas, and few of the good guys are all that good. Meanwhile, travelers stream past the magnificent train station's shoeshine man, Joe Jenks, who serves as an astute observer of the Washington scene. By the end, one can't help wondering where murder will strike next in the nation's capital.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Despite occasional echoes of John Grisham's The Pelican Brief (1992), this thriller about suspected corruption in the highest office in the land has a character all its own, which is largely the product of Truman's love-hate relationship with the U.S. government. Her mix of skepticism and respect weaves through a story about how a young writer's zealous pursuit of success causes him to compromise his ethics. When the writer prints an unsubstantiated story told him by an old mobster, all hell breaks loose: a right-wing senator attempts to use the story to unseat the president, and the mobster is murdered at Union Station before he can testify for the senator's committee. Thanks to Truman's unflinching perspective on partisan politics, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the good guys from the bad as the tale unfolds. Solid fare for her fans and for others who like political thrillers without a lot of blood and gore. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD; Abridged edition (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593559348
• ISBN-13: 978-1593559342
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,844,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Truman's Capital Crimes Novels Thus Far, December 30, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Murder at Union Station (Capital Crimes) (Hardcover)

Margaret Truman has written a series of enjoyable, crime stories centered on Washington landmarks. This one involves Washington's Union Station. We see crowds of famous and not famous moving through the station under the watchful eye of Joe Jenks, bootblack. Louis Russo, a hit man, arrives at Union Station after a flight from Israel, where he has been hidden by the US witness protection program after he testified against his bosses in the Mafia. Waiting for him is Richard Marienthal, a writer, whose forthcoming book is based on Russo's claim that he murdered a foreign leader under orders from the White House. Before Russo can meet Marienthal, Russo is murdered in the station, and his killer is soon murdered also. It looks like a payback from the Mafia for a squealer, but is it? Soon, Marienthal and those around him are in grave danger, and the story proceeds to a surprising and very satisfactory ending. Unlike what we see in many novels, Margaret Truman gives substance to her characters, which adds to a believable plot. I have read several of her novels, and this is the best that has come along. You should enjoy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fast paced, realistic, March 3, 2005

By 

Sreeram Ramakrishnan (Lynnfield, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder at Union Station (Capital Crimes) (Hardcover)

In a remarkably realistic and fast paced thriller centered around the DC area, Truman's story involves an interestingly woven plot involving an ambitious writer, a past mobster, politics of presidential elections, and personal relations. The characters seem real and well-developed and most of the characters are evolved well throughout the novel. The unwinding of the plot at the end is a little bit too quick and the sudden acceleration provides the only jarring note in the novel. Other than that, an excellent work with a fairly original plot. A good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, December 2, 2004

By 

Peter K. Samsury - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at Union Station (Capital Crimes) (Hardcover)

Both of us have been fans of her novels since the beginning. We found this offering to be overly wordy, slow and frankly boring. We fear she has fallen into the same trap as John LeCarre'