Murder at The Washington Tribune: A Capital Crimes Mystery [Kindle Edition]

Margaret Truman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Instead of using an actual D.C. locale, Truman sets her solid 21st mystery (after 2004's Murder at Union Station) at the fictional Washington Tribune, not to be confused with any actual newspaper. When two young, attractive female media professionals, one a Tribune employee, are murdered, veteran crime reporter Joe Wilcox, who's been feeling the heat from his boss, senses a chance to improve his position by theorizing that a serial killer is at work. To complicate matters, Joe's brother, Michael, who was long ago institutionalized for killing a young girl, arrives in town and begins to insinuate himself back into Joe's life. Joe's daughter, Roberta, an up-and-coming local TV newscaster, competes for scoops as more mayhem follows. Truman works hard to put all the pieces together, and though it's not her most plausible puzzle, she delivers a satisfying resolution to what becomes a cautionary tale about ambition and a vote for journalistic integrity.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Joe Wilcox, veteran police reporter for the Washington Tribune, is plagued with increasing self-doubt about his stalled career, feeling more and more pressure from younger, up-and-coming colleagues and from the need to compete with TV and the tabloids. Ironically, his beloved, energetic daughter, Roberta, is one of the up-and-comers, an award-winning broadcast journalist whose tough investigative reporting has begun to be noticed. The death of a Tribune reporter, found strangled in a closet at one end of the newsroom, is big news among the Washington media, and the case puts Joe and Roberta into an awkward competition that could threaten their close relationship, which is further compromised when Joe's long-estranged brother wants to reenter Joe's life. The mystery falls flat, but Truman, whose Capital Crimes series now numbers more than 20, offers a strong portrait of a middle-aged man forced to face the fact that his life is collapsing around him--and it's partly his own fault. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 295 KB
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 25, 2005)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FCKGT8
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,397 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre Mystery, September 16, 2006

By 

Dindy Robinson (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder at The Washington Tribune: A Capital Crimes Novel (Hardcover)

Murder at the Washington Tribune by Margaret Truman is not the worst book I've read this year (I'll reserve that dubious honor for Patricia Cornwell's Predator). And it's not even really that bad. It's just not that good either.

I have to applaud Ms. Truman for venturing away from her usual Washington series starring attorney Mac Smith and coming up with an entirely new set of characters for this novel. I generally enjoy her mysteries, with the combination of Washington insider intrigue, solid mystery writing, and good characters.

This book, however is not so much a mystery as a journey into the temptation of and subsequent fall from grace of a good man. As such, the mystery, the murder of a young journalist takes second place to the relationship between veteran news reporter Joe Wilcox, his daughter, hotshot television reporter Roberta Wilcox and MPD detective Edith Vargas-Swayze.

Also entering the mix is Joe's brother Michael, newly arrived in Washington after years spent in a mental institution after his killing of a teen-age girl. Truman mixes all these characters together, and tosses in a few other mysteries as well-- the murder of another reporter and the killing of an elderly veteran. Sometimes she loses some of the threads-- I don't believe the murder of the second reporter is ever solved, and the resolution of the murder of the first reporter is no big surprise-- the surprise is that no one tumbled to it sooner.

Ultimately the murders in this book are merely window dressing for the true story, which is the downfall of Joe Wilcox. There's nothing terribly wrong with that, however Ms. Truman could have given her story more oomf if she had devoted as much time and energy toward the mysteries as she did to Joe's story. As it is, the reader is left at the end feeling dissatisfied-- not only are all the questions not answered, but there just doesn't seem to have been any purpose to the whole book.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WELL READ DARK TALE OF DECEPTION, GREED AND MURDER, November 1, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder at the Washington Tribune (Capital Crimes, No. 21) (Audio CD)

Margaret Truman has won legions of fans with her Capital Crimes series, and voice performer Dick Hill (dubbed a golden voice by AudioFile) has captured hosts of listeners with his virtuoso readings. Thus, it comes as no surprise that this pairing has resulted in a first-rate audiobook.

"Murder At The Washington Tribune" is a story just as much about a past his prime man trying to jumpstart his stalled career as it is about murder. Hill delivers the story narrated by crime reporter Joe Wilcox with equal parts poignancy, determination, and fear as Joe finds himself jeopardizing his daughter for the byline he so desperately needs.

Wilcox has been at the Washington Tribune for some time now, and he's feeling threatened by the younger reporters who seem to be delivering the hot news. His boss isn't too pleased with him and he's not at all happy with himself. To make matters worse, newspapers are suffering from tabloids and TV investigative reporters.

When a young woman is found strangled in a closet at the Tribune, and then another is found dead in Franklin Square, Joe senses this is just the story he needs to regain favor. Problem is his daughter, Roberta, is a talented young TV newscaster who also wants the scoop.

Joe determines to get the story at any cost and baits a trap for the killer which not only may backfire but also places Roberta in danger. Complicating matters even further is the return of Joe's brother who has been incarcerated for killing a young girl.

Listen as Truman and Hill deliver a dark tale of deception, greed, and murder.

- Gail Cooke

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Always interesting and well written, January 5, 2006

By 

Jessie loves to read "Jessie" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at The Washington Tribune: A Capital Crimes Novel (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed the book, love that Washington politics and career atmostphere. The writing is quite good - easy to read, creates the intended place and time.

Holding me back from five stars was the ending which was a bit too tidy, and the fact that the mystery wasn't at all mysterious!

Still, if you like Ms. Truman's books, it's a must read.