Murder in the Oval Office

The author places his sixth mystery in 1934 at the White House where the First Lady again proves her skills as an amateur sleuth. A foe of crooked financiers, Alabama Congressman Winstead Colmer is shot dead in the Oval Office by someone who leaves the room locked and bolted from the inside. Helping to solve that puzzle, Mrs. Roosevelt concentrates on searching for the killer among persons close to Colmer, including his wife. As expected, the complex events end with the perceptive First Lady outwitting the guilty party, in an ingenious story. Members of the Brain Trust, New Deal launchers and other luminarieseven Sally Randspark the entertainment. But many readers won't appreciate Elliott Roosevelt's innuendos about his parents or others who can no longer speak for themselves. Mystery Guild dual selection; Reader's Digest condensed book; paperback rights to Avon. (Mar.)