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. Agent, Ted Chichak. (Oct. 26)
FYI:
Truman's latest work of nonfiction is
The President's House (2003).
