Murder in the Senate

Julia Bristow, a widow filling out the last six months of her husband's term as U.S. senator from Louisiana, is about to deliver a ``bombshell'' speech in the Senate chamber when a madman begins firing a pistol in the air. The speech is never delivered: Senator Bristow is murdered that night, her body left for discovery in the Capitol subway. Police chief Jeff Fitzgerald is assigned to solve the case by the Senate majority leader, who got him his job after he was dismissed from the FBI in connection with a fellow agent's death. As evidence piles up that both Bristow's and a subsequent murder might be related to the apparent serial killings of several prostitutes, and that the dead senator was having an affair with a racist House member who would logically be her political opponent, Fitzgerald becomes convinced that he is being set up. The novel starts slowly, and a subplot dealing with psychic powers seems unnecessary, but the pace picks up nicely in the second half as a very clever political and financial scam is finally revealed. Lots of insider perspective, as might be expected from coauthor Cohen ( One-Eyed Kings ), the senior senator from Maine. Allen wrote WarGames and has collaborated on several nonfiction titles. (Jan.)