Murder at the Pentagon

In characteristic unadorned and bloodless prose Truman ( Murder at the National Cathedral ) delivers this formulaic mystery bound in conspiracy, the 11th in her series of capital crimes. Air Force helicopter pilot and lawyer Major Margit Falk is assigned the defense of Robert Cobol, a CIA officer charged with the murder of Dr. Richard Joycelen. The victim, deputy director of a defense research project devoted to small nuclear devices, was shot inside the Pentagon, purportedly the most secure building in the world. While Margit works up Cobol's defense with the help of mentor Mackensiesic Smith, who has featured in earlier Truman mysteries, world powers adjust to the nuclear capability recently exhibited by a small Arab nation. Margit's boyfriend, Jeff Foxboro, is helping his boss, the senator who heads the committee investigating how the country's despotic leader got the bomb. Not surprisingly, the murder and the bomb are linked, a connection Margit must sacrifice her career to prove. Guidebook descriptions of Washington sights and lengthy discussions of federal agencies and departments provide copious background, but this simplistic tale generates little suspense. Literary Guild selection. (May)