Murder on the Metro: Margaret Truman’s Capital Crimes

This strong relaunch of the Margaret Truman franchise from Land (the Murder, She Wrote series) opens with a drone attack on Caesarea, Israel, that kills dozens of beachgoers. A week later, in Washington, D.C., Vice President Stephanie Davenport dies of an apparent heart attack at her official residence. The next morning, former State Department agent Robert Brixton narrowly escapes a suicide bombing in the Metro. Brixton, moved by his daughter’s death in a similar attack five years earlier, sets out to solve the mystery of the subway bombing. In the process, he meets Secret Service agent Kendra Rendine, who believes Davenport was murdered. As their two investigations start to overlap, Brixton and Rendine come across an ex-Mossad agent whose search for the perpetrator behind the drone attack seems to connect with their own. The trail eventually leads to villainy in the ranks of America’s upper political hierarchy. The suspenseful plot and well-developed characters will keep readers turning the pages to the satisfying ending. Land is a worthy successor to Truman. Agent: Robert G. Diforio, D4EO Literary. (Feb.)