Murder in the Oval Library

Set in April 1861, Gleason’s lackluster sequel to 2017’s Murder in the Lincoln White House finds the residents of Washington, D.C., bracing for what everyone fears will be a successful assault by Confederate troops on a city sorely in need of military reinforcements. As presidential aide Adam Speed Quinn works with Kansas senator Jim Lane to buttress the White House’s meager defenses, the president’s vulnerability to attack is shockingly underscored when someone slits the throat of Johnny Thorne, a member of the Kansas Freedom Guard assigned to protect Lincoln, in the residence’s library. Adam investigates, assisted again by intrepid reporter Sophie Gates. Their sleuthing is bolstered by an obvious clue, and despite the setup’s inherent drama, suspense is at a minimum. Gleason succeeds in capturing the tensions of the nation’s capital in the aftermath of the firing on Fort Sumter, but those interested in Civil War–era mysteries would be better served by Owen Parry’s Abel Jones series. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Sept.)