Murder in the White House

New York Times Bestseller: The murder of the secretary of state in the executive mansion sparks a mystery with "a superb denouement" (Time).

In a city where the weapon of choice is usually gossip, the strangling of Secretary of State Lansard Blaine in the Lincoln Bedroom is a gruesome first. White House counsel Ron Fairbanks is ordered to investigate. There are persistent rumors that the secretary was an inveterate womanizer with ties to a glamorous call girl. There is also troubling evidence of unofficial connections with international agents.

For Fairbanks, who is in love with the president's daughter, one point is all too clear: only a few highly placed insiders had access to the Lincoln Bedroom that fateful evening, one of whom was the president. Torn between his job, his loyalty, his love, and uncovering the truth, Fairbanks must make gut-wrenching choices that lead to a surprise no one could have foreseen.

Murder in the White House is the first book in Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes series of political thrillers set in and around Washington, DC. Having spent a good part of her childhood in the White House as the daughter of US President Harry S. Truman, she now takes readers beyond the public halls and into the private corridors of power.

Auteur
Margaret Truman, the only child of President Harry Truman (33rd President of the United States), was born in Independence, Missouri and spent her early years between Missouri and Washington, DC, where her father was a senator. Upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt, Truman assumed the presidency and the young Margaret moved to the White House. From there it was on to George Washington University and a Bachelors of Arts degree in History.After college, she pursued her interest and talent in singing and from the late 1940s into the early 1950s she performed around the world, as well as on radio and television shows. Her singing career received mixed reviews, but nonetheless was followed closely by the media in her day. Truman remained in the public eye when she went on to become one of the first women to be part of the then fledgling morning news and entertainment shows, paired with Mike Wallace on NBC's show Monitor in 1955.She began her writing career in 1956 with her first book, Souvenir, Margaret Truman's Own Story. The autobiography was followed by several works of nonfiction including books about her father, her mother, Bess Truman, and several books focusing on the history of the White House and its previous inhabitants, including former pets of White House families. In 1980, with the release of Murder in the White House, Truman began her foray into the world of fiction, which would continue for the rest of her life. Her Capital Crimes series remains popular with a whole new generation of readers who are intrigued by behind-the-scenes pictures of the political process.A prolific writer in both the fiction and nonfiction genres, Truman has written a total of thirty-five books and is today a truly popular American writer.Margaret Truman died in 2008 at the age of 83.

Résumé
"Whodunit? Ask the President's daughter. Truman has upheld executive honor." (Washington Post)Who better to write a political thriller than the daughter of a president? Margaret Truman's first book in the Capital Crimes series, Murder in the White House, takes readers on a whirlwind journey through the public halls of power and the private corridors of the White House. When the Secretary of State is found murdered in the Lincoln bedroom, Ron Fairbanks, special counsel to the president and secret suitor of presidential daughter Lynne, is appointed to head the investigation.The investigation leads Fairbanks headlong into the secrets of not only the Secretary of State, but the President, the First Lady, and his beloved Lynne. When the young attorney realizes the position he's in, torn between his job, his loyalty, his love, and uncovering the truth, he must make gut-wrenching choices, which lead to a surprise that no one could have foreseen.Margaret Truman used her first-hand Washington political knowledge to create Capital Crimes, a riveting twenty-five book series of political mysteries set in and around the landmarks of the capital city; from Foggy Bottom to Embassy Row to the Smithsonian. There are some recurring characters, but the series can be read out of sequence. Capital Crimes is Truman's most popular series, with several titles spending time on the New York Times Bestsellers List.Released in 1980, this novel quickly became a bestseller, as well as a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection. The book also forms the basis for the 1997 movie Murder at 1600 starring Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane, and Alan Alda.