by Margaret Truman
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| List Price: | $25.00 |
| Average Rating: |  |
| Lowest New Price: | $3.99 |
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Product Description
The Watergate in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's most famous addresses-- although not everyone knows exactly what it is. This imposing, fabulous complex is made up of a hotel, residences, restaurants, offices, shops, and more. It is a haven for the famous after they break out and, on occasion, for the infamous when they break in. Its very name has become part of our history.
Margaret Truman, herself the bearer of one of the world's most famous names, knows Washington's ins and outs, including who is "in" and who is "out." In this absorbing, timely Capital Crimes mystery, she shows us around this fascinating city that is America's center of power and--some would say--corruption. Some of those who are "out" here are very dead indeed.
The glittering cast of characters includes Vice President Joe Aprile, who plans to become president, if he can avoid a tempting vice; a glamorous Washington hostess and fund-raiser, Elfie Dorrance, with a propensity for marrying rich and powerful men and then grieving prettily at the end--their end; and Chris Hedras, a special assistant to the vice president, with some very special ambitions. And, of course, Annabel Smith, gallery owner, and Mac Smith, law school professor. The story deals in part with the influence on political campaigns of "soft money" and its hard consequences, as well as this country's tortuous and often ambiguous relationship with Mexico, in particular the glorious San Miguel de Allende, home of the well-to-do, and a few ill-to-do, a place involving drugs, politics, and police and politicians looking the other way.
Once again Margaret Truman offers a delight to the reader who likes a fast-turning page, the pleasure of inside information, the allure of high life crossing paths with lowlife, and the return of the attractive crime-solving couple Mac and Annabel
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com
One wonders what will happen if and when Margaret Truman runs out of "appropriate" Washington, D.C., landmarks in and around which to stage her murders. Murder at the Watergate fits nicely into the mold with which Truman's fans have long been familiar: that elegant couple, Mac Smith and Annabel Reed, newly ensconced in their Watergate apartment, become enmeshed in a political imbroglio that leads--as it must--to murder. Their good friend, the vice president, finds that U.S. policy on Mexico can be one hot potato. Or tamale. The dueling factions of the Mexican-American Trade Alliance and the Mexico initiative--the former an "unoffical" but deeply menacing lobbying presence with a stake in maintaining the status quo, the latter a think tank bent on exposing corruption deep within Mexico's ruling party--weave a ragged tapestry of blackmail, bribery, assault, and murder that threatens to envelop both Mac and Annabel--and the administration itself. Truman hopscotches rather frantically around the globe and throws in a few over-the-top minor characters to keep the loyal reader hot on her trail. A less devoted reader may be tempted to abandon the chase somewhere in London. One doesn't read Truman for her dialogue, her characters, or her gripping cliffhangers. But her cogent meditations and snide asides on politicking and politicos are absolutely on target and a pleasure to read. --Kelly Flynn
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An interesting read, 2003-09-23
I love mysteries. I love suspense as well. And this book didn't fail in that respect. However, I am spoiled, I like really good writing when I am reading a mystery ~~ this book doesn't qualify. Mac Smith is appointed by the Vice-President Angrile to go to Mexico to oversee the elections there. There have been a series of murders lately ~~ and it all points to the ruling class in Mexico ~~ as they fought to keep the political powers in their grasp. Stories and rumors fly about in Washington and Mac Smith is right in the middle of it. His wife joins him on the trip to Mexico and they're in the midst of all the excitement. It is a fast read ~~ an interesting one. But if you're looking for a book with some substance to it ~~ this book would not be it. It is just a fast mystery read that you don't have to think about the characters much. It's a perfect read for a lying-in on a blanket while enjoying the fall colors. 9-22-03
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 A good yawn?, 2001-07-22
No fan of her writings, I still buy them all, when they become available in paperbacks, because I like the "inside" insights she always has to offer on Washington. But after 13 (or is it 14?) I have to repeat what I said about the third one: Poor Meg, she never could sing and she still can't write! In Watergate she almost outdoes herself for bad grammar, awkward syntax and malapropisms; this one afforded opportunities for bad Spanish as well, of which she took plenty of advantage. Otherwise we have the usual plodding method: No one can come onstage without a complete inventory of how he is dressed, whether or not it adds to his character portrayal. No one can eat a meal without a litany of courses obvioualy drawn from the restaurant menu. Every movement through any city has to be traced out on a city map. I'm sure by now she has a healthy library of menus, maps and fashion magazines, where what she really needs is a good editor. But there is something new in Watergate, or anyway something I've not noticed in previous Murders here and there -- political polemics, and the lady plainly does not understand the politics or economics of free trade, and her bungling treatment of NAFTA detracts from an already-less-than-mediocre story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 the best murder mystery by Truman by far, 2000-01-17
Truman has outdoone herself with this one! its the best mystery ever by the queen of political mystery. Who did it? ask Margaret and she will tell you who!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
LOVE The Capital Crime Series!, 1999-10-13
But this one wasn't as great as most of the others. I enjoyed the action and even found the opinionated descriptions of corruption in Mexico somewhat interesting and thought-provoking. But wish that this book didn't feel so rushed and that it had more heart. I was getting a "Lawrence Sanders" kind of feeling (whose books I also enjoy, but in a different way).
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Makes U.S. Mexican Policy first priority, 1999-08-15
All of M. Truman's books are entertaining. However this one doesn't live up to expectations. The main theme seems to editorialize about her opinions concerning U.S. policies re' Mexico. The mystery plot is late arriving and almost incidental.Hope the next one returns to her former standard.
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