Murder at Union Station

By Margaret Truman

When Washington’s splendid Union Station opened its doors in 1908, the glorious structure epitomized capital stylishness. Today, restored and refurbished, the station is again a hub of activity where the world’s most famous and infamous people meet–and often collide. Now, in Margaret Truman’s new Capital Crime novel, this landmark locale becomes the scene of a sensational shooting whose consequences ricochet from seedy bars to the halls of Congress.

Historic Union Station means nothing to the elderly man speeding south on the last lap of what turns out to be a one-way journey from Tel Aviv to D.C.–on a train that will soon land him at Gate A-8 and, moments later, at St. Peter’s Gate. This weary traveler, whose terminal destination is probably hell, is Louis Russo, former mob hit man and government informer. Two men are at the station to meet him. One is Richard Marienthal, a young writer whose forthcoming book is based on Russo’s life. The other is the man who kills him.

Russo has returned to help promote Marienthal’s book, which, although no one has been allowed to read it, already has some people shaking in their Gucci boots. The powerful fear the contents will not only expose organized crime’s nefarious business, but also a top-secret assignment abroad that Russo once masterminded for a very-high-profile Capitol Hill client. As news of Russo’s murder rockets from the MPD to the FBI and the CIA, from Congress to the West Wing, the final chapter of the story begins its rapid-fire unfolding.

In addition to the bewildered Marienthal and his worried girlfriend, there is an array of memorable characters: rock-ribbed right-wing Senator Karl Widmer; ruthless New York publisher Pamela Warren; boozy MPD Detective Bret Mullin; shoe-shine virtuoso Joe Jenks; dedicated presidential political adviser Chet Fletcher; and President Adam Parmele himself–not to mention freelance snoops, blow-dried climbers, and a killer or two. There’s no place like the nation’s capital, and as her myriad fans know, Margaret Truman always gets it right. Murder at Union Station is a luxury express, nonstop delight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 26, 2004
• ISBN: 9780345480729

Margaret Truman

MARGARET TRUMAN won faithful readers with her works of biography and fiction, particularly her Capital Crimes mysteries. Her novels let readers into the corridors of power and privilege, and poverty and pageantry, in the nation’s capital. She was the author of many nonfiction books, including The President’s House, in which she shared some of the secrets and history of the White House, where she once resided. She lived in Manhattan.

Reviews for Murder at Union Station

[reluctanttechie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a mystery fan,and this book didn't change that. My bookclub recently read about the author's father, so I thought I would try one of this series.I'm familiar with DC, so the setting worked for me.

[carolynsuarez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

not her best work but interesting.

[carl_alves_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Murder at Union Station starts with the shooting of a mobster turned government informer at Union Station in Washington. Trying to meet him is Richard Marienthal, a writer who is penning a book about the mobster’s life. When Marienthal begins to dig into why his book subject was shot to death, he begins to find conspiracies leading to the White House and the old Soviet Union and Castro. In the process, Marienthal becomes a target of the killers and has to go on the run.This novel is a solidly built mystery that is fairly well written. There is enough intrigue to keep the book moving. I also appreciated the brevity of the novel. There was nothing overly spellbinding or dynamic about the novel, and the characterization wasn’t especially strong. None of the characters are developed enough to be considered captivating, even the main ones. Still, the novel serves the purpose to entertain, and on that basis is worth reading.Carl Alves – author of Blood Street