Homicide in the House

By Colleen J. Shogan

Washington, DC, can be murder in this “solid choice for political junkies and readers of Maggie Sefton, Fred Hunter, and Mike Lawson” (Library Journal).

Vindicated after helping catch the culprit who murdered her senator boss, Washington DC, staffer Kit Marshall has bounced back with vigor. Now she is working for a freshman congresswoman, Maeve Dixon, a young Gulf War veteran representing North Carolina.
 
Still, not all is well. A government shutdown was just announced, Kit’s boyfriend doesn’t seem any closer to popping the question, and her pet pooch Clarence has little to no chance of winning the Capitol Canine contest. But things get really bad when Dixon is caught standing over the corpse of the Speaker of the House’s top staffer—who she was seen bitterly arguing with the day before.
 
The murder weapon was the Speaker’s gavel, which was entrusted to Dixon at the time, leading the police to believe they’ve found their killer. To save her job, Kit must clear her boss’s name before a killer gets away with a “capitol” offense in this “fast-paced fun read” (Jane Reads).
 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781603813341

Colleen J. Shogan

Colleen J. Shogan is the deputy director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress. She is a former Senate staffer who started reading mysteries at the age of six. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American government at George Mason University, Georgetown, and Penn. Stabbing in the Senate is her first novel. Colleen is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her BA from Boston College and her doctorate from Yale. A member of Sisters in Crime, she lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband Rob Raffety and their rescue mutt, Conan. For more information, please go to: www.colleenshogan.com.

Reviews for Homicide in the House

[jane.reads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Homicide in the House, an amazing cozy mystery novel, is Book Two in the Washington Whodunit series. (The first book in the series, Stabbing in the Senate, is highly recommended also — four stars!) [Note: It's possible to read Homicide in the House as a stand-alone. Author Colleen J. Shogan has included little snippets from Stabbing in the Senate so that new readers aren't lost. This means, however, that some of these snippets are somewhat spoiler-y, so if you plan to read both books, I urge you to start with Stabbing in the Senate.]

The main characters are Kit Marshall, who is Legislative Director for Rep. Maeve Dixon (freshman Democrat from NC), Kit's live-in boyfriend Doug Hollingsworth, Kit's and Doug's dog Clarence, Kit's BFF Meg Peters, and Detective O'Halloran. The story is told by Kit in first person. All of the characters are realistic and believable. The action takes place during a government shutdown.The shutdown was no vacation for the office of Maeve Dixon. In fact, it was precisely the opposite. It gave Maeve the opportunity to show her constituents, and maybe the whole country , that she was a rising star in American politics. My job was to make sure she was front and center when every important decision and deal transpired.Because of events in Stabbing in the Senate, Kit has acquired a reputation as a sleuth, and the necessary skills. She puts these skills to use as she solves the Homicide in the House, with the help of her friends.Did Kay Scarpetta have to deal with such a lack of focus amongst her band of faithful crime-solving helpers? I doubted it. Since I was no Scarpetta, I waited patiently for my comrade to elaborate.Homicide in the House is a fast-paced fun read, with an original concept. Author Colleen J. Shogan's education and work experience ensure that the details are factual, and fascinating to readers without inside-the-Beltway knowledge. There are plot twists every so often to keep the readers on their toes. The suspense at the end of the book — WOW! What a climax! I love the part that Clarence plays in the climax, as well as providing some comic relief earlier.

I am really looking forward to the next book in the Washington Whodunit series. I am wondering what the title will be. Smackdown at the Smithsonian? Whupping at the White House?

Homicide in the House is amazing. I was hooked from the first sentence, and read it in only two days. I recommend Homicide in the House to all fans of cozy mysteries. I think it will particularly appeal to anyone who prefers fictional political shenanigans over the real ones in the news lately.

I loved Homicide in the House by Colleen J. Shogan, and award it my highest rating of Five Stars!


Note: I received a complimentary copy of Homicide in the House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

Originally published on my blog Jane Reads