Guest Review: Capitol Murder

Summary: Private investigator Dana Cutler and attorney Brad Miller have overcome more than a few daunting challenges and powerful enemies to see justice done. Against tremendous odds, they successfully unmasked an American president's involvement in a chain of murders. They also saved the life of a Supreme Court justice while foiling a conspiracy by rogue members of the CIA to fix a case headed for the court.

Now wicked threats old and new are about to bring them together once again. Convicted serial killer Clarence Little has escaped from death row in Oregon, and Brad receives threatening messages in D.C., where he is working for Senator Jack Carson, a high-ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A dead body, murdered according to Little's M.O., is found in the senator's Georgetown home, and Carson has disappeared. While Dana is in Oregon digging into Carson's shady background, a terrorist cell is poised to destroy a packed professional football stadium in one of the biggest attacks on American soil. As the senator's personal life begins to dovetail with the cell's evil plan, Brad and Dana will risk it all again to uncover the truth and save their country.

Phillip Margolin proves once more that he is a true master of suspense, delivering another high-octane thriller set in Washington's legendary corridors of power. Capitol Murder's breathtaking pace and electrifying twists will have old fans and newcomers racing to the final, stunning page. -- Harper

In my pre-blogging days, I used to be a big fan of Phillip Margolin and his suspense novels. It's been awhile since I've read one (probably more than five years), but when I received a copy of CAPITOL MURDER, I remembered why these books appeal to me so much. Unfortunately, I knew I wasn't going to be able to get around to reading this book in a timely manner, so I passed it along to someone I know who could read and review it quickly -- my dad. Here are his thoughts:

CAPITOL MURDER is Phillip Margolin’s latest suspense novel. Private investigator Dana Cutler and attorney Brad Miller, characters from past Margolin novels, are brought together again. In CAPITOL MURDER Dana is hired as an investigator for a famous defense attorney while Brad takes a position on the staff of U.S. Senator Jack Carson. It doesn’t take long for their paths to cross and become involved in a national security threat.

Margolin takes the reader on three different plot lines. The first story involves serial killer Clarence Little, another character from a past novel, who escapes from prison and poses a threat to Brad. The second storyline involves Senator Carson, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, whose appetite for women has put him in a very compromising position regarding national security. The third plot involves Pakistani terrorists who plan to blow up a football stadium full of enthusiastic fans.

Margolin brings the three storylines together transitioning smoothly from one to another throughout the novel. The characters are very believable even if there is some confusion due to the large number of them. Since the book draws from two past Margolin novels it probably would benefit the reader to read those books first. However, the book does stand nicely on its own.

CAPITOL MURDER is an entertaining page turner that includes plenty of suspense and action with a surprise ending. This novel is an easy read that should appeal to anyone who likes suspense thrillers.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and to the publisher for providing a copy of this novel.