Capital Murder by Phillip Margolin

Capitol Murder by Phillip Margolin is his third in a series of Washington DC based thrillers.  His main characters private investigator Dana Cutler and lawyers Brad and Ginny Miller return to unravel several clever interrelated subplots.

 

After Brad’s boss, a Supreme Court justice is murdered in the previous book, Supreme Justice, Brad goes to work as an aide to Oregon Senator Jack Carson.  Brad’s wife Ginny leaves her high brow Washington legal firm to engage in more satisfying work in the Justice Department.  They look forward to normalcy in their new careers and in their marriage.

 Meanwhile back in Oregon (Brad and Ginny’s home state), Clarence Little, a convicted serial killer now on death row, begins sending disturbing and threatening messages to Brad.  Brad was instrumental in overturning one of Clarence’s many convictions but is no longer involved in Clarence’s legal battles.  Then in the midst of appealing another conviction, Clarence escapes from jail, killing a guard and his current lawyer.  Brad and Ginny are concerned that Clarence will come after them.

Another subplot involves a Middle Eastern terrorist group who had planned to blow up a professional football stadium packed with fans during a Sunday game.  While the plot is foiled before any damage is done, information surfaces that Sen. Carson could somehow be implicated.  Sen. Carson is a high ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.  One of his generous campaign donors, Koshani is a sexually exotic woman who operates a high class escort service in Portland and is suspected of having ties to the foiled terrorist group.  Koshami has compromising photos of the Senator that if published would destroy his career and personal life.   Koshani is summoned to DC and testify to the Senate Intelligence Committee presumably to clear Sen. Carson.  While in DC she stays at Sen. Carson’s Georgetown townhouse and is murdered.  The murder eerily resembles the work of Clarence Little.  With no clear evidence tying Sen. Carson to any illicit activity, P.I. Dana Culter is hired to covertly investigate the Senator before federal agencies risk implicating such a high ranking official.  Since she frequently does investigative reporting for a magazine, she is able to conceal her true employer.

The author successfully weaves several subplots into a compelling story.  Terrorist plots, corruption in government, inter-agency rivalry, and manipulation of the democratic process all set right by likable private citizens make for an entertaining read.  However, with such a complex interconnected plot, I thought plausibility seemed compromised at times; some of the events are a little too coincidental.  Plus, the ‘blow up the football stadium’ plot line has been done before.  Nonetheless, Margolin's Capital Murder is a good effort in the genre and worth a look.  I would however recommend reading the trilogy in order: Executive Privilege, Supreme Justice, Capitol Murder.  Character development builds on itself from one book to the next.