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I picked this title up at the library hoping it might be a good read. I had no idea that this was (1) Harry Truman's daughter or (2) a really, really great story! I'm a fan.
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Capital Crimes #21
Murder at The Washington Tribune
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From senators to summer interns, from all the president's men to all-powerful women, Margaret Truman captures the fascinating, high-wire drama of Washington, D.C., like no other writer. Now this master of mystery fiction takes us into the capital's chaotic fourth estate. At the big, aggressive newspaper The Washington Tribune, a young woman has been murdered. And the hunt for her killer is making sensational and lethal headlines. The victim, fresh out of journalism school, hoped to make a splash at the Trib - and then a maintenance man found her in a supply closet, brutally strangled to death. The Trib's journalists are at once horrified and anxious to solve the crime before the cops do, and put this scandal to rest. But the Metropolitan Police Department isn't going to let byline-hungry reporters get in the way of its investigation, and soon enough the journalists and the cops have established warring task forces. Then a second woman is killed, in Franklin Square. Like the first, she was young, attractive, and worked in the media. For veteran Trib reporter Joe Wilcox, whose career is mired in frustration and disappointment, the case strikes close to home. His daughter is a beautiful rising TV news star. As his relationship with a female MPD detective grows more intimate, Joe sees a chance to renew himself as a reporter and as a man. Spearheading the Trib's investigation, he baits a trap for the killer with a secret from his own past. Suddenly Joe is risking his career, his marriage, and even his daughter's life by playing a dangerous game with a possible serial killer, while a police detective is bending rules for the reporter she likes and trusts but may not know as well as she thinks she does. As Joe's daughter finds herself trapped at the heart of a frantic manhunt, the walls come down between family, friendship, ethics, and ambition - and a killer hides in plain sight.
0 pages, Audio CD
First published October 25,2005
This edition
- Format
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0 pages, Audio CD
- Published
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October 25, 2005 by Brilliance Audio
- ISBN
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9781597374392
- ASIN
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1597374393
- Language
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English
About the author
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Mary Margaret Truman Daniel was an American classical soprano, actress, journalist, radio and television personality, writer, and New York socialite. She was the only child of President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. While her father was president during the years 1945 to 1953, Margaret regularly accompanied him on campaign trips, such as the 1948 countrywide whistle-stop campaign lasting several weeks. She also appeared at important White House and political events during those years, being a favorite with the media.
After graduating from George Washington University in 1946, she embarked on a career as a coloratura soprano, beginning with a concert appearance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1947. She appeared in concerts with orchestras throughout the United States and in recitals throughout the U.S. through 1956. She made recordings for RCA Victor, and made television appearances on programs like What's My Line? and The Bell Telephone Hour.
In 1957, one year after her marriage, Truman abandoned her singing career to pursue a career as a journalist and radio personality, when she became the co-host of the program Weekday with Mike Wallace. She also wrote articles as an independent journalist, for a variety of publications in the 1960s and 1970s. She later became the successful author of a series of murder mysteries, and a number of works on U.S. First Ladies and First Families, including well-received biographies of her father, President Harry S. Truman and mother Bess Truman.
She was married to journalist Clifton Daniel, managing editor of The New York Times. The couple had four sons, and were prominent New York socialites who often hosted events for the New York elite.
After graduating from George Washington University in 1946, she embarked on a career as a coloratura soprano, beginning with a concert appearance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1947. She appeared in concerts with orchestras throughout the United States and in recitals throughout the U.S. through 1956. She made recordings for RCA Victor, and made television appearances on programs like What's My Line? and The Bell Telephone Hour.
In 1957, one year after her marriage, Truman abandoned her singing career to pursue a career as a journalist and radio personality, when she became the co-host of the program Weekday with Mike Wallace. She also wrote articles as an independent journalist, for a variety of publications in the 1960s and 1970s. She later became the successful author of a series of murder mysteries, and a number of works on U.S. First Ladies and First Families, including well-received biographies of her father, President Harry S. Truman and mother Bess Truman.
She was married to journalist Clifton Daniel, managing editor of The New York Times. The couple had four sons, and were prominent New York socialites who often hosted events for the New York elite.
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A wonderful book that has suspense at every turn. There is definitely twists to the book that catch you by surprise. Am anxious to see how it finishes.
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One of the better story lines. I missed Mac and Annabel with, but this plot had me thinking and really intrigued.
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7-13-2016 re-read but 6 years ago must have been forgettable - didn't remember it.
in reading my 6 year old comments, i must have gotten some of the verbiage from the book flap.
June 2010 book on tape
veteran Trib reporter Joe Wilcox, whose career is mired in frustration and disappointment, the case strikes close to home. His daughter is a beautiful rising TV news star.
good twists and turns. his brother is something else.
highly recommend, terrificv ending!!!
in reading my 6 year old comments, i must have gotten some of the verbiage from the book flap.
June 2010 book on tape
veteran Trib reporter Joe Wilcox, whose career is mired in frustration and disappointment, the case strikes close to home. His daughter is a beautiful rising TV news star.
good twists and turns. his brother is something else.
highly recommend, terrificv ending!!!
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Nearing retirement, Joe Wilcox looks back at his 23 year career at the Washington Tribune with frustration and quiet desperation. He left a comfortable home in Detroit to join the prestigious paper hoping to launch a stellar career, but after more than 20 years he's still just a crime reporter. When two murders of young women in the media occur, he comes up with a theory about a serial killer but prints it as if it were fact. Meanwhile, his estranged brother Michael is back in town which bodes no good for anyone.
This book highlights some of the more unpleasant aspects of the world of print media, and shows how a life chasing stories and fame can damage a persons integrity.
This book highlights some of the more unpleasant aspects of the world of print media, and shows how a life chasing stories and fame can damage a persons integrity.
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Trite, unrealistic and no real resolution
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This installment of the Capital Crimes Series poses serious questions about the integrity of media at this time when newspapers compete with television and the internet to hold the attention of consumers.
Joe Wilcox is an aging reporter approaching retirement at the Washington Tribune, wondering whether his long career in journalism has amounted to anything worthwhile. Under pressure from his editor Paul Morehouse to produce something to catch the attention of their readers, he sees an opportunity to do that and make one final scoop before he leaves. The body of Jean Kaporis a beautiful female reporter at the paper, was found dead and stuffed in a supply closet at the office, a discovery that has everyone in a panic. Anxious to get things under control, the paper appoints Joe to lead an in-house investigation and he hardly gets started before the body of TV producer Collen MacNamara is discovered in a nearby park. Joe notes the similarities between the crimes: both women were beautiful, both worked in the media and both had been strangled. He begins to speculate that a serial killer may be on the loose, targeting that profile. Soon the other media pick up and run with his theory and Joe is suddenly in the spotlight, requested for interviews. The media attention gets him exactly what he wants, a chance at some last bit of glory before he retires. This may be his big break, his chance to leave his career on a high note.
The Metropolitan Police Department are running their own investigation and insist there is no evidence to substantiate Joe’s claims. The two task forces set up by the newspaper and the police are soon competing with one another, clashing over evidence, approach and conclusions. But as Joe’s speculations lead to outright lies, he discovers he must do more to maintain the momentum he has created and keep the story going, so he decides to set a trap for the killer, wading into dangerous waters.
During this time Joe has other things on his mind, including the safety of his daughter Roberta who is a TV reporter, his connection to a police detective who is bending a few rules to help him, and his brother Michael who has suddenly reappeared in Joe’s life after being committed to a mental institution for killing a young girl.
This crime story does not include a complex mystery. Instead, Truman uses her narrative to explore the question of journalistic integrity, posing questions about what separates fact-based journalism from tabloid rags that offer sensational fodder for consumption. It calls into question the ethics and integrity of ambitious reporters, all competing for jobs and their careers in the cutthroat world of the media. It questions their commitment to maintain ethical standards in their work, use verifiable quotes and reliable contacts, and avoid speculation and sensationalism. It speaks to the need to report facts, not what they believe their readers want to hear.
An interesting read that poses important questions, even if the mystery is easy to solve, leaving one large loose thread hanging, as it closes.
Joe Wilcox is an aging reporter approaching retirement at the Washington Tribune, wondering whether his long career in journalism has amounted to anything worthwhile. Under pressure from his editor Paul Morehouse to produce something to catch the attention of their readers, he sees an opportunity to do that and make one final scoop before he leaves. The body of Jean Kaporis a beautiful female reporter at the paper, was found dead and stuffed in a supply closet at the office, a discovery that has everyone in a panic. Anxious to get things under control, the paper appoints Joe to lead an in-house investigation and he hardly gets started before the body of TV producer Collen MacNamara is discovered in a nearby park. Joe notes the similarities between the crimes: both women were beautiful, both worked in the media and both had been strangled. He begins to speculate that a serial killer may be on the loose, targeting that profile. Soon the other media pick up and run with his theory and Joe is suddenly in the spotlight, requested for interviews. The media attention gets him exactly what he wants, a chance at some last bit of glory before he retires. This may be his big break, his chance to leave his career on a high note.
The Metropolitan Police Department are running their own investigation and insist there is no evidence to substantiate Joe’s claims. The two task forces set up by the newspaper and the police are soon competing with one another, clashing over evidence, approach and conclusions. But as Joe’s speculations lead to outright lies, he discovers he must do more to maintain the momentum he has created and keep the story going, so he decides to set a trap for the killer, wading into dangerous waters.
During this time Joe has other things on his mind, including the safety of his daughter Roberta who is a TV reporter, his connection to a police detective who is bending a few rules to help him, and his brother Michael who has suddenly reappeared in Joe’s life after being committed to a mental institution for killing a young girl.
This crime story does not include a complex mystery. Instead, Truman uses her narrative to explore the question of journalistic integrity, posing questions about what separates fact-based journalism from tabloid rags that offer sensational fodder for consumption. It calls into question the ethics and integrity of ambitious reporters, all competing for jobs and their careers in the cutthroat world of the media. It questions their commitment to maintain ethical standards in their work, use verifiable quotes and reliable contacts, and avoid speculation and sensationalism. It speaks to the need to report facts, not what they believe their readers want to hear.
An interesting read that poses important questions, even if the mystery is easy to solve, leaving one large loose thread hanging, as it closes.
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I enjoy Margaret Truman's writing and this was no exception. I was kept guessing all the way through although I definitely had my suspicions - which were ultimately confirmed.
One criticism is that things wrapped up quickly and neatly at the end. It seemed like there was all this drama and drawing out to set the stage and then, boom! mystery solved and the book ended. Another criticism was the ease of the main character, Joe, of selling out his ethics. He suffered a few pangs of conscience but I would have enjoyed knowing what his thought process was for his rationalizations.
I still enjoyed the book.
One criticism is that things wrapped up quickly and neatly at the end. It seemed like there was all this drama and drawing out to set the stage and then, boom! mystery solved and the book ended. Another criticism was the ease of the main character, Joe, of selling out his ethics. He suffered a few pangs of conscience but I would have enjoyed knowing what his thought process was for his rationalizations.
I still enjoyed the book.
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