From Publishers Weekly
Mining crimes of the past and politics, Truman ( Murder at the Pentagon ) scants the basic plotting requirements of her 11th Capital Crimes case, which is marred by superfluous unsolved murders and an unconvincing conclusion. When the body of Pauline Juris, personal secretary of wealthy developer Wendell Tierney, is found in the Potomac River, Tierney calls former attorney, now law professor, Mackenzie Smith for advice. Mac, whose beloved wife Annabel wants him to stop dabbling in detection, agrees to see Wendell, but he refuses to ferret out the police line on the case, even though a former student of his heads the investigation team. Tierney, becoming chief suspect when love letters, purportedly from him, are found in the dead woman's apartment, again begs for Mac's help. Both Mac and Annabel are drawn into the case, which takes on another twist when the suspect's adopted son, Sun Ben Cheong, is arrested for money laundering. Truman plumps up Mac's low-key sleuthing with the goings on of the fictitious Scarlet Sin Society, a fundraising group that sponsors reenactments of local historical crimes. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Truman's favorite protagonists, Mac and Annabel Smith, are called in when a weed-covered body is discovered along the banks of the Potomac.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Truman's latest in her Capital Crime series is tasteful and highbrow, every Yuppie's dream mystery. Set in Washington, D.C., the story stars the glamorous, wealthy, and powerful elite seen at the most prestigious charity fund-raisers, the trendiest restaurants, and the poshest cocktail parties. Mac and Annabel Smith, current beautiful people and former lawyers, have "retired" to become a GWU law professor and a Georgetown gallery owner, respectively. This doesn't stop Mac from becoming involved in the occasional murder case, much to Annabel's chagrin. When Mac's friend, wealthy developer Wendell Tierney, finds himself in hot water--his closest aide has been murdered; his marriage is crumbling; his adopted son has been accused of money laundering; his daughter is demanding a million dollars to launch her own one-woman show; and his multimillion-dollar financial standing is in jeopardy--Mac, with the help of ravishing D.C. cop Darcy Eikenberg, comes to the rescue, albeit reluctantly. The plot's pretty standard, and the writing's just okay, but Truman's quirky characters are amusing, and her insights into the lives of the rich and famous are heady and fascinating. Predictable but entertaining--and certain to be popular. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
Whether Truman's mirroring recent Washington scandals or just running out of landmark sites in which to dump bodies, her latest corpse is Pauline Juris, personal assistant and bagwoman to Wendell Tierney, of Tierney Development and the National Building Museum board, who is found floating in the relatively obscure current off Roosevelt Island, home of the Theodore Roosevelt memorial. So there's less tourist lore than usual, and more workaday plotting, as Tierney and his family--actress-daughter Suzanne, heir-apparent Chip, adopted son Sun Ben Cheong--take turns incriminating themselves. (Did Tierney write those typed love letters to Pauline? Was Chip having an affair with her? Was she holding the purse strings of the money Suzanne hoped to get to launch her one-woman show in New York? Did she know about Sun Ben's money-laundering?) Mackensie Smith (Murder at the Pentagon, 1992, etc.), dragged into the case over his wife, Annabel's, objections and his own misgivings about adoring Det. Darcy Eikenberg, his former student, gets the answers, honors his friendships, and doesn't defile his marital bed. Writing of an amateur troupe specializing in historic DC murders, Truman says that their ``staged reenactments, despite patches of bad acting, were historically accurate and drew large audiences.'' Not a bad review of her own long-running series, and this entry in particular. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
MARGARET TRUMAN
Bestselling author of MURDER AT THE PENTAGON

MURDER ON THE POTOMAC

"A first-rate mystery writer."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
First time in paperback!
"Harry's daughter knows her milieu; better still, she knows how to portray it convincingly."
--The San Diego Union
Law professor Mac has unflagging passion for two things in his life: his wife Annabel and the majestic Potomac River. When Mac discovers a weed-shrouded body in the latter, the former gets edgy. Lovely Annabel, owner of a flourishing Georgetown art gallery, must not only endure her husband's obsession with another killing, but she must believe Mac when he says that a stunning female former student is one of the only people who can help him.
They discover that the corpse was once the confidante' of a wealthy Washingtonian, which leads to the Scarlet Sin Society, a theatrical group that--perilously--reenacts historical murders. And soon, the only thing that matters more to Mac than solving this serpentine case is preventing Annabel's untimely death (.
"Truman 'knows the forks' in the nation's capital and how to pitchfork her readers into a web of murder and detection."
--The Christian Science Monitor
"Margaret Truman has settled firmly into a career of writing murder mysteries, all evoking brilliantly the Washington she knows so well."
--The Houston Post



From the Publisher
The never-ending fascination with our nation's capital has made Margaret Truman's novels bestsellers everywhere, including in my territory in Southern California. She always is in the top 15 on the lists. And I'm looking forward to selling her new mass market paperback, MURDER IN THE WATERGATE, which we publish next summer.

--Nanci Andersen, Ballantine Sales


From the Publisher
Margaret Truman makes the politics, scandals, and lives of the citizens of Washington D. C. come to life in her mysteries. I especially love the characters of Mac Smith and his wife, Annabelle who never seem to be able to keep their imminently curious noses out of a good murder. Besides having incredible chemistry between one another, they also make a fantastic team and a highly entertaining one Sarah Glazar, Assistant Editor


From the Inside Flap
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
MARGARET TRUMAN
Bestselling author of MURDER AT THE PENTAGON

MURDER ON THE POTOMAC

"A first-rate mystery writer."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
First time in paperback!
"Harry's daughter knows her milieu; better still, she knows how to portray it convincingly."
--The San Diego Union
Law professor Mac has unflagging passion for two things in his life: his wife Annabel and the majestic Potomac River. When Mac discovers a weed-shrouded body in the latter, the former gets edgy. Lovely Annabel, owner of a flourishing Georgetown art gallery, must not only endure her husband's obsession with another killing, but she must believe Mac when he says that a stunning female former student is one of the only people who can help him.
They discover that the corpse was once the confidante' of a wealthy Washingtonian, which leads to the Scarlet Sin Society, a theatrical group that--perilously--reenacts historical murders. And soon, the only thing that matters more to Mac than solving this serpentine case is preventing Annabel's untimely death (.
"Truman 'knows the forks' in the nation's capital and how to pitchfork her readers into a web of murder and detection."
--The Christian Science Monitor
"Margaret Truman has settled firmly into a career of writing murder mysteries, all evoking brilliantly the Washington she knows so well."
--The Houston Post

FROM OUR EDITORS

Tenth and latest Capital Crimes from this national bestselling author. A weed-covered body discovered on the Potomac riverbank draws the husband-and-wife sleuth team of Mac and Annabel Smith into yet another intriguing plot in D.C.

ANNOTATION

Here is more marvelous mystery from the First Lady of Capital Crime, Margaret Truman, a proven bestseller of almost a dozen novels: Law professor MacKenzie Smith and his wife Annabel are on the scene again--when a body is discovered on the banks of the Potomac.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In her tenth and latest Capital Crimes mystery, Margaret Truman has brought back the attractive couple Annabel and Mac Smith, who are becoming the Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. and Mrs. North, of her very engaging novels. Both are ex-lawyers - Mac now a legendary professor, Annabel the owner of a prospering Georgetown art gallery. When Mac is called in on yet one more murder, Annabel's patience is strained again. And when the middle-aged Mac encounters a smart, stunning female former student, now a detective, Annabel's joy is extremely contained. The weed-covered body discovered on the Potomac riverbank draws them into several overlapping circles: the Scarlet Sin Society, a theatrical group that reenacts murders from Washington's rich history, sometimes at the risk of murdering one another; the intrigues in and around the National Building Museum, whose board is presided over by a wealthy D.C. developer; and locales as diverse as Chinatown, Atlantic City, and the Bahamas. And all of this over Annabel's almost-dead body.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Mining crimes of the past and politics, Truman ( Murder at the Pentagon ) scants the basic plotting requirements of her 11th Capital Crimes case, which is marred by superfluous unsolved murders and an unconvincing conclusion. When the body of Pauline Juris, personal secretary of wealthy developer Wendell Tierney, is found in the Potomac River, Tierney calls former attorney, now law professor, Mackenzie Smith for advice. Mac, whose beloved wife Annabel wants him to stop dabbling in detection, agrees to see Wendell, but he refuses to ferret out the police line on the case, even though a former student of his heads the investigation team. Tierney, becoming chief suspect when love letters, purportedly from him, are found in the dead woman's apartment, again begs for Mac's help. Both Mac and Annabel are drawn into the case, which takes on another twist when the suspect's adopted son, Sun Ben Cheong, is arrested for money laundering. Truman plumps up Mac's low-key sleuthing with the goings on of the fictitious Scarlet Sin Society, a fundraising group that sponsors reenactments of local historical crimes. (June)

Library Journal

The author's (Murder at the Pentagon, Fawcett, 1993) ``Capital Crime'' series continues with the discovery of a body on the banks of the Potomac River. Ex-lawyer Mac Smith is called upon for help. Essential for fans. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/94.]

BookList - Emily Melton