Murder on Embassy Row

Margaret Truman

10/17/2000

"Whooosh-slurp!" Did you hear that? That was the sound of me getting sucked right into Murder on Embassy Row from the beginning pages. This mystery is set in the early 1980's in Washington D.C. after the American hostages were released from Iran. Yet that situation is only the background. This story is about the contraband that was shipped afterwords.

Sal Morizio is a policeman on the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C. When the British Ambassador is murdered, he is given the case for Public Relations only. He has orders to leave it alone and not investigate. Unfortunately, his interest has already been aroused. Then his friend in Security at the British Embassy is murdered and framed for drugs. Morizio knows the drug charge was false. He and his lover, Connie Lake, keep investigating.

As with all of Ms. Truman's Capital Crime Series, this book reveals background politics of Washington. This time, though, it appears to be the politics of gourmet food, contraband caviar especially. There is an Iranian connection. I've always known Russian caviar was some of the best in the world. I never knew before that Iranian caviar is on the same level. Because of the hostage situation it is no longer permitted to be imported to the United States. This country had banned all trade with Iran.

Morizio and Lake are good protagonists. Truman will let her heroes keep going on their own convictions despite what it may do to their job. This appears to be a situation that if the two police officers follow their ethics they will lose their jobs and possibly more. Yet if they do not follow their own morals, they will lose themselves. This book has taken all its twists and turns to an unexpected conclusion.

Other people have reviews of Murder on Embassy Row at . Those reviewers did not appreciate the book as much as I did.

The Series:

Murder in the White House
Murder on Capitol Hill
Murder in the Supreme Court
Murder in the Smithsonian
Murder on Embassy Row
Murder at the FBI
Murder in Georgetown
Murder in the CIA
Murder at the Kennedy Center
Murder at the National Cathedral
Murder at the Pentagon
Murder on the Potomac
Murder at the National Gallery
Murder in the House
Murder at the Watergate
Murder in the Library of Congress
Murder in Foggy Bottom
Murder in Havana
Murder at Ford's Theater
Murder at Union Station
Murder at the Washington Tribune
Murder at the Opera
Murder on K Street