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Jo-Ann Power has written an unusual and entertaining murder mystery set on Capitol Hill. She writes in a down-home style with a quick wit and definitely knows her way around the halls of congress with its power struggles simmering below the surface just waiting for the right moment to erupt. Washington, DC is a town where few trust anyone, and the police are over-worked and painfully slow in their investigations. Carly Wagner, Congresswoman from Texas and a former Miss Texas, arrives in her office early one morning to discover the minority whip in her chair. He has a hole in his chest, his fly is unzipped, and he is holding his severed penis in one hand and Carly's letter opener in the other. He is quite dead. Carly realizes that someone definitely wants her framed for the murder, but who? While the police investigate the murder and let her know she is the prime suspect for now, Carly realizes she will need to do some sleuthing on her own. The police are hampered in their investigations due to the fact that the murder happened on Capitol Hill where a lot of information is protected, even from police. Because of the ongoing murder investigation Carly and the various members of congress also can't talk to each other about the investigation. However, Carly finds that if she words her questions or comments carefully she can get helpful information from guards, cleaning people, and staffers that just may help her and/or the police. Carly's 12-year-old daughter Jordon is extremely close to Zack, the son of the deceased whip. She is his main support during the whole ordeal. This fact adds extra pressure to Carly because the two children are placed in the spotlight. The Press isn't quite sure if the relationship between the two children is helpful or hurtful to Carly's guilt or innocence. With constituents needing to be reassured, and an ex-husband who is demanding and self-centered, Carly at one point feels she can't take any more. However, someone must really think Carly innocent for they hire a bodyguard, Mr Jones, to protect her with all the tools of a James Bond. She doesn't appreciate the protection until she finds she does in fact really need him. Add her daughter's pet chimp Abe and the fact that she is great with a gun, and the killer has to be very clever in trying to eliminate Carly too. By the end there are more suspects to be investigated with time running out before another murder takes place. The reasons for and solution to the murder will leave the reader stunned, but satisfied.
Reviewed by Ginger K. W. Stratton, September 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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