Blurb:
At a fancy Washington political fundraiser for Congresswoman Maeve Dixon, Kit and her best pal Meg do their best to woo wealthy lobbyists for campaign donations. When a powerful K Street tycoon mysteriously tumbles off the rooftop, Kit must spring into action to discover who killed the notorious Van Parker before Dixon's candidacy sputters.
Excerpt:
We squeezed around his computer as he pressed “play” on the YouTube video. The title of the video was “Personal Foul.” Not a good start. I braced myself.
Mack Hackensack’s face appeared on screen. Standing in the middle of a basketball court, he sported a UNC “Champions” polo shirt and wore a whistle around his beefy neck. An image of the American flag with an embroidered “USA” decorated his baseball hat. My politically astute brain churned. Without saying a word, the image conveyed “winner” and “patriot” in a single swoop.
But Coach didn’t stay silent for long. “I’ve always played by the rules. Work hard, play hard. Those are my values. I’m not afraid of making the tough calls or staying late for practice.” Then he walked toward center court, where the national championship trophy rested on a table.
He put his hand on the trophy before speaking again. “When my players do something wrong on the court, the referee calls a personal foul.”
Then the camera shot tightened. “The voters of the seventh district in North Carolina are the referees. Watch closely how my opponent, Maeve Dixon, plays the game.”
The image flashed to a still image of Maeve, standing in front of the Great Wall of China. His voice continued in the background. “While the people of North Carolina were struggling with the economic recession, where was Maeve Dixon? Traveling the world with her liberal colleagues.”
The next photo showed our boss in front of Big Ben. She was smiling for the camera, her brown hair whipping in the wind. “You deserve better than being represented by a member of Congress who treats her job like a vacation,” said the Coach.
“We shouldn’t have tweeted out pictures from her trip to London,” I muttered.
The ad returned to Coach Hackensack next to the trophy. “Voters, there’s only one smart choice.” He pointed to the camera and blew his whistle. “Call a personal foul on Maeve Dixon. Elect me as your next Congressman!”
After putting my head in my hands, I could only manage two words. “Game over.”
My Review:
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
This is my second Kit Marshall mystery, the first being Calamity at the Continental Club. Even though this could work as a standalone, I would recommend reading the series in order, as I understood the characters more this time due to reading CCC. I’d had a hard time falling in love with the characters before, but getting to see them “down the road” so to speak and meet them again helped. I wasn’t as confused behind why the characters made the decisions they did (even if they didn’t always make sense).
This was an interesting mystery, containing even more fun facts about D.C. and the inner workings of the political system. I was surprised at how in-depth the details were, and they helped bring the story to life. And let’s not forget about the twists, turns, and fast-paced intrigue (politics), which made this book a fast read. If you’re looking for some light, summer detective reads, I would recommend giving this series a try.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.
Author Bio and Links:
Colleen J. Shogan has been reading mysteries since the age of six. She writes the Washington Whodunit series published by Camel Press and Harlequin. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American politics at Yale, George Mason University, Georgetown, and Penn. She previously worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer in the United States Senate and is currently a senior executive at the Library of Congress, working on great programs such as the National Book Festival. Colleen won the Next Generation Indie Award for Best Mystery for her first novel, Stabbing in the Senate. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Rob and their beagle mutt Conan.
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