Blurb:
After her
boss narrowly escaped political defeat, Kit Marshall is settling into life as a
busy congressional staffer. While attending an evening reception at the United
States Botanic Garden, Kit’s best friend stumbles upon the body of a
high-ranking government official. The chairwoman of a congressional committee
asks Kit to investigate, and she finds herself once again in the thick of a
murder investigation. The complications keep coming with the unexpected arrival
of Kit’s younger brother Sebastian, a hippie protestor who seems more concerned
about corporate greed than the professional problems he causes for his sister.
To make matters even worse, the romantic lives of Kit’s closest friends are
driving her crazy, diverting her attention from the mystery she’s been tasked
to solve. The search for the killer requires her to tussle with an
investigative journalist right out of a noir novel, a congresswoman fixated on
getting a statue of James Madison installed on the Capitol grounds, and a bossy
botanist who would do anything to protect the plants he loves. When the
murderer sends a threatening message to Kit via a highly unusual delivery
mechanism, Kit knows she must find the killer or risk the lives of her friends
and loved ones.
Excerpt:
“So, why are we going to a garden
to drink beer tonight, Kit? Has Doug’s trust fund dried up?” Sebastian gave me
a playful punch on the arm to let me know he was yanking my chain.
I sighed for the umpteenth time
before responding. “It’s my job, Sebastian. I’m the chief of staff for a member
of the House of Representatives. She’s been assigned to a relatively obscure
committee called House Administration. It oversees the legislative branch
agencies and the Capitol Grounds.”
Sebastian considered my answer
for a few moments before speaking. The snide tone was gone. “That’s actually
kind of cool. So, your boss helps run Congress?”
“Partially. The Speaker appointed
her to this committee because she’s smart and asks intelligent questions. The
nice part about the assignment is that she gets invited to the best events on
Capitol Hill. Like tonight.”
We’d just driven past the
Washington Monument, on our way due east toward the Botanic Garden, which was
situated at the base of the Hill between the Hirshhorn Museum and the Capitol
Building.
“Why is tonight so special again? There’s a
special flower you want me to see?”
I punched his arm playfully.
“Trust me, Sebastian. Aren’t you a fan of the Earth and everything natural?
You’ll be right at home at the Botanic Garden,” I said. “But you’re right.
You’ll see something amazing at the reception this evening.”
He cleared his throat. “And what
exactly is this awe-inspiring specimen of the plant kingdom?”
In my most ominous voice, I
answered my brother. “The corpse flower. We’re going to see the corpse flower.”
My Review:
4 stars
This is my third Washington
Whodunnit mystery and the fifth in the series. I’ll admit, while I had some trouble
understanding and connecting with the characters in the first book I read, by
now, I’ve gotten to know Kit and her crew pretty well, so it was great getting
to come back and see where they are after the last book left off. Kit in
particular has grown on me, and I love how Doug joined Kit to help with her
investigations now. I’m a sucker for partner-teams, and those two delivered.
In addition to revisiting
familiar faces, we also get a new character in Kit’s brother, which added
another fun, dysfunctional element to Kit’s posse, as well as new locations in Washington
D.C., including the aforementioned Botanic Garden. As in the past two books,
the descriptions of D.C. and the inner workings of Kit’s office were detailed
and interesting, and really brought me into the story. Add to all that twists,
turns, and intrigue, and this was a wonderful cozy mystery.
*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 lives in Arlington,
Virginia with her husband Rob and their beagle mutt Conan. She is a member of
Sisters in Crime. "Stabbing in the Senate" was awarded the Next
Generation Indie prize for Best Mystery in 2016. "Homicide in the
House" was a 2017 finalist for the RONE Award for Best Mystery. “Calamity
at the Continental Club” was a 2018 finalist in the “best cozy mystery” at
Killer Nashville.
Buy Links:
Congratulations on this great review and thank you for sharing the book details. This sounds like an exciting series.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeleteSounds great
ReplyDeleteDo you plan on writing more books in this series?
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun read. Best of luck on your book tour.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release. Are you happy to see the book finished?
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!
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