Sauve career politician, Lyle Simmons arrives home after a fund raiser to find his wife dead. His subsequent actions and cool demeanor soon make him the lead suspect.
Lyle Simmons has been a Washington DC insider for decades, first as a congressman and later as a senator. Like any savvy, career politician, he is harboring presidential aspirations--that is until he discovers his wife dead on the floor of their Foggy Bottom mansion. His next actions seem a little strange. Instead of touching her to see if he can help her--or even calling 911--Simmons calls his chief of staff and his old friend and college roommate, former DA Philip Rotondi. Then, he calls the police.
Lyle Simmons
Simmons has been married to Jeanette since college. Both attractive and from wealthy families, they seem to have lived a charmed live. But no one's life is ever how it seems to outsiders. There was trouble in the marriage. Simmons was spending too many overnights away from home. Jeanette's drinking was growing in its frequency and intensity.
The Simmons Children
The Simmons' son, Neil is the CEO of a prominent--and unscrupulous--lobbying firm, one of the largest in Washington. It was a job that came his way due to his father's status in Congress. The Simmons' daughter lives in California and hasn't spoken to her father in months. Both are stunned by their mother's murder.
The Price of Loyalty
Rotondi jumps in his car and drives from his home along the Maryland coast to Washington as soon as he gets Simmons' call. He has remained the senator's one true friend throughout a career that has attracted a sea of yes-men and women. But even Rotondi starts to have his doubts about Simmons guilt when he sees the senator's nonchalant attitude in the wake of his wife's death. As he starts to investigate on his own, Rotondi is torn between loyalty to his friend and his obligation to uphold the law.
"Murder on K Street" is filled with intrigue and glimpses of insider Washington DC, as only Margaret Truman can tell it. If the plot is a little predictable, that one lapse is more than compensated by her vivid character portrayals and keen knowledge of Washington and its nooks, crannies, and nuances. A very readable mystery novel...and sadly, the last from a talented mystery writer.
About Margaret TrumanMargaret Truman, the daughter of President Harry Truman, penned over 23 mystery novels, most of which were set in Washington DC, as well as several biographies and non-fiction works about her life in the White House. "Murder on K Street" was the last novel published before her death in January of 2008 at age 83.
