Colleen J. Shogan

Kit Marshall seems to have a knack for finding dead bodies and solving their murders. She came into Duck, South Carolina as part of a town hall meeting for her boss, a congresswoman who is considering a run for the senate. She fully intends to take a few much needed days with friends and family in this popular destination beach town. When the town hall gets out of hand, exposing a rift between the town mayor and his constituents and then the mayor shows up dead, her vacation is going to have to wait.

I figured out whodunnit fairly easily, though of course, I didn’t know why. By the time Kit worked her way around to it, I had forgotten that I suspected that person, and I had just gotten caught up in the story. Kit is a great protagonist with a clever inner circle. If more Washington insiders were like her and her boss, the country would be in great hands.

There are plenty of twists and subplots throughout that keep the story fresh and mystery front and center. I love when I can get lost in the minutia of small town living and let the puzzle take a back seat to a really good tale.

Though this the latest in a robust series, it is the first of it that I have read. It read well as a stand alone and managed to convince me I wanted, rather than needed, to read the series from the beginning. I am looking forward to that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily… (lisätietoja)

Homicide in the House is the second book in the Washington Whodunit series by Colleen Shogan. I did not read the first one, [b:Stabbing in the Senate|25775813|Stabbing in the Senate (Washington Whodunit, #1)|Colleen J. Shogan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437858902s/25775813.jpg|45624968], but I had not problem with the story. The protagonist, Kit Marshall, works for a freshman congresswoman, Maeve Dixon, a young Gulf War veteran representing North Carolina. Her immediate boss, chief of staff Dan is incompetent and clueless. This leaves Kit running point for the office and privy to the comings and goings. The government has shut down and the government is trying to come up with a solution, staffing is limited and the pressure is on. When Maeve Dixon does not immediately agree with the Speaker of the House's solution, she is involved in a rather public argument with his chief of staff Jack Drysdale. The next day Representative Dixon is found standing over the dead body of Jack Drysdale. The Speaker's gavel, recently handled by Maeve Dixon, was identified as the murder weapon. Dixon is the main suspect due to the fact that she found the body, had last handled the murder weapon and had been witnessed in the heated argument with Drysdale. To keep her job, as well as believing that Maeve is innocent, Kit seeks to clear her of wrongdoing. Can Kit find the evidence to clear her boss of this murder? While all this is going on, "Hill Rat" an anonlymous blogger who had too much inside information about Capital Hill, quickly publishes the news that Maeve Dixon is the prime suspect in the murder.

The other characters in the story add a lot to the plot and entertainment of the book. Meg, her best friend, assisted in solving the last murder that Kit was actually suspected of, and she is able to give her some information about Drysdale and his office that Kit investigates. We learn about Kit and her flirty personality as well as a little about her personal life. Kit's boyfriend, Doug, also gives her a hand although reluctantly. He is a college professor who is rather staid, but is a good influence on Kit. The most entertaining of characters is Clarence, the mixed breed beagle belonging to Kit and Doug. Not only does he win the "Capitol Canine" contest, but he wreaks havoc at the ceremony and eventually helps solve the case. The plot was tightly woven with numerous twists and turns that leave the reader guessing while turning pages to find out what happens next.

I loved the descriptions of the Capitol and government buildings. It was like you were actually there seeing them. The descriptions of the running of government, meetings, trade-offs, and various job descriptions gave this book a true to life feel as well as teaching a few things along the way. Everything that was done in the story was totally believable. Her knowledge of the congress shines. She has done her research, turned her talent into a great book set in Washington, D.C. This book is fast-paced, well-written, fun to read, and has an unanticipated murderer. The plot was tightly woven with numerous twists and turns that leave the reader guessing. I highly recommend this book for cozy mystery readers as well as those who appreciate political intrigue.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an unbiased review. https://carlalovestoread.wordpress.com/… (lisätietoja)