Larceny at the Library
by Colleen J. Shogan
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GENRE: Mystery/cozy mystery
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BLURB:
Congressional chief of
staff Kit Marshall is finally figuring out what it takes to work for a newly
minted committee chair in the House of Representatives. After a swanky evening
soiree at the Library of Congress, Kit’s husband Doug discovers the body of a
high-ranking librarian inside a ceremonial office. In addition to a murder,
there’s also a major theft to complicate the situation. The contents of Abraham
Lincoln’s pockets the night he was assassinated have gone missing. Kit’s
political boss and the Librarian of Congress ask Kit to investigate, and she’s
released into a world of intrigue populated by a frisky donor, an ambitious
congressional relations specialist, a cagey rare books curator, an overly
curious congressman, and a baseball-loving lawyer. Kit must solve the crime
before Doug’s career is tanked by suspicion. The case takes her to the inner
bowels of the Library of Congress, Ford’s Theatre, the National Portrait
Gallery, and the D.C. Public Library. In the end, Kit must put her own life on
the line to retrieve her most valuable possession, which goes unexpectedly
missing as she hunts down the killer and thief.
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EXCERPT:
Dunlap motioned for me to follow inside her private office.
With a spectacular view of the historic Jefferson Building and the United
States Capitol accompanied by floor to ceiling windows, the Librarian’s corner
suite constituted prime real estate on Capitol Hill. Her desk was littered with papers and books.
I appreciated a disheveled work space and instantly felt at ease with the homey
appearance of her personal space.
“Please sit down, Ms. Marshall,” she said, pointing to a
leather armchair. She took a seat directly opposite me, straining to offer a
smile.
“I’ll touch base with Sergeant O’Halloran later this
afternoon,” I said. “I’ve already done a preliminary survey of the immediate
suspects so we can talk freely about where the investigation stands.”
“Impressive,” said the Librarian, her hands folded neatly on
her lap. “How did you come up with such a list?”
I explained that a limited number of people knew that only
her fingerprints and Gustav Gaffney’s could open the safe. Given Doug’s
observations, if we assumed that Gaffney was killed last night instead of this
morning, then only those already inside the building would have had access to
the Librarian’s ceremonial office. That narrowed the list of possible suspects
considerably.
“Then who are we talking about specifically, Ms. Marshall?
asked Dunlap. “After all, I’m in charge of the Library of Congress, and I need
to know who might be responsible for these heinous crimes.”
“Of course, ma’am.” I ticked off the known suspects with my
fingers. “There’s Gordon Endicott, Joe Malden, Lea Rutherford, Janice Jackson,
and Congressman Henry Chang.” After
taking a breath, I continued. “The police likely consider my husband Doug
Hollingsworth a suspect, too. But I don’t.” I chuckled. “For obvious reasons.”
“Thank you for those names, Ms. Marshall,” said the
Librarian, now with a pinched expression on her face. “I’m afraid you’re going to
have to go back to the drawing board.”
My head flinched backwards. “Excuse me, ma’am?”
“Many of those individuals are my employees here at the
Library of Congress,” she said. “None of them could have killed Gustav Gaffney
or committed theft.”
“It’s hard to imagine a colleague you know and trusted could
have done this. But I’ve seen this unfortunate scenario time and time again.
You’d be surprised what motivates people to do horrible things.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REVIEW
This is the first story I have read from the author and I must say that I will definitely read the
rest of the series. I thought the author did an amazing job with the actually facts of the story.
you can tell it was well researched and planned. For me that really makes the story. It
really grabbed me from the start. The characters were amazing and enjoyable and always
held my attention. I definitely recommend this one and truly look forward to reading more!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Colleen J. Shogan has been reading mysteries since the age of
six. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American politics at
several universities and previously worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative
staffer in the United States Senate and as a senior executive at the Library of
Congress. She is currently the Senior Vice President of the White House
Historical Association.
Colleen 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. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Rob and their
beagle mutt Conan.
https://www.facebook.com/washingtonwhodunit/
https://twitter.com/cshogan276
www.colleenshogan.com
www.goodreads.com/cshogan276
Purchase Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Larceny-Library-Washington-Whodunit-Book-ebook/dp/B0863MN6TP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=larceny+at+the+library&qid=1584878446&sr=8-1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/larceny-at-the-library-colleen-shogan/1136696366?ean=9781603818353
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