



Murder in the Oval Library
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- £9.49
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of the American in Paris mysteries featuring Julia Child’s best friend, and the Phyllida Bright mysteries featuring Agatha Christie’s fictional housekeeper, this captivating mystery stars resourceful Adam Quinn, President Lincoln’s new aide, as war—and murder--test his skills like never before . . .
April 13, 1861: Rebel troops are across the Potomac River, only 800 feet from the White House and President Lincoln—but a murderer is even closer . . .
As the Civil War begins, an invasion of Washington, D.C., seems imminent. Lincoln’s trusted aide, Adam Speed Quinn, and Quinn’s old friend, Senator Jim Lane, hastily assemble a motley crew of just over 100 men and garrison them in the East Room at the White House. But even as dawn breaks, a single act of violence intrudes. One of the Frontier Guard lies dead in the oval library, throat slit ear to ear. There is a murderer among them.
Lincoln promptly assigns Quinn to deal with the matter, who is in turn aided by journalist Sophie Gates, and Dr. George Hilton. To Quinn’s chagrin, Southern belle Constance Lemagne insists on being involved in the investigation as well. But when Dr. Hilton examines the body, he makes a startling discovery that overturns all Quinn’s assumptions about the murder. With his president at grave risk from without and within, Quinn must act quickly to catch the White House killer . . .
Praise for the author’s previous mysteries
“Exhilarating. . . . Sure to please.” —The New York Times Sunday Book Review
“Wonderfully witty . . . deliciously dark and delightfully entertaining.” —The Chicago Tribune
“[This] novel is a well-oiled machine . . . the authentic historical framework . . . the compelling personalities.” —School Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in April 1861, Gleason's lackluster sequel to 2017's Murder in the Lincoln White House finds the residents of Washington, D.C., bracing for what everyone fears will be a successful assault by Confederate troops on a city sorely in need of military reinforcements. As presidential aide Adam Speed Quinn works with Kansas senator Jim Lane to buttress the White House's meager defenses, the president's vulnerability to attack is shockingly underscored when someone slits the throat of Johnny Thorne, a member of the Kansas Freedom Guard assigned to protect Lincoln, in the residence's library. Adam investigates, assisted again by intrepid reporter Sophie Gates. Their sleuthing is bolstered by an obvious clue, and despite the setup's inherent drama, suspense is at a minimum. Gleason succeeds in capturing the tensions of the nation's capital in the aftermath of the firing on Fort Sumter, but those interested in Civil War era mysteries would be better served by Owen Parry's Abel Jones series.