From AudioFile
Operating under the charming fiction that she is a real mystery writer and co-author of this book, Jessica Fletcher travels from Cabot Cove, Maine, to Washington, D.C., and is, of course, immediately embroiled in a murder. The victim is a high-level senatorial aide. Fletcher stumbles upon the body with a Scotland Yard inspector (her pal) at a dinner party and then sets herself to ferreting out the clues. Cynthia Darlow sounds just like Angela Lansbury, but that's not all there is to the success of this series. She performs the other players with distinct characterizations, even the male ones, and the narrative flows with no apparent effort. The whole package is handled with professional skill. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Description
Jessica's in Washington, D.C., to support a senator's new literacy initiative. The weeklong literacy event includes a visit to the White House to meet the president and a lavish party or two. But during one affair at the senator's home in Virginia, Jessica discovers the dark side of politics...At the foot of a rickety staircase, she finds the body of the senator's chief of staff. Her search for culprits leads her from the shady halls of the Library of Congress to the D.C. social scene and even the FBI. AUTHORBIO: Jessica Fletcher is a bestselling mystery writer who has a knack for stumbling upon real-life mysteries in her various travels.

Donald Bain, her longtime collaborator, is also the writer of more than 80 other books, many of them bestsellers.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In this new novel, mystery writer Jessica Fletcher goes to Washington D.C., to support a senator's new literacy initiative - until it is vetoed by murder...." "Jessica Fletcher can't believe her luck. Not only does she get to spend a week helping with such an important cause - she also gets to spend time with Scotland Yard inspector George Sutherland, who happens to be in town for a conference." The weeklong literacy drive includes a visit to the White House to meet the president - and a lavish party or two. During one particularly extravagant affair at the Virginia home of Maine's junior senator, Jessica and George discover the dark side of politics. At the foot of a rickety staircase, they find the body of the senator's chief of staff. The woman's death is deemed accidental, but Jessica and George suspect something more sinister. Their search for answers leads them from the shadowy halls of the Library of Congress to the D.C. social scene and even to the FBI. But in order to unravel the clues in this political puzzler, they will have to read between the lines - and the lies.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly