From Publishers Weekly
Murder at the President's Door, written by William Harrington for the estate of Elliott Roosevelt (d. 1990), the son of FDR and Eleanor and author of an elegant but cozy historical mystery series starring his parents), entwines the stoic first lady in her 21st sleuthing adventure. This time, an assassination attempt sends her deep into D.C.'s criminal world, where, despite the efforts of the nation's top investigators, it's she who hunts down the would-be assassin. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Here's the latest posthumous publication from one of the mystery genre's most prolific dead authors. Although the formula has worn a bit thin over the years, Roosevelt's series starring his mother, Eleanor, as a feisty sleuth remains charming. This time the action takes place during the first 100 days of FDR's presidency. A White House policeman, who was standing guard outside the president's sleeping quarters, is murdered. Was the intruder intending to harm the president, or could the victim have been the target? Because there is no evidence of a stranger on the premises, was the perp even an intruder at all? With so many bold actions already taken by the new administration, there's no shortage of enemies, and the ever-curious Eleanor makes it her business to find the one responsible. With the usual peppering of 1930s celebrities and politicians, not to mention inventive twists on their personal lives, this blend of fictionalized history and cozy mystery delivers light entertainment for series fans. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Roosevelt's series starring his mother, Eleanor, as a feisty sleuth remains charming."-Publishers Weekly
Murder at the President's Door FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Murder at the President's Door is the twenty-second installment in the venerable but still very spry Eleanor Roosevelt mystery series. In her most intriguing adventure to date, the First Lady traces an assassination attempt to the depths of Washington, D.C.'s, underworld." "It is 1933 and the President and First Lady have just settled into the White House to face a nation in the depths of the Depression and a world on the brink of war. When the body of a White House police officer is discovered at the foot of the President's bedroom door, Eleanor knows that the crime must be solved without attracting the attention of the FBI or the press. So with signature determination, the First Lady enlists the confidential aid of District of Columbia Lieutenant Edward Kennelly and trusted Secret Service agent Stanislaw Szcygiel to help her investigate." "Eleanor soon realizes someone may have been trying to assassinate the President, but it is unclear why, after stabbing the officer, the suspect didn't crash into the bedroom and finish the job. Furthermore, it appears the killer knew the White House and its routines sufficiently well, leading the First Lady to question the motives of her White House staffers and grow wary of her and the President's new surroundings." As the intrepid and charming Mrs. Roosevelt engages in her latest bit of hawkshawing, readers are treated to all the historical re-creation and rich storytelling that have become hallmarks of the series. This satisfying wartime whodunit starring America's First Lady of Mystery is a warmly rewarding look at a fascinating era, and at a woman beloved by her family and her country - Eleanor Roosevelt.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Murder at the President's Door, written by William Harrington for the estate of Elliott Roosevelt (d. 1990), the son of FDR and Eleanor and author of an elegant but cozy historical mystery series starring his parents), entwines the stoic first lady in her 21st sleuthing adventure. This time, an assassination attempt sends her deep into D.C.'s criminal world, where, despite the efforts of the nation's top investigators, it's she who hunts down the would-be assassin. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Proof positive that Franklin Roosevelt wasn't the only member of his family to linger in office past his prime is yet another in the apparently endless procession of stories by the late Elliott Roosevelt, this one, like Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom (2000), readied for publication by William Harrington. Douglas Douglas, a member of FDR's White House police staff, has been found stabbed to death at his customary station near the president's bedroom. Eleanor Roosevelt wastes no time getting on the case and working with Ed Kennelly of the DC Homicide Division and Stan Szezygiel of the Secret Service. Their investigations turn up an oddity about lissome Angela Patchen, a staff secretary whose exit that night should have been registered but wasn't. There's more-much more-as motives and alibis are explored in eventually numbing detail, but neither motive nor murderer, when they're finally unmasked, carry conviction. Readers of a certain age may enjoy the susurrus of names from the past-from Harry Truman to Bing Crosby, from Dutch Schultz to Meyer Lansky-in a story that's amiably readable despite its shortcomings.