It was the site of one of the most infamous assassinations in American history. Now bestselling mystery master Margaret Truman premieres a new murder at Ford's Theater--one that's hot off today's headlines.The body of Nadia Zarinski, an attractive young woman who worked for senator Bruce Lerner--and who volunteered at Ford's--is discovered in the alley behind the theatre. Soon a pair of mismatched cops--young, studious Rick Klieman and gregarious veteran Moses "Mo" Johnson--start digging into the victim's life, and find themselves confronting an increasing cast of suspects.There's Virginia Senator Lerner himself, rumored to have had a sexual relationship with Nadia--and half the women in D.C. under ninety. . . . Clarise Emerson, producer/director of Ford's Theatre and ex-wife of the Senator, whose nomination to head the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is now threatened by the scandal . . . Jeremiah Lerner, her aimless, hot-tempered son, said to have been sleeping with Nadia when his famous father wasn't . . . Bernard Crowley, the theatre's controller, whose emotions overflow at the mention of the crime . . . faded British stage star Sydney Bancroft, desperate for recognition and a comeback, and armed with damning information about Clarise Emerson . . . and other complex characters from both sides of the footlights.With her unparalleled understanding of Washington and its players, and her savvy sense of how strange bedfellows cut deals even in the midst of mayhem, Margaret Truman always delivers the most sophisticated and satisfying suspense. Murder at Ford's Theatre is her most compelling, insightful novel yet, sure to earn her a standing ovation from her many fans and new followers alike.From the Hardcover edition.
Margaret Truman was born in Independence, Missouri, the daughter of then-future President and Mrs. Harry S. Truman. She was raised in Independence until 1934 when her father was elected to the U.S. Senate, and she began to split her time between Independence and Washington, D.C. She graduated from private school in 1942, and earned her Associate of Arts degree from George Washington University in 1944, the year her father was elected Vice President. She received her B.A. in History from from George Washington University in 1946. Having been taking voice lessons for seven years, she made her concert debut in 1947, singing over a nationwide radio hookup with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She began a series of concert tours that would go on for about six years. She made her first television appearance in 1950 on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" show. In January 1953 when her father left the White House, she moved to New York City to work more closely with the National Broadcasting Company. She began writing in addition to her broadcasting career, and her first book, Souvenir, Margaret Truman's Own Story, was published in 1956, the same year she married New York Times assistant-editor Clifton Daniel. In February 1965, she became co-host of a daily television program broadcast from Philadelphia. In 1966, she began a daily radio interview program called "Authors in the News." In 1973, she moved with her family to Washington D.C. when her husband became chief of the New York Times Washington bureau. In 1977, her husband retred and they moved back to New York City.
Over the course of her writing career, she wrote nine works of non-fiction and 24 murder-mysteries, although some people believe that the mysteries may have been ghost-written by a different author.