by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Robert Brixton and Mackenzie Smith have been friends, colleagues, and have sometimes walked a fine line between lawful and not-quite for many years. Now Mac has a request. Will Brixton meet with a woman named Alexandra? She works at the Washington, D.C. office for the Center for Disease Control. She also claims to be Mac’s daughter.

In D.C., there are any number of people with an opinion, a gripe, or a problem. All are considered urgent, not by the person who could help, but always by the person with the complaint. When those complaints aren’t heard or acted upon, all hell can break loose.

Kelly Loftus works the security detail for the Speaker of the House. While a vital job, it also tends to be, thankfully, rather boring—until a Code Red signals an active shooter. When the shooting stops, not only is the shooter dead, but so are more than a dozen other people, including students there to tour the Capitol.

In the aftermath, Kelly spots a woman seated on a bench near the scene. All the woman will say is, I could have stopped him but I was too late. As two crowds of protestors nearby move beyond insults and toward fights, Kelly breaks up the situation, only to find the woman has disappeared, leaving a trail of scraps of paper.

How can a missing tanker truck, a sitting Senator, the sudden appearance of a daughter, a hole in a purse, a man who lives totally off the grid, an evangelical preacher, and a man in a Panama hat all weave into a heart stopping, hold your breath thriller? The seemingly unrelated bits and pieces come together in a satisfying ending by the time Jon Land tells the whole story.

Land has also written three Murder She Wrote books (reviewed here) and is the author of the Caitlin Strong, Texas Ranger thriller series. This is his second book in the Truman series, the first being Murder on the Metro, reviewed here.

In Washington, D.C., even your friends will sell you out. Believe no one, don’t trust what you hear or even see, and keep your head down when the shooting starts.

I’ve read and reviewed half a dozen of Land’s books now. This is by far the best. Stellar job, Jon. I can’t wait for the next one.

To enter to win a copy of Murder at the CDC, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “cdc,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 2, 2022. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode went up this week. You can listen to one of Jon’s short stories featured on the podcast by clicking here.

Check out one of Jon’s short stories featured on a past Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast episode by listening on the player below or clicking here:

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the Amazon link. You can also click here to purchase the book.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.