murder tied to art theft ring

Reading these with my Mom.
A favorite series.
Great mysteries and great insight into behind the scenes Washington DC.
I'm reading them ALL.
Read in 2005. ( )

Something funny is going on in the Smithsonian, with knife stabbed bodies falling over railings and a Scottish miss bent on solving her fiancé's murder. It's not a great mystery, little development, and a lot of filler to round out the page count. ( )

I really do enjoy this series. The author has a lifetime of Washington, DC experience (of course), and first-hand familiarity with the various landmarks she uses as settings for her murders. This gives the reader a strong sense of place for well-realized characters and well-thought-out mysteries.

In this one, a brilliant historian is murdered in the middle of a reception at the Smithsonian (falls over a balcony railing and lands in the middle of the Foucault Pendulum, as a matter of fact.). His fiance arrives from Scotland determined to solve the murder of her beloved - and almost immediately runs afoul of Captain Mike Hanrahan who is in charge of the case. The art scandal that is uncovered is fascinating. A good book. ( )

Police Captain Hanrahan attempts to solve a murder involving a theft from the Smithsonian Institute's American History Museum. A medal from a post-American Revolutionary Society has disappeared and several murders have occurred which seem to be related. Heather McBean, whose uncle and fiance are two of the victims, comes out from Scotland to do a little investigating herself. A friend of her uncle's also becomes involved. Soon, it is difficult to figure out who can and cannot be trusted, as suspects are being added to the list and a crime ring of Smithsonian employees is discovered. I enjoyed this mystery set in Washington D.C. ( )