Margaret Truman's Experiment In Murder: A Capital Crimes Novel (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
The last two books that I've read of Margaret Truman have let me less than satisfied. All her other books seem to wrap things up nicely and justice is done. This book and the last one I read don't bring the closure they should. Justice is done. The Apparatus behind the antagonist goes on unpunished. It just seems she's either losing her touch or becoming very jaded with the way our government works behind the scenes. The Capital Crime series returns with its second post-Truman novel, penned by Donald Bain. In this latest novel, Mackensie and Annabel Smith (famed regulars throughout) make appearances at various points in the book, though their role in the larger plot is minimal, as it has been in the last few novels. Front and centre is the death/murder of a prominent D.C. psychiatrist, mowed down as he headed to work. When it becomes apparent a former patient is at the centre of the murder investigation, it appears to be an open and shut case. Hypnosis and the injection of suggestion through the subconscious play key roles and leaves the reader to wonder how this can be interpreted in a legal setting. Bain also turns the book away from solving the crime, creating a novel whereby the reader knows the crime and its actors, waiting to see if the plan can be brought to fruition. Memory suggestion will prove the ultimate weapon against the larger victim. Minor police and psychological investigations expose portions of the plot, but will it be enough and can the two halves merge before it’s too late? It will take more than fast-paced characters to solve the crime, but also a clear and sober mind, which is harder to do than might be expected. Bain resurrects the theme Truman made popular with a strong D.C. backdrop and keeps the reader intrigued throughout, asked about the ‘why’ rather than the usual ‘who’.While the story is surely less intriguing than those written by Truman earlier in the series, I could not help but be drawn in to the plot that makes its presence known throughout the entire novel and overtakes even discovering the truth behind the ultimate crime. Use of hypnosis for negative means, especially in a therapeutic setting, adds a layer of interest to the entire story. While I would have preferred something more legal or even investigative, Bain keeps the reader somewhat hooked and surely at least partially curious about its truth. Pushing the blame on the CIA (though trying to rationalise it as creation of a super spy to help America) is an age-old trick more to vilify than anything else. Still, Bain writes in such a way as not to blatantly turn the entire situation into a far-fetched conspiracy theory.Kudos Mr. Bain for picked up the thread where Margaret Truman left off. Not as poor as some of the posthumously continued series (read: Ludlum’s Bourne), Bain is to be commended for his efforts. That said, I would have preferred a Smith-centred novel, as they kept the series alive for over 25 years.
What do You think about Margaret Truman's Experiment In Murder: A Capital Crimes Novel (2013)?
Even though Margaret Truman is deceased, this is still just like her good mysteries. Well done.
—Zahra
I did not like the premise of programming people to be killers.
—janda
This was written by Donald Bain not M. Truman.
—ashleystn
