Lethal Legacies: A Washington Whodunit

In Shogan’s earnest eighth Washington whodunit (after 2021’s Dead as a Duck), Chief of Staff Kit Marshall is left in charge when her boss, Congresswoman Maeve Dixon, leaves Washington, D.C., for a campaign tour. In particular, Kit has agreed to oversee the Spring into History exhibition, a multiday series of events highlighting U.S. history. Kit has been bumping heads with the unpleasant director of the Capitol Visitor’s Center, Bev Taylor, who has some inflexible opinions and doesn’t hesitate to inflict them on bystanders. So when Bev is stabbed and her body laid out on the Lincoln catafalque like one of the historical displays, there are plenty of potential suspects. But when Trevor, a dear friend of Kit’s, becomes the prime suspect, she must put all her considerable sleuthing skills in play to clear him of the deed, especially after Trevor’s own boss becomes the second victim of a vicious murderer. Shogan’s richly detailed glimpse into the workings and history of Washington is this one’s main draw. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary. (Aug.)