Joe Wilcox, veteran crime reporter for the Washington Tribune, finds himself digging deeper and working even harder than before just to stay in the game. As the jaws of retirement loom over him, murder leaves its shoe prints at the Tribune's door when rookie reporter, Jean Kaporis, is strangled to death. The evidence would suggest someone at the Tribune may have blood on their hands. However sensational that might be, it's not sensational enough. When TV Producer Colleen McNamara, who has no ties to the paper, is found strangled a month later, Joe convinces himself it's a serial killer and pursues his theory with zealous desperation.

Joe's troubles are not just with the paper though, his lost brother of 40 years, Michael, is trying to reenter his life. Michael just happens to have been let out of an Illinois mental hospital around the same time as the first murder took place. Michael wants to get to know the family better, especially Joe's daughter, Roberta. Meanwhile, Joe is having his own battle of journalistic pride with Roberta who works as a news reporter for a rival news station. Joe is very proud of his daughter's accomplishments, how could he not be? Yet how can he just fade to the back pages of the Tribune and stay the man who inspired his daughter to her own form of greatness? Therefore, he uses any angle he can think of for material, including his brother, as well as his ex-lover and investigative cop, Edith Cargas-Swayze, who still has a thing for him. Does Michael fit his serial killer theory, or is Joe so desperate to stay on top he'll make the facts fit the puzzle, no matter how hard he has to push to lock them in?

Margaret Truman serves up a delicious dish of suspense and morality with her latest literary entree. Murder is the meat, seasoned liberally with pinches of intrigue and dashes of conflicting emotions. While this latest entry in her Capital Crimes series is more a look into the moral aspects of journalism than an actual mystery, it nevertheless serves up a satisfying and filling portion. Watching Joe make his choices, Truman shows just how fine the lines can be between ethics and immorality. Also satisfying is how creepy Michael comes across, causing the hairs on one's arm to stand on edge. Yet, at times you want to believe, like Roberta, that he's been healed of his madness. This story is a worthy recipe for thought in her cookbook of crime.