Talking Capitol Crimes in Mystery & Crime Fiction
At the latest meeting (January 24) of Orange County Sisters in Crime, I gave a presentation on “Capitol Crimes” — highlighting fictional works, largely contemporaneous for their day, that reflect the changing landscape of politically-themed issues.
Hollywood’s had considerable fun mining that terrain, with films like “White House Down” and “Olympus Has Fallen” – both of which were dominated by images of the Capitol building/the White House in flames.
But for authors, it’s often the country’s highest office that’s at stake. This theme goes way back – to 1934 and a book called “The President Vanishes,” a title that sums up the plot.
Of course, real life events – the JFK assassination and the resulting (and endless) conspiracy theories surrounding his death, the Watergate scandal – have provided inspiration for myriad thrillers, many of which became best sellers, thanks to the votes of readers.