Margaret Truman's Deadly Medicine

I really enjoyed reading Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes series.  Since her death, it has been taken over by Donald Bain, a friend of hers and author of the Murder She Wrote series.  I wish I could say that Margaret Truman's Deadly Medicine (#622) was as much fun to read as the original series, but it wasn't.

Mackenzie and Abigail Smith are still here in their Watergate apartment, but the action has largely been taken over by Robert "Don't Call Me Bobby" Brixton, a private investigator working with Mac's D.C. law firm.  Robert has many issues of his own, and frankly, I didn't find him particularly sympathetic or likable.

In Deadly Medicine, Big Pharma is out to suppress the commercial introduction of a plant-based pain medication with no side effects developed by an eccentric physician working in Papua New Guinea. When the doctor is found murdered, his research stolen, and his medicinal plants all burned, it's apparent that keeping his discovery off the market is worth killing for.  Since it's a Washington setting, of course there are corrupt politicians and lobbyists in the mix of money and scandal as Big Pharma tries to make the whole issue go away.

Two things bothered me about this book; first that Jayla King, the murder victim's daughter is presented as drop dead gorgeous yet brilliant, since she works in the field of biological research herself for a second-tier pharmaceutical company.  However, her actions in the book paint her as naive, and just a little too dumb in her reactions to threats.  It was exasperating reading for the umpteenth time that "Of course, Eugene would never do that!"  even though the creep has broken into her apartment and stolen items.  Working in a cut-throat pharma company, how could she not know the ins and outs of her own business?   But gosh, she looks swell in that expensive couture dress!
Second, the political shenanigans and motivations were so murky, I never did get a good feel for who was behind the whole mess.  Bain sort of ties things up, but not to my satisfaction.

Don't get me wrong; Deadly Medicine is a diverting enough read to while away a few hours.  I just know that for me Donald Bain won't ever truly replace Margaret Truman as an authentic "insider" voice on the Washington scene.