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Do Not Assume

Do Not Assume

by Elaine Williams Crockett
Fiction - Thriller - General
302 Pages
Reviewed on 05/17/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Elaine Williams Crockett is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Vermont Law School. She spent her legal career as an Attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the United States Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. She lives in Georgetown with her husband, Don W. Crockett, and a cat who declined to be named.

Thank you for choosing to read Do Not Assume and taking time to provide a review. It helps readers decide whether to take a chance on a new author and I am grateful. If you wish to contact me directly, you can always get in touch on my Facebook page, through Goodreads, or on my website. I read each and every message and will always respond.

Do Not Assume is the Gold Winner of the 2016 National Indie Excellence Award for Political Thriller; the Gold Winner of the 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award for Mystery; the Silver Winner of the 2016 Readers' Favorite Award for Murder Mystery; and the Bronze Winner of the 2016 CIPA EVVY Award for Mystery/Detective.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite

When U.S. Senator Tom Mariner is shot down and no suspects emerge right away, life goes back to normal for the Washington elite, including Judge Alexander who unsuccessfully tried to save him. But when Judge Alexander’s wife is arrested for the senator's death, he isn’t sure what to do. So he does what any self-respecting man of the law would do; he looks into it himself. Do Not Assume is a good old-fashioned murder mystery with tons of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. Rifling through the life of the senator produces plenty of suspects, including his link to a decades-old crime that could be connected to his death. Elaine Williams Crockett has done an excellent job in crafting a political thriller and merging it with a murder mystery.

Do Not Assume has a gripping plot that makes it hard to put the book down and pick it up later. Elaine Williams Crockett has produced such a clever plot that seems all the more realistic in the political playground that is Washington. Without a doubt, this is one of the most unique and fun stories I’ve read in a long time. Using D.C. as a background was the perfect setting for this story of intrigue, secrets, lies and cover ups. The fact that the main players were a senator, a federal judge, the President, and the Secret Service just made the story more intriguing and harder to figure out. When the story is finally unraveled, it is a heart-stopping tale that will leave you disgusted, fascinated, and awed at the author’s ability to tell a story. Do Not Assume is a read you won’t soon forget!

Dave Eisenstark

A bold attack kills a US Senator in the heart of Washington, witnessed by Judge Warren Alexander, a federal judge and candidate for the Supreme Court. Alexander, a former FBI agent, agrees to help the FBI investigate the murder, and the first big break comes soon — the delivery of the dead Senator's toe and his wedding ring! Judge Alexander's second wife is tapped for the Senator's murder and, to the judge's surprise, she has her secrets when it comes to the senator. Still, the judge is sure it's a setup, but who and why? The past returns to haunt all the characters in this drama, and only when that past is dug up does something approaching an answer emerge, and it's a doozy. Do Not Assume is the title, but also a great warning for anyone starting this book by Elaine Williams Crockett.

Elaine Williams Crockett knows her way around the Washington scene. Do Not Assume isn't a cozy mystery but an action thriller, with twists and turns and a surprising ending. One aspect I really liked was the first-person telling of the story, and not from an "Everyman" or "Average Joe" character as is often the case, but from a powerful, highly placed, and integral character in the story. I also liked the soap-opera aspects — just because these are the most powerful people in the world doesn't mean they don't have their own flaws, failings, and embarrassing moments.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Do Not Assume by Elaine Williams Crockett is a political thriller. Senator Marriner is taken out with a single shot from a rifle. Nobody can save him, not even Judge Warren Alexander who is nearby when it happens. With the FBI and the Secret Service on the trail of the murderer, surely it won’t be long before he is brought to justice? But there are very few leads; the assassin has covered his tracks well. Judge Alexander is a federal court judge and receives a letter from Henry Crump about his daughter’s murder 40 years earlier, but doesn’t get the chance to refer the case elsewhere before he is offered a seat on the Supreme Court and accepts; life returns to some semblance of normality in Washington. Until Claire Warren, the judge’s wife is arrested for murdering the senator. Warren can’t get his head around it; his wife didn’t kill anyone. An ex-FBI agent, he has the tenacity to dig and he does, through the senator's life. There, he finds a link to the 40-year-old murder and begins to see things more clearly. What he doesn’t know is, the White House knows the truth and will do anything to stop it from coming out. The judge is living on borrowed time; can he find the murderer and get the truth out before it’s too late?

Do Not Assume by Elaine Williams Crockett was a thrilling read from start to finish. It is a very well constructed book with a great plot and characters that are easy to get to know and identify with. Ms. Crockett shows a great deal of knowledge of both Washington DC, the Federal government and how they work, and it is clear that a lot of research has gone into giving this novel real depth and a story worth reading. It is full of twists that kept me hanging on, desperately wanting to know the real truth, and it flows exactly as it should. There are no loose ends, no bits that left me wondering what was going on; it was all tied up very neatly and was a tough book to put down. Looking forward to reading more from Ms. Crockett.

Melinda Hills

Warren Alexander has his work cut out for him when a US Senator is murdered right in front of him. Now a federal judge, Alexander had been a top FBI profiler until after the death of his first wife. What is uncovered about the past of the people around him makes him question the truth of almost everything he knows in Do Not Assume by Elaine Williams Crockett. A 40-year-old murder, connections between his current wife and the dead senator, and the alliance between the President, his chief of staff and a top secret service agent all tumble together when his wife is arrested and charged with the death of the senator. Secret trips, surprise liaisons, and baggage from the past threaten to block Alexander’s nomination as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, but finding the truth and setting the record straight is all that matters to him. Will the pieces come together in time to save his daughter, his marriage, and his appointment?

Elaine Williams Crockett has written an excellent story about characters in Washington, D.C. without making it really political. A true murder mystery that happens to involve key government figures, the greed, privilege and conspiracies in Do Not Assume could happen to almost anyone, except that the ultimate stakes are a little higher. Great characters, a deep plot and lively action make this book a terrific read that moves quickly and offers plenty of entertainment. The best part is the twist that lets you hope there is more to come! I couldn't put it down because it is so well written and has such depth.

BestThriller.com

"A high-stakes conspiracy thriller that starts big and gets more explosive with each succeeding chapter. A must for House of Cards fans." Review by BestThrillers.com.

"I defy you to read a chapter in this book without peeking at the first page of the next chapter. I know it's a cliche, but it's a page turner. If you have a long plane ride, or like political thrillers, this is the book for you." 5 Star ★★★★★ Review by Robert D. Paul, Esq., General Counsel to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 1985-1988.

"Do Not Assume nails social, official and corporate Washington D.C. handily and completely. It is an informed, expertly woven tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until you read the last word on the last page -- I had to drop everything else and finish it. I highly recommend this book for entertainment, for a brain teasing plot and for a conclusion you will not want to miss." 5 Star ★★★★★ Review by Barbara Frank, Author of the Princess Book Series.

Barbara Frank

"Do Not Assume nails social, official and corporate Washington D.C. handily and completely. It is an informed, expertly woven tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until you read the last word on the last page -- I had to drop everything else and finish it. I highly recommend this book for entertainment, for a brain teasing plot and for a conclusion you will not want to miss." 5 Star ★★★★★ Review by Barbara Frank, Author of the Princess Book Series.

Robert D. Paul, Esq.


"I defy you to read a chapter in this book without peeking at the first page of the next chapter. I know it's a cliche, but it's a page turner. If you have a long plane ride, or like political thrillers, this is the book for you." 5 Star ★★★★★ Review by Robert D. Paul, Esq., General Counsel to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 1985-1988.


BestThriller.com

"A high-stakes conspiracy thriller that starts big and gets more explosive with each succeeding chapter. A must for House of Cards fans." Review by BestThrillers.com.