Tim Treanor and Lee Hurwitz take us to “Capital City” — a story critics call hilarious and fast-paced
Imagine a Mayor of Washington, DC. Let’s call him Wendell Watson. He’s a brilliant, cynical man who manipulated his way through politics. One evening he decides to engage in a little extra-curricular activity with one of his staff, in the Mayor’s Office. But it turns out that while he is discovering the delights of this woman’s body, he also discovers the recording device in her purse. And so he hits her. Hard. And she hits back. Hard. With a bottle of gin. And then with an ashtray. And then a member of the Mayor’s protective service bursts into the room and shoots her in the head.
And then someone else — a woman who had been in his office to steal a bid proposal and who had been hiding — suddenly arises and sprints out of the room. And then Watson — high on excitement and arousal and also the little bit of cocaine he had sniffed up earlier — commissions the man who had just killed his lover to also eliminate this witness.
But since nothing in life works out as anticipated, the protective service member whom Watson commissions to murder the witness, though he has a bad anger management problem, is also lonely and sentimental. And the woman he has been sent to kill, far from being a victim, is clever, resourceful, and not terribly scrupulous. And when Watson realizes his mistake, he reaches out for a real professional killer. Who happens also to be a stone lunatic, obsessed with Michael Dukakis.
“Capital City is a story of high crime, amplified by hubris, and brought down by good people who understand the value of persistence,” explain authors Lee Hurwitz and Tim Treanor.
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Praise for the book:
- “Hilarious and fast-paced.” — Eve Ottinger, City Paper
- “I enjoyed the storytelling, and the writing kept me engaged. Entertaining characters and recognizable locations and players in DC government.” — Comfy Chair Books
- “This is a ‘tour de force’ of a man who thought he was above the law. The supporting characters move the story line along.” — Delaware Historian Jack Gould
About the Authors:
Tim Treanor (pictured top, left) is a retired federal trial attorney. He spent years as the senior theater reviewer at DC Theatre Scene and served on its Board of Directors for years. He also served as vice president of the American Theatre Critics Association. His play, “Dracula. A Love Story,” was performed at the DC Fringe Festival in 2014. He has also appeared on stage. Now, when he’s not writing, he serves on the Charles County (Md.) Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate and is a proud (though not very good) member of the Waldorf Chess Club. Learn more at timtreanorauthor.com.
Lee Hurwitz was a Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer at the Library of Congress from 1989 to 2021. Prior to working for the Library, Lee worked for the Washington, D.C. municipal government. Capital City was inspired by his experiences in the D.C. Government. Lee was also an adjunct professor of business administration and economics at three Maryland community colleges. When he is not writing, Lee frequents Northwest Stadium, Nationals’ Park, and Capital One Arena to see his beloved Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.