Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murder in the White House | 1980 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 2 | Murder on Capitol Hill | 1981 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 3 | Murder in the Supreme Court | 1982 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 4 | Murder in the Smithsonian | 1983 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 5 | Murder on Embassy Row | 1984 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 6 | Murder at the FBI | 1985 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 7 | Murder in Georgetown | 1986 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 8 | Murder in the CIA | 1987 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 9 | Murder at the Kennedy Center | 1989 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 10 | Murder at the National Cathedral | 1990 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 11 | Murder at the Pentagon | 1992 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 12 | Murder on the Potomac | 1994 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 13 | Murder at the National Gallery | 1996 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 14 | Murder in the House | 1997 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 15 | Murder at the Watergate | 1998 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 16 | Murder at the Library of Congress | 1999 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 17 | Murder in Foggy Bottom | 2000 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 18 | Murder in Havana | 2001 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 19 | Murder at Ford’s Theatre | 2002 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 20 | Murder at Union Station | 2004 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 21 | Murder at The Washington Tribune | 2005 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 22 | Murder at the Opera | 2006 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 23 | Murder on K Street | 2007 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 24 | Murder Inside the Beltway | 2008 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 25 | Monument to Murder | 2011 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 26 | Experiment in Murder | 2012 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 27 | Undiplomatic Murder | 2014 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 28 | Internship in Murder | 2015 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 29 | Deadly Medicine | 2016 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 30 | Allied in Danger | 2018 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 31 | Murder on the Metro | 2021 | Donald Bain | Buy |
| 32 | Murder at the CDC | 2022 | Donald Bain | Buy |
The Donald Bain Capital Crimes series takes murder mysteries through the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. Starting with Murder in the White House (1980), each book is set at or around a different landmark or institution. The Pentagon, the Smithsonian, the National Cathedral, Ford’s Theatre, and the CDC all serve as backdrops for murder investigations over the course of the series.
The books combine political intrigue with traditional mystery plotting. Bain kept the series running for four decades, with the most recent entries addressing contemporary Washington settings. For readers who enjoy mysteries with a political backdrop and a sense of place, the Capital Crimes books offer a tour of D.C. through the lens of crime fiction.