In Murder of a Fifth Columnist, chapter one, Grace Latham states that she's a resident of Georgetown '...by act of my parents in buying a house there when I was born, shortly after the turn of the century...' She's not living in her house now because she's rented it to Bliss Thatcher, a 'dollar a year' man helping the Defense Council. Lilac (her African-American cook), and Sheila (her Irish setter), are staying at the house. Thatcher's rent will enable Grace to spend Christmas in New York and a nice, warm January & February in Guatemala.

Meanwhile, Grace is living in an apartment in the Randolph-Lee, making it easy for Ruth Sherwood, who lives on the same floor, to invite her to her party. Grace is puzzled by the invitation because they've met only once and rode in the same elevator once. Still, she attends. Isn't it odd that the guests are four newspaper columists, a congressman who was defeated in the last election and his wife, the German author of an anti-totalitarian book, an English noblewoman, a South American gentleman, and Mr. Thatcher?

Ruth takes Grace aside to help her with a crisis: her daughter, Betty, has sent word that she's coming home. Ruth is desperate to prevent that, so she gives Grace the school's number and begs her to call. Grace is completely mystified, but she calls. The school is being very cagey about Betty. Grace passes on the message. It's too late. Betty shows up during the party. She's beautiful girl, nothing like the unattractive photo Ruth displays. Ruth introduces her as 'Barbara Shipley,' a friend of Betty. Betty is as mystified as Grace.

One of the guests is murdered. Ruth enlists Grace's help again in getting her daughter to safety. Finding out who killed the guest and why Ruth is frightened for her daughter aren't the only mysteries this time. There's that gloom and doom newsletter, 'Truth Not Fiction', that wants the USA to treat Asia with a mailed fist and take over Mexico, etc. Who writes that trash? Some of the information about the federal government in it really is true -- and supposed to be secret. That means the writer is a traitor.

According to this site, http://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/FORD%252C%2B this book was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post during April and May, 1941, before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Leslie Ford gives us a look at the USA back then. Karl Hoffman, the anti-totalitarian author, rants about how decadent America has become and that we need to be prepared. Lady Alicia Wrenn plans to make visits to alert our coutnry to what's really going on in Europe. Sylvia Peele, one of the columnists, baits both of them. The lame duck Congressman is an isolationist who'll be glad to return to his small town. Of the male columnists, Marshall is calling for a draft (knowing he's too old to be drafted) now. Pete Hamilton, who looks a bit like a Nordic chimp, reminds Marshall about his previous isolationist leanings. The decorative Larry Villiers is too busy hating Pete for being a real man.

As usual in a Ford mystery, we get atmosphere. The scene with the card-reading Lady Alicia is spooky, all the more so because what she read in the cards happens. We also get humor. Colonel Primrose assigns Sergeant Buck to follow Grace. I loved what Grace did the poor sarge, whom she compares to The Shadow and an evzone. We get a list in chapter 15. Her flirtation with Señor Estevan Devalle was the icing on the cake. Sgt. Buck may not want Grace to marry his Colonel, but he doesn't want her flirting with any other man. Colonel Primrose wouldn't like it.

In chapter 18 of this book Ms. Ford finally gave Grace's younger son a name: Scott C. Latham. She also lets us know that Scott's birthday is in July. No, Scott doesn't appear in the book. He's just written a letter from school because there's something he wants his mother to buy for him for an early birthday present.

If we didn't know that Lafayette, Primrose's elderly cook, is African-American, we'd know it only by his dialog when Grace calls Michigan 3084 in the hopes of reaching the Colonel. Lafayette, like Clara, the elderly African-American character in Ill Met by Moonlight , can't read or write, a shameful reminder of how few educational opportunities African-Americans had when they were children. More shamefully, the N-word appears on the first page. Grace usually doesn't use that word, so I'm guessing that she's quoting an old expression. If it is, I'm glad I haven't run across it elsewhere.

There's more of the sexism to be expected from back then. I'd be more upset about the fate of the one career woman in this novel if we didn't know her opinion of her job. She's not the beauty with the red-gold hair and tawny sherry-colored eyes, though. That's Betty. The least sympathetic female character is the lame duck congressman's wife. Effie doesn't want to leave public life for obscurity in their hometown and she doesn't much care what method she uses to prevent that fate. At least two of the men, J. Corliss Marshall and Larry Villiers, are even less sympathetic. I smiled a bit that the homicide captain's wife and daughters read Larry's society column, but the captain isn't interested.

The intrigue and politics may seem familiar to today's readers. Readers of classic cozies should enjoy this example. ( )