1778: Bathsheba Spooner, a British loyalist sympathizer who was hanged for the murder of her husband, was the first woman to be executed in the U.S. by Americans rather than the British. Click Political murder of the day for details.

Want notifications about every day’s murder or every post? Follow us on Twitter: @SherSpooner.

By S.W. Spooner

When a conservative pundit dies at a Washington fundraiser, everyone thinks it’s a heart attack. But environmental activist Laura Delaney and political reporter David Wainwright suspect murder. They also uncover a political bribery scandal, delve into the world of Sunday talk shows, and find a way out of the political correctness mess for the Washington Redskins. Involving potatoes.

By S.W. Spooner

After environmental activist Laura Delaney finds a body backstage at a political trivia contest, she teams up with Washington political reporter David Wainwright to search online in the worlds of social media and the political blogosphere to find out who committed the murder — and why.