Siege Of The Capital tracks Hamaas Abdul Khaalis' takeover of the District Building, the Islamic Center, and the B'nai B'rith in Washington in March 1977, during which one person was killed, several others - including Marion Barry - were wounded, and more than 100 people were held hostage for 39 hours. Four years earlier, Black Muslims had slain seven members of Mr. Khaalis' family, including three small children, at his home in Washington.
Siege Of The Capital tells these stories through the eyes of Jake Katz, who left the Metropolitan Police Department to go to law school at the end of Mr. Tevelin's first Jake Katz novel, Death At The Howard. Katz went on to be one of the Assistant United States Attorneys who prosecuted the murderers of Khaalis' family. Because he had a relationship - sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always unpredictable - with Khaalis, the U.S. Attorney calls on him to help negotiate the end of the hostage crisis.
Mr. Tevelin researched and wrote the book over 18 months, interviewing many participants in the hostage crisis and reviewing trial transcripts, U.S. Attorney's Office files, police interviews, and Mr. Khaalis' medical records at the National Archives and D.C. Superior Court. The novel is true to the facts of both cases, changing them only as needed to weave Katz' personal story - including his time on the MPD, his torrid relationship with a female colleague, and his own crisis deciding what he wants to do with the rest of his life - through the 39 hours and its aftermath.

What Readers Are Saying About Siege Of The Capital

"Although laced throughout with fiction, Mr. Tevelin's book captures the essential elements of Mr. Khaalis' takeover, and the drama of those thirty-nine hours. He managed to make the complexity of the incident into a very readable story." Earl Silbert, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia during Khaalis' siege

"Dave Tevelin vividly captured the horror of the Khaalis slayings, and the drama of his takeover of the three buildings in D.C. He nailed Khaalis' voice, and compellingly laid out the web of factors that led to both the murders of his family and his actions four years later. I recommend this book highly." Henry Schuelke, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia who prosecuted the murderers of Khaalis' family

"Siege of the Capital, a blend of fiction with real time events, is a great read! Its account brought back memories of a life-changing event for those involved in the 1977 hostage siege and the dramatic trial that followed. For me, as the federal prosecutor involved in the case, Dave Tevelin's account of those days - and Khaalis' back story - is well researched, vivid, and compelling." Mark Tuohey, former Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia

"Dave Tevelin weaves a taut drama filled with over-the-top characters in a fantastic series of events, all of which are based in fact! A terrific retelling of a bizarre chapter of Washington history that is both authentic and gripping." Tim Murray, former D.C. pretrial official and Executive Director of the Pretrial Justice Institute