Allison Leotta

Anna Curtis is an an assistant U.S. attorney working in Washington D.C. As a prosecutor with a strong sense of ethics, Anna is initially empowered and hopeful when she gets involved in the domestic abuse case of Laprea Johnson. Laprea has been beaten by her boyfriend D'marco for what she says is the last time, but when she recants her testimony during her trial, Anna is left angry and bewildered. Cowed by her experience in court, Anna is at first cold when the defendant's attorney, Nick show more Wagner, takes an interest in her. Though she and Nick have attended the same university, Anna doesn't know Nick personally and the only information she has about him is that he is attractive and he is representing Laprea's attacker. When Nick and Anna start a romance, things seem to be going very smoothly until the day there's another confrontation between D'marco and Laprea, and Laprea ends up dead. Anna of course feels responsible for Laprea's fate and immediately breaks things off with Nick, who she can't forgive for defending D'marco and eventually allowing him to regain the freedom to kill Leprea. Now Anna has been pulled into the investigation of Laprea's murder and been assigned to work with Jack Bailey, a tough criminal prosecutor who also works for the U.S. Attorney's office. But when Anna and Jack begin to uncover clues that may prove D'marco is innocent, the guilt begins to point in some very incongruous and unexpected places. Both fast paced and surprising, Allison Leotta delivers a unique crime thriller that will keep its readers guessing all the way to the very last page.

I'm not a big reader of the crime thriller genre, and usually when approached for a review of one of these books, I have to decline. My problems stem from the fact that a lot of these books feel very homogenized. When I do end up getting invested in them, it seems like they have all the same story elements, character archetypes and twists that I have come to negatively associate with this particular genre. Rarely do I find something new and unexpected, and when I do venture out and read one of these books on my own, I rely heavily on the perceptions and opinions of other bloggers whom I respect. So I'll have to be honest when I say I wasn't expecting much of this book. Now, I didn't read a lot about it and knew only the barest information when I went into it. After an intense opening section, I began to plow right through its pages and wound up being excited that I had found something new and refreshing in this genre that I could really appreciate. I think Leotta ended up pulling off a one of a kind story within these pages, and it's one that earned my esteem.

Anna Curtis was a wonderful protagonist. Though she has high standards and ideals, she's very human and has some self-esteem issues when it comes to her work. Part of my ability to bond with Anna came from the fact that she was so human, and that while she could be very tough, there was an underlying sensitivity and compassion in her that left her struggling at times. I wouldn't exactly call her troubled, but she was conflicted, and as the story moved forward, these conflicts come into play not only in her budding relationship with Nick, but in her protective instincts towards Laprea. She grew throughout this story, but a lot of the time it was uncomfortable growth spurred on by the situations she was caught up in. She never became so hard-boiled that she allowed the suffering of her client or the case itself to become something that she looked upon with jaded eyes, which I think is kind of rare. I think the thing I admired most about Anna was her persistence and her willingness to go to great lengths to find the justice that Laprea deserved, not matter what it cost her personally.

I had a bit of a hard time with Anna's decision to start a relationship with Nick, and I think she did too. Caught up in a bevy of romantic feelings, I think Anna let her guard down and let Nick in hoping their relationship might be hidden from those who could make obvious waves for the couple. I didn't exactly like Nick, or trust him for that matter, and felt that although he treated Anna with a lot of respect and love that there was something utterly smarmy about him. I think he was a little ostentatious in his relationship with Anna, and truly never thought of the repercussions that dating her might result for them both. I was a little thrilled when things didn't work out for them, but Nick was very persistent and worked desperately to not let Anna slip through his fingers. That annoyed me. I wanted him to realize the kind of jeopardy he was putting her career into, but he never did, and it seemed like he turned a blind eye to a lot of rational and level-headed behavior. In some ways there were stark similarities between Nick and Anna's relationship and the relationship between Laprea and D'marco, but they weren't immediately obvious and it took some real cogitation to work out the ways in which the situations were similar and the ways in which they were different.

The case between Laprea and D'marco was one that was fraught with intrigue and it seemed to be so clear for most of the book. There was never a doubt in my mind that D'marco had killed the woman, but in a stunning reversal, all that the reader knows to be true is flipped on its head and thrown out the window. The clues, motive and storyline said one thing, but as more and more is revealed, it's clear that D'marco is not what we first think he is. I thought Leotta did a great job with this reversal. She made D'marco just slimy and perverse enough to do something like this, and then revealed that there was more to this picture than met the eye. The relationship between Laprea and D'marco was something that was tense with emotion, regret and jealousy, and even when it was clear to me that D'marco was a horrible human being, it was also clear that there was no ultimate black and white where these two people were concerned. The conclusion of the book literally had me sitting rigid in my seat and ingesting the words compulsively, as darker figures than D'marco came tumbling out of the shadows and into the light. Though D'marco might have been capable of the murder, I questioned his innocence all the way throughout the story and came to conclude that he played a mighty part in this drama.

With a fast paced plot and characters that are so recognizably flawed and human, Leotta had me in the palm of her hand throughout the whole story. Not only is this a suspense thriller, it also asks a lot of important questions about abuse and the role a victim plays when she consistently refuses to prosecute her attacker. It asks questions about the sticky ethical situations that those representing these cases can get into, and it had unexpected dashes of romance in all the right places. This would be a great read for a book group to discuss and disseminate, and I have to say that not only did I have a great time with it, it did a lot to eliminate my prejudices towards this genre in general. A highly suspenseful and original read. Recommended. show less

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I find TV procedurals soothing (depending upon my state of mind, numbing might be a better description). A crime is committed, it is investigated, and it is brought to trial. Solved is a relative term. I've found it odd that when I need that type of calmness in my evenings that I don't more often turn to procedurals in print. So, I accepted a copy of Law of Attraction as a kind of experiment. Do procedural novels have a similar affect on me as show more television? In the end, I didn't get the type of answer I had been anticipating.

Anna Curtis is a relatively new prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. She's assigned to work domestic violence cases. The day after Valentine's Day, she begins working with Laprea Johnson, a young woman who is repeatedly battered by her boyfriend and the father of her preschool aged twins. Laprea's story quickly finds a way into her heart, just like the public defender charged with serving Laprea's boyfriend, Nick Wagner. The outcome and aftermath of Laprea's domestic violence case has a drastic impact on Anna's personal and professional life. She'll earn more than just her stripes as a prosecutor before the case is closed.

Nearly as soon as I picked up the book, I fell in love with Anna. Her work with Laprea's case didn't sooth me into sleepiness. It engaged me. I cared about Laprea because Anna did. Her desire to live up to her promises no matter what it cost her personally made this book so interesting. As a green prosecutor, Anna's trying to make her way. Where her devotion and her learning curve collided were believable. It was when she was at her most lovable.

Given Anna's place in her career, it made sense that she was likewise maturing in her personal life. There were no fewer complications there, but the sources of her strife handsome problems to have. With Nick as a public defender, there were sure to be sparks flying. It also lead to what must be a pet peeve of mine - questioning the integrity of those who work with defendants. The number of times Anna either had the "how can you defend those people?" argument with Nick or in her head was the only thing that needled me in this book. I keep thinking about how easy it is for those who don't have to deal with life's dirty work such as defend violent criminals or execute death row inmates to call into question those who do. We need everyone to keep society running and there can be immoral and corrupt people on either side. It's more about motivation than occupation.

I really loved Allison Leotta's debut novel. I've looked on her website and others in hopes of seeing that Law of Attraction would be the first in a series with Anna. So far I haven't found anything, but the way Law of Attraction ended can support both a series and a stand alone novel. I know that Anna has a good, long career ahead of her. I hope I get to meet up with her again soon. show less

Authentic and timely, this legal thriller hits all the marks.

Emily Shapiro is poised to have the time of her life. A college freshman at Tower University, she's about to attend her first frat party. The night does not go as expected and Emily is sexually assaulted by Dylan Brooks, the son of a powerful Michigan politician. Reeling and traumatized, Emily fights back by filing a complaint but is frustrated in her attempts to get justice -- even her own father, the president of the university, show more seems to care more about the college than he does her well-being. Then Emily goes missing. She was last seen outside a bar running down a street with Dylan following her. Anna Curtis, a federal prosecutor, gets involved in the case.

This book covers everything from campus rape to Title IX and the real life issues of power dynamics, the #metoo crusade, and good old boy culture. Written by a former sex crimes prosecutor, this powerful story rings true as it attempts to examine the emotional dynamics that surround the issue of sexual assault.

I think this is the last in the Anna Curtis series and, though I've searched, I've not found any more recent books written by this compelling author. I really enjoyed the 3 installments that I read as I love legal thrillers. I liked the main characters and the details. I listened to this on audio intermittently while also reading print -- the narrator got on my nerves with her voice many times, especially when she was changing it to do other characters. The worst was when she was trying to talk like a man. Anyway, I did enjoy the plot and recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Touchstone for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. show less

Until reading Allison Leotta's novel, Law of Attraction, I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy legal thrillers. This debut is a pleasure from start to finish. The central character is Anna Curtis, a freshly-minted Assistant U. S. Attorney. Anna prosecutes misdemeanor domestic violence cases, and as the novel opens we witness the Laprea Johnson case from the first intake. Anna's opposing counsel for the trial is an old law school pal, Nick Wagner. Despite a strong attraction, Anna knows that show more she can't get involved with a public defender--and certainly not one she's up against! But after the unsatisfactory conclusion of the Johnson case, Anna and Nick's relationship changes. And it changes once more when they find themselves on opposing sides of the Johnson case for a second time.

While it is no doubt annoying for a novelist to be compared to her fictional creation, it is clear that Allison and Anna share more than a hair color. Allison Leotta also graduated Harvard Law and became an AUSA in Washington, DC. Her intimate familiarity with Anna's world really shows. She is unquestionably strongest when writing from Anna's POV, and somewhat weaker when channeling her inner city characters. At one point one of them claims, "All due respect, Ms. Curtis, but you don't know my life." `Nuff said. Still, Leotta manages to create some interesting and layered characters.

For a novice novelist, she does an excellent job with exposition, and really explains the ins and outs of what prosecutors are up against. The prose and dialogue are strong as well. It's not that the writing is particularly beautiful, but it isn't clunky either. It's just easy reading without being dumb. The pages fly by and there's a welcome vein of humor throughout the book to relieve the dark subject matter.

With any mystery or thriller, it's really the plot that makes or breaks the story. I basically figured the whole thing out about halfway through the novel. (I'm clever like that.) When, 50 pages later, the protagonist was thinking along the same lines as me, I realized that perhaps the novelist was more clever than I had given her credit for and had tossed a few red herrings into the mix. In the end, I did get some of it right, but there were a heck of a lot of surprises along the way. This is a fast-paced book, and if somehow the mystery doesn't keep you completely riveted, there's a good chance the romantic aspect will. Things get a bit steamy.

While Law of Attraction isn't going to win any literary awards, it was a terrifically entertaining debut and was more than enough to satisfy me. This is an author to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next! show less