Allison Leotta

Too little legal, too much romance.

I decided to find this title after reading the 3rd, 4th, and 5th books in the series. Big mistake. If I had read this one first, I never would have gone on to the much better books that came later.

It's not that I mind a tiny bit of romance in a good thriller, it's just that I can retrospectively see that Anna, the main character, is really quite the twit and I cannot understand her appeal to men. The plot of this debut was rather lame and predictable with many completely unrealistic situations.

On another note, I really do not like the narrator's voice in the audiobooks. The truth probably is that I would find most to be irritating. Even at twice speed, it moves slowly and the different voices and emotions attempted get on my nerves.

I borrowed this one from the library. Skip it.… (plus d'informations)

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, 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.… (plus d'informations)

Twisty and entertaining legal thriller.

This installment, the 4th, continues immediately after the previous ended. Anna is reeling from her broken engagement and gets a call from her sister, Jody. Someone they both knew from their hometown has been murdered and Anna hears that Jody has been wrongfully accused of the crime. Anna escapes to Michigan to act as Jody's defense attorney. But, everyone is lying and the local hero who was killed may not have been such a saint after all.

I like the main characters and the fast paced narrative. The point of view flips between Jody and Anna and is told in a time shift with Jody's voice being mainly from when she was a teenager and Anna present day. The legal detail and lawyerly shenanigans are realistic as expected since the author has experience in the field. Not so enamored with Anna's quick rebound romance with Cooper but I do hope she is done with Jack. Frankly, I would prefer the action and plot revolve more around the legal than the personal love lives of the characters, but I do plan to continue to the next in the series.

I listened to this on audio and sometimes followed along in the e-book. The narrator's voice grates on my nerves occasionally because of the way she pronounces certain words and how she does male voices. I'm really working on trying to enjoy audiobooks.… (plus d'informations)

Legit legal thriller!

I started this series with book #3 and immediately was intrigued by the plot and the characters. Long a fan of legal thrillers, it's sometimes hard to find those that reflect realistic situations and gripping drama along with some good courtroom scenes. This seemed to have it all, including a romance aspect that I can usually do without. I may need to go back and read the first 2 installments, but I didn't have a problem with jumping in here.

The story involves an extremely violent street gang with a thug named Diablo at the head of it. He's a machete wielding killer with the goals of power and control. Anna Curtis is a prosecutor assigned to the sex crimes section in Washington, DC. Their paths cross on a particularly gruesome case and Anna ends up being marked for death by the gang.

Along the way, Anna deals with some issues in her personal life including an engagement to another attorney whose wife had died when she was working undercover trying to sting the very same gang.

The author knows of what she writes with her own experience in the DC sex crimes office. The novel rings true in every sense and I am definitely going to go find other books in this series. Definitely recommend to any fan of this genre.

I listened to the audio version of this and found the voice tolerable. I mention this only because I am not a huge fan of audio, but keep trying.… (plus d'informations)