Allison LeottaCritiques

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'm not sure I liked the main character all that much, but I did really enjoy the story. Okay actually no, I did more or less like Anna right up until the backstory is revealed. Her and her younger sister were hiding while their father beat their mother up and she wanted it to stop and she panicked and pushed her little sister in front of the father's belt and her face got cut up. It was the push the mum needed to press charges. Frankly I lost respect for her after that. I know people do stupid things but up until that point I assumed she'd murdered the father or something. Or let the mother be beaten. Or accidentally managed to knife the sister while trying to protect them all. Not push her sister out of their hiding place. I get being scared and panicking but I'd be doing everything I could to protect my little sister in that situation, so I was horrified by what she did.

On the other hand I never liked Nick. I didn't understand the attraction and I certainly didn't understand why she bothers to date him at all once she hears him say to Laprea that he was sorry and that he'd talk to D'marco. I mean wtf? I wasn't sure I liked him prior to that, but I definitely didn't like him after.

I don't know, all the romances were weird in this book. Probably would've been better without it. I did like Jack though and I liked how that progressed but it was overshadowed by her relationship with Nick.

The actual legal side of things was interesting though. I liked how it unfolded and I definitely didn't see the twist coming. I liked Laprea and how her points of view were shown, it added to the story and made me feel all the worse for her because she really was just trying her best to provide for her children.

I wavered over the stars but for all my complaining about the romance it was a pretty enjoyable read. 4 stars.

Bello, mi è piaciuto e mi ha intrigato. Il genere è quello del legal thriller e, anche se la parte gialla è abbastanza soft e facilmente comprensibile, la trama risulta avvincente anche per le vicende personali della protagonista che vi si intrecciano.
Una serie che continuerò a leggere.

Molto bello anche questo secondo libro della serie, dove le vicende mantengono sempre un buon ritmo narrativo. Molto scorrevole risulta comunque sempre avvincente e coinvolgente.
Una serie che continuerò a leggere.

Molto bello e avvincente, una storia ben congegnata con un notevole colpo di scena - veramente sconvolgente e del tutto imprevisto - dopo la metà del libro.
Non mi è piaciuto, però, il finale, che come per i precedenti, lascia comunque le situazioni in sospeso, e non ho apprezzato per nulla l’accanimento con cui l’autrice bistratta la povera protagonista, Anna Curtis, a cui non ne va bene una sin dalla nascita.
La storia però è bella e ben costruita e merita di essere letta anche se adesso bisogna aspettare la pubblicazione del prossimo capitolo per conoscere come andranno avanti le cose.
Effettive quattro stelle e mezzo.

There is a place in my reading pile for books that are quick, engrossing, but not life changing. This is one of those. I read it in 3 days which is pretty amazing to me considering I'm reading on my subway commute and before bed usually. The plots are good and have enough twists and turns to be interesting while the characters are generally very good and are probably the most compelling part of the book. I've read 4 of this series now and I know I'll read the next one in the future.

A very well crafted and enjoyable book, exactly what I was looking for.

How far would you go to save your sister?

Anna Curtis is back in her hometown just outside of Detroit. Newly single after calling off her wedding, Anna isn’t home to lick her wounds. She’s returned to support her sister, Jody, who has been wrongfully accused of murder after their old high school coach, a local hero, dies in a suspicious car crash.

But maybe Jody isn’t so innocent after all. The police are convinced that Jody was having an affair with the married coach and killed him out of jealousy. As Anna investigates with the help of her childhood friend Cooper Bolden, an Afghan War veteran with a secret of his own, she slowly peels back the facade of her all-American town and discovers that no one is telling the truth about the coach, not even the people she thought she knew best. When the town rallies against them, threatening not just Jody’s liberty but both sisters’ lives, Anna resolves to do everything she can to save her sister and defend the only family she has left.

The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta

Allison Leotta has received high praise and critical notice for her four previous Anna Curtis novels. With The Last Good Girl, Leotta continues to shine, examining a complex social and legal issue with compelling storytelling.

In The Last Good Girl, Leotta examines campus rape, at Tower University, an esteemed university near Detroit, Michigan.

Emily Shapiro, a freshman student at Tower, disappears after leaving a bar near campus. Dylan Highsmith, president of the Beta Psi fraternity chapter, was the last person seen with Emily. Emily had accused Dylan approximately six months earlier of drugging and raping her at a campus party. However, Dylan’s wealthy and powerful family had used their resources to blunt any hope that Emily had of receiving the justice she sought.

Anna, normally a Federal prosecutor operating out of Washington, D.C., is in Michigan, having helped her sister, Jody, out of a legal issue, and finding a new love interest, Cooper Bolden.
Anna is drafted by her boss, her prior love interest, as a special prosecutor to oversee the Shapiro investigation with the FBI as a hate crime. Beta Psi has a reputation on campus as “the rape factory”, and with Highsmith as their leader, it’s no surprise when the investigation leads Anna to their door.
Leotta’s experience as a federal prosecutor is apparent. She unfolds her story, laying out the environment ripe for campus rape and the complexities of prosecuting cases. Late reporting, reluctant witnesses, rampant alcohol usage, and rape shaming make cases hard to make and harder to prosecute. When campus administrators are determined to impede progress, it makes it nearly impossible to succeed.

But Leotta’s story is hardly a recitation of prosecutorial potholes. She writes a tight, personal story of an Anna dealing with her life and her work in a direct uncomplicated manner removed from melodrama. Anna is a sympathetic character with a backbone of steel and one you want to root for.

The investigation’s procedural elements are well-presented, tightly structured, allowing for some surprise elements that fit nicely with the facts and leading to a satisfying resolution. The Last Good Girl is a solid story, nicely told.

This was an okay story, but I found myself wishing it would hurry along and finish. This is the fifth book in a series and I had not read any of the previous books, but I don't feel like that was an issue. The backstory is presented briefly enough so you feel like you have an understanding of any important details from earlier books.

This kept me turning the pages without many breaks as Gone Girl did. I started the series with the book and will have to read the previous ones.

5+++ STARS! - My FAVORITE for 2016 to date!
This is by FAR my favorite book of 2016 so far! I just LOVED reading this book! There were a variety of reasons I loved this book so much, but the most outstanding one is this author's writing! This book read so well, you would start reading and the next thing you knew 50 pages just flew by! This author kept you glued to the pages in this book! Anything could have happened around you while you were reading this book and you wouldn't have even known it! She described things extremely well, the characters interacted very well and it was easy to know who was talking, whom they were talking to, and when a new character joined in or the scene changed. Overall, from start to finish this author never disappoints us as we are reading this book that is so simple yet at the same time very complex and a very detailed and complicated story, I call this 'reading through butter', meaning it reads so smoothly and with such ease!
This is Book Five of the Anna Curtis Series, (she works at the FBI and works whatever cases are given her), but this being Book Five means 'nothing'. This is a "stand-alone" book well worth your time and effort to read! I will be collecting her other four novels and I very much look forward to reading them and all her future books! Anna has a love interest, and she just made a huge decision, so I really want to learn more about that!
So what happens? This book is about rape that happens on college campuses, and in this case, it happens at a Michigan university, right where a particular student lives, a woman named Emily Shapiro. Emily actually grew up at this university because her father is the President of it. Amazing, huh! We learn some pretty shocking statistics in this book about rape, and other shocking information about fraternities, too. I always knew college fraternities do get a little crazy, but not quite like the one in this book, but then again I never did go away to school. This is downright scary to think of some of these things are going on at our colleges. We have seen movies show us what some college fraternities focus on, and that is strictly on and about women, and we are not made to look very respectful, and that is how women are treated and demonstrated by a certain fraternity in this book. It's quite shocking.
This book takes place at The Tower University in Detroit, Michigan. This campus has a clock tower which has turned into a special gathering place for the students, and a landmark on and for this campus (a lot of campuses have this.) Yes! Our good ‘ole state of Michigan does have a college in Detroit called Wayne State University, and yes, they also have a clock tower too, called 'Old Main', built in 1894! (There are so many similarities between this book's universities (colleges) and three others here in Michigan I thought it was pretty neat since I live here and know what and where the colleges are! For a college to have a clock like this is considered a status symbol. This author graduated from Michigan State University, and they have a clock tower on it's campus, too, built in 1928 and is referred to as the Beaumont Tower! The name Beaumont here is HUGE in our state, or at least in the suburbs of Detroit. It is a huge hospital system and more. It is SO large it's difficult to find whatever it is we need, and I say this from experience. It's amazing to me how colleges are so intertwined with other businesses, etc., in the states they are located in. Since there are so many similarities between the colleges here in Michigan, I thought this was pretty neat since this book takes place here where I live, and I know what colleges are here and where they are located, and I am somewhat familiar with the city of Detroit, etc.! When you read about a book based in and around the area you live in it is really neat!
And yes! There truly “ARE” farms in the middle of Detroit! They are seasonal, of course, due to our weather, and some of them can be quite large. Since the city of Detroit has fallen by the wayside, and is no longer the ‘auto capital of the world' as it was once known as the 'Motorcity’, people in Detroit have had no choice but to reinvent Detroit all on their own. Homes still get burned down to the ground left and right, and usually it's always arson when that happens, and is truly pathetic because those old homes were more than beautiful! The art in the woodwork and the stained glass windows alone! The care people used to put into their AMAZING homes! If only people had kept them up instead of letting them go and then they turn into blight in the city perfectly waiting for someone to come along and ignite them - UGH! You just are not and/or were not safe. Jobs still are still scarce, so people started claiming the land on their blocks (yes, sometimes and most of the time their house is the ONLY house on their entire city block when prior to that the houses were almost one on top of the other) and they are reinventing their blocks, their jobs, and turning their houses into farms! Yes! When you read that, it IS happening like that and the author is NOT stretching to making this up, nor is this some type of Apocalyptic thing!
Why am I talking about the community in Detroit? They ALL come together and help look for Emily Shapiro after she disappears. It's amazing! At this point, the only thing to look for is her dead body. There would be no way for her to be able to remain alive with the weather elements the way they were at the time. No one has heard from her, no one has seen her, and it's been months. She's gone. Here's what happens.
As I said above, this book is about women who go off to college and unfortunately are raped. Their risk of rape is extremely high especially in the first few weeks of school starting. This is SO sad! It's wrong and needs to be stopped, and it's books like THESE that bring out the truth that will do it! Koodles to this author for writing about this in this book bringing it to the attention of everyone who will end up reading it, most likely millions upon millions of people who will also feel like I do and want this stopped and there WILL BE ACTION TAKEN TO STOP THIS when in the past it was looked away from and more! You'll learn more about that in the book. This NEW action will result in NO ONE being able to keep rape a HUSH-HUSH SECRET ANY LONGER and this WILL be taken extremely seriously from now on!
Emily Shapiro attended her first college party the very first night she moved into her dorm. She got ready with her other two suite roommates and they were off to party at a frat house! Emily ended up with a guy named Dylan and she is raped. Emily was not flirting with this guy, she just found herself with him. How? As she lay underneath of him and was being raped, she felt drugged as she could not stay awake, and she kept falling asleep, but why she was being raped? How? What was happening to her? She was aware of what was happening, but she felt helpless to fight him back. When she woke up the next morning, she definitely knew what happened, it was not a dream.
A few months later, she fights for her rights after being raped by this guy, even if it did take her a few months to do so, but he keeps getting off free? Why? After a very short while, Emily disappears. She doesn't just go missing and is found at a friends house, she is completely gone for months and months and months with ZERO clues as to where she could possibly be. Is she dead? The FBI gets called in. No police department, including college security likes when this happens. The FBI takes over this investigation, in particular, Anna. Anna is from Michigan, too, so this is nice in that she gets to stay with her family while she is working this case. The problematic part for Anna is that her former fiance' is also HERE in Michigan, and he is HOT! His name is Cooper. One night Anna caught herself thinking how good it feels to be back home (with Cooper). Whoa! Stop! She cannot be thinking like this because she is not going to marry Cooper. Oh, problems.
Now the last time anyone ends up seeing Emily is getting longer and longer since the last time. It is seriously time to start searching for her and NOW! Thankfully, due to traffic cameras and some cameras at a few people's houses, including recordings Emily made herself for homework for her one Professors. Emily had to post her videos on a special server called Blue Tube and she was able to keep them set as "private" until others found them and someone took the videos down at that point. Anna was able to see Emily and also Dylan on camera chasing her down the street past anything where she might have found safety at until they get to the last place anyone wants to go or end up at, and that is “The Pit”. It happens to be an area at the college where construction has been going on for quite a while now. It’s more off to the side of the college where accidents have happened before. They do find some of her personal items in The Pit, but they don’t find her or her body in there. At this point, all that's left to try to use is DNA matching. This is GREAT! Maybe she still has a chance? Everyone IS HOPING she has that chance, but they can’t find her no matter what! The FBI does now know for a fact Emily was chased into The Pit by Dylan as it's on tape. They do get a search warrant and now they have one LIVID man at the frat house and college. More detective work goes on and more discovery is made, and some things will completely catch you by surprise!
All in all, yes, the subject matter in this book was dark, edgy, and grimy, but you KNEW that it had to be like this so that eventually ALL of this bad and evil secret keeping done intentionally by the fraternity houses will stop! Especially with the FBI on this trail, you KNOW justice will prevail! We just don't how or when, who would get hurt, if Emily is alive or not, and on and on with the questions.
This book was one heck of a suspenseful one! Again, this author is VERY talented, and it made reading this book an outstanding experience despite the subject matter. I LOVE books like these where the author has you so hooked into their books and you end up reading one like this in ONE DAY! (300 pages which normally doesn't happen that fast for myself!) This book is just SO good, I could NOT put it down! My nose was buried! So . . . there is so much more information you will learn from this book, hold on for the ride!
I have to admit I have seen this same 'that doesn't happen here' thing that is in this book about rape at colleges/universities on TV news reports, and in hour long documentaries, too. It's about Universities don’t want ONE WORD uttered that 'THEIR' college was a part of or had some type of problem with the act of "rape". I never knew it was because they were worried about the numbers game! The number of students who want to enroll versus the number who drastically don't want a thing to do with a college any longer. It makes a HUGE difference! Plus, these shows I saw did not come out with the complete truth like this book does. It was so wrong to try to keep this so hush-hush! This is a book about to change all of that. MAKE SURE TO SHARE THIS BOOK WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY! THIS INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE SPREAD AROUND! YOU KEEP YOUR DAUGHTERS SAFE THE MORE YOU BRING THIS TO THE PUBLIC'S EYES, or else there is more, just like in this book! No, it's NOT OVER YET! Enjoy!
I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Touchstone, A CBS Company, (and I thank them very much!) in exchange that I read then write a review about this book/what I read. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to just enjoy the sheer pleasure of reading this book and then writing an honest review about what I thought about this book, regardless if my opinion is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.

The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta is a highly recommended topical novel of suspense.

This is the fifth book in a series that features Anna Curtis, a federal sex crimes prosecutor based in Washington, D.C.. She is visiting her sister and niece in Detroit when she is called into help with an investigation by her former fiancé, Jack and is once again working with her friend in the FBI, Agent Samantha Randazzo.

It seems that freshman college student Emily Shapiro has gone missing. Emily just happens to be the daughter of the college president. She also has recently filed rape charges against Beta Psi Fraternity member Dylan Highsmith, the son of the state's lieutenant governor. Dylan is caught on security tapes following Emily and is arguably the last person to see her.

In-between chapters following Anna and the investigation, as well as other characters, is the transcripts of the vlog, video log/diary, Emily was keeping for a class. The diary tells Emily's story while the investigation uncovers more information about Dylan, his actions, the frat parties, Emily's case, and the university's response. Anna is also asking herself questions and must make some choices about her uncertain personal life.

The Last Good Girl is well written and the plot moves along at a good pace. The suspense of the investigation and what they are discovering will keep you reading. There are several surprises along the way too, especially the ending. This would be a great airplane book. It'll hold your attention.

While I like the character of Anna, I did feel like I was missing some vital background information jumping into this fifth book in the series. The plot lost nothing, the suspense was there as the investigation was underway, but I was lacking the extra information about the character's relationships. Now, this is easy to simple overlook, but it's always good to know that the book is fifth in a series before you start it.

I'd also have to agree that Dylan is an over-the-top stereotype/parody: the bad frat boy who is rich and arrogant with a well-connected, powerful family. It's not that it can't be true, but he's just so.... everything.

The actual "ripped-from-the-headlines" plot consists of the statistics for rape on college campuses and problems relating to fraternities. Living in a town with a large university means that these problems aren't just statistics for my community. It's a real problem. But for those of us who went to college many years ago, we know it has also been a problem for years. I'd like to think, from what I have read, that most colleges and universities are taking rape and sexual assault very seriously now, which makes this novel a bit unfortunate, as far as the depicted reaction of those at the college.

The same can be said about problems with fraternities. Frats don't seem to getting away with what this frat did anymore. That's not to say that there can't be problems, but, again, I think most colleges try to keep a closer eye on things now.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Touchstone for review purposes.

It was his word against hers…until she disappeared.

When Emily Shapiro accuses the scion of a rich and well connected family of raping her inside his college fraternity, she sets in motion the by now all too familiar blame the victim game that seems so prevalent on college campuses.

The fifth book in author Allison Leotta’s Anna Curtis series deals with the hot button topic of sexual assaults on college campuses and the school’s reaction or lack thereof to these assaults.

Anna is still living in Michigan after the events of the previous novel, A Good Killing. She continues to lick her wounds from a broken engagement, but has settled into a companionable relationship with another man while caring for her sister and her newborn niece.

But the somewhat idyllic nature of her status quo is upended when her ex-fiancée calls and effectively drags her into the Shapiro case. Emily has disappeared and she’s being presumed missing if not dead. The prime suspect is Dylan Highsmith, the man she accused of rape.

As a former federal sex crimes prosecutor, Leotta obviously knows the ins and outs of this kind of case. She does a great job in the storytelling while filling you in on the relevant facts and figures that surround the case. That she can do this without repeatedly knocking you over the head with said facts and figures is a testament to her writing ability.

As the story progresses, we learn more about Emily’s case as the author interjects what is set up as transcripts from hearings that were held by the school and from videos the victim posted on a video blog site.

While the details fleshing out the backstory of how “we” ended up at the beginning of the book are necessary to understand just how corrupt, incompetent and backward the college system is at dealing with sexual assault claims, I thought the narrative delivery of these “transcripts” interrupted the linear flow of the story. They tended to pull me out of the story as if they were commercial interruptions in the tale. However, these details were definitely necessary. Particularly noteworthy was how one of the later pieces revealed just how deeply Emily was sold out by the school.

The unrelenting and unsympathetic depiction of the main villain of the piece was definitely the right way to go about things because there sometimes just is not two sides to every story. The enabling of his reprehensible behavior by his family’s legal and political connections had to be stated and shown in the most declarative light.

As Anna Curtis fights to find out the truth, her personal life B-plots end up merging into the case as the two men in her life play huge roles in the outcome of the case.

I was decidedly pleased that Leotta chose to focus her story on the fraternity life at college and didn’t throw in college sports into the mix. The extra layer of power plays and politics that would’ve caused for the story would’ve overwhelmed the story and made the book more of a treatise and less of a compelling work of literary fiction.

I had a couple of nitpicks with the story. The first was with one of the supporting characters, Wyatt. Much like the redemption of Darth Vader in The Return of the Jedi, he spends much of the book being a royal pain in the butt, yet somehow finds at least a measure of redemption for a single act that he should’ve already been doing in the first place.

The other quibble was a more serious one for me. It had to do with the reveal about Emily Shapiro herself. While it doesn’t lessen the severity of what happened to her and her expectation of justice for it, I thought it did undercut her position on the moral high ground a little bit.

Overall, The Last Good Girl works on the two levels it sets out to conquer. It tells a compelling legal thriller story and highlights an area of life that needs more of society’s attention and protections.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher.

The Last Good Girl is a haunting and chilling tale that will keep readers glued to this brutal story from the beginning until the very end.

When I read the author of this book used to be a U.S. Federal prosecutor in the sex crimes area, I was beyond excited because that meant the author knew what she was talking about and it felt all the more real. To say that I was in shock and so surprised at how colleges handle these situations is an understatement. I was so appalled by the whole process and even more so when I read it was inspired by real life stories. The reality is this happens in real life! I felt even more disgusted when I realized this while I kept going more into the story.

Going into this book, I had no idea I was going to get this very well-written story. I feel like I learned a lot from it and I love when books help me intellectually. The story follows a girl who went to a bar to have fun with friends only to be seen outside of the bar, trying to get a way from a guy and ultimately, the girl disappears. Anna is called by her ex-husband to help on the case, seeing as she’s a prosecutor and could very well help run this case along. Anna does everything in her power to find out what happened to Emma Shappiro. She finds evidence that Emily had actually been raped her first year at college by the same guy that had last seen her.

I was so frustrated at the authoritative figures of the college campus because they were trying to cover everything up so their statistics on rape would be zero, when the reality is they had a bunch of cases from victims they had simply left hidden. The author did a fantastic job in explaining every single detail that goes down in an investigation of this matter, which helped me understand everything. I was definitely enthralled by the whole process that the FBI was doing, trying to uncover what had happened while everyone else didn’t want this to spread.

This story alternated between Anna’s perspective in third person and video logs that Emma had made, stating everything that had happened to her. Also, we get a few third person perspectives from secondary characters that gave more highlight to this whole case. I was not prepared for the twist at the end and how everything went down but the author really knows how to throw things at the reader by surprise. I do wish I had gotten more from the offender towards the end, simply to see justice served even though it was loosely mentioned.

Overall, it was a very mind-blowing story that kept me hooked and I didn’t want to stop until I had all of the answers. I’ll be reading Allison Leotta’s other books for sure.
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Review can be found on Latte Nights Reviews:
https://lattenightsreviews.com/arc-review-the-last-good-girl/

A special thank you to Touchstone and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Allison Leotta, former D.C. federal sex-crimes prosecutor, returns with her riveting mystery series, (Anna Curtis #5) THE LAST GOOD GIRL a sensitive case, a freshman girl at a prestigious university goes missing, two powerful families, a monster, and Anna, an unstoppable federal prosecutor-- who has prosecuted congressmen, street gangs, serial rapists----and now, frat boys.

Set in Michigan, Emily Shapior, a freshman at a Michigan University (fictional) —she goes missing, after filing rape charges against Dylan. Emily’s father is the president of Tower University, Dylan Highsmith (third generation legacy at Tower University--belongs to a popular college fraternity--four US presidents were alumni, along with countless senators, and CEOs). The big boys.

Anna Curtis, sex-crimes prosecutor is on the case—a missing girl; warned to handle with care, and watch her back. A hot topic: "College campus sex assault."

Emily had waited her entire life to become a student and enjoy the entire college experience. Her dreams had turned into a nightmare. In addition, there were parent issues with divorce, etc. Betrayal. She was brought up to be the good girl. Attend the right schools and the right people. Appearances. Bury the ugly.

For a class assignment, freshman students were assigned to record at least one video a week, to describe their college experience. A log of time known as a vlog, to be continued throughout the year. BlueTube. (like YouTube), but just for Tower University stuff.

A secret. A party. Frat boys. Sexually assaulted by high-profile Dylan. Drugged. Black out. Dylan takes what he wants and does not know the meaning of “no”. He is protected by his family, frat brothers, followers, and a high powered team of attorneys. Power was on his side.

Beta Psi had three rules: (1) Trust the brotherhood (2) what happens in the house, stays in the house (3) trust the brotherhood. Dylan was the brotherhood. Known as the Rape Factory. Secrets, crimes, skeletons—Underground. Wealth and power.

A recording. Six months prior. A statistic. One in five. A diary. Raped. A mom wants her to go to the police. Her mom wants to get back at her dad for ruining her own life. A father falling for a woman half his age. She does not want to hurt her father. She is not planning on posting; however, talking about her family on the vlog is therapy. She is the only one who can figure it out.

She knew it would be hard to face Dylan, his frat brothers, her classmates. Afraid of being judged, blackballed, laughed at. But being slapped down the school which is supposed to protect. A surprise.

Together, Anna and Samantha Randazzo, FBI make their way through politics, going up against the University, stonewalling as they hammered out a plan. Inside the modern amenities and the historic architecture, there was sex, a part of college life. Other women. Victims.

Two days prior to the time Emily goes missing, something happened. Something changed. There previously had been a disciplinary case. What happened? Emma’s disappearance gets media attention and support from Title IX activists across the country, but Anna’s investigation hits a wall. On a personal note, she turns to Jack for help. She was just getting over him—however, Anna is desperate to find the girl before it’s too late.

The Highsmith’s always seem to be one step ahead. Things turn very personal. Anna could lose her license, her job, and her reputation. It is down to the wire. Anna needs a break. Is Emily still alive? Where is she? Dylan was the last to see her alive? Can they get the girls to talk? Psychological damage. Victims.

Inspired by real-life stories, a need for justice, The Last Good Girl is a perfect example what goes on throughout our campuses today; the politics and power---leaving victims sometimes powerless to fight for their rights. As though they have been assaulted all over again. Sadly, often by the college.

Wow, this was intense, evil, sinister—debutantes versus prostitutes? Compelling- lots of unexpected twists, turns and red herrings. Just when a victim seems to think they have justice; things turn in a different direction. Well-developed and timely, combined with the author’s vast legal and crime expertise, she brings critical insights to the powerful and emotional highly-charged topics, ripped from today’s headlines.

From fast action, and corruption--the suspense is high, keeping you page-turning. Leotta creates stories that both entertain and teach about the way the criminal justice system works – and doesn’t work. Weaving statistics, true facts with fiction--a nice mix with likable characters and enough wit, to balance out the heavy subjects.

Since this was my first book by the author, (would enjoy reading the previous books) however, the author gets you up to speed.

Anna’s life in Michigan. She is currently living with an old friend, Cooper, (new love interest) PTSD, and her sister Jody (gives her plenty of advice), and Jody’s baby. A nice tie in with the men in her life. Anna thinks Jody would make a great detective. She has been working remotely for the US Attorney’s office as prosecutor, after taking time away to defend her sister in a trial (plus the breakup with Jack). Should she stay with Cooper, or could there be a chance with Jack back in DC?

I enjoyed the characters, (especially Anna) and Sam; infused with Anna’s personal and career life, as well as the usage of Emily’s personal blog (vlog) accounts which delves into the raw feelings and challenges in dealing with rape.

Since legal and crime - my favorite genres, delighted to discover this exciting talented author! For fans of Lisa Scottoline, Mary Louise Kelly, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Marcia Clark, Lisa Gardner and Laura Lippman. A nice mix of legal, psychological, crime, suspense, mystery, cop procedural, and thriller--with a touch of romance. An ideal read for adults, parents, teens and college students, as well—a cautionary tale. Especially those with teens heading off to college.

Highly Recommend!

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JDCMustReadBooks ½

Easy read, suspenseful...a little too "on-the-surface" story. I didn't draw me in to Leotta as a writer.

There were things I liked about this book, but it reads a lot more like YA or romantic suspense than a true suspense or thriller novel. The plot was good, rather unique at the end, but started out rather slow. The plot of the evil athletic coach is a little overused and that was the main theme for most of the book. Did keep me reading to the end.

An excellent thriller written by an author at the top of her Game. When prosecutor Anna Curtis returns home to defend her sister, she finds nothing is as it seems and that all she holds dear is in jeopardy. Excellent.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Samantha Cody and Dub Walker thriller series

A sister's love for her sister comes to the front in Allison Leotta's "A Good Killing."

The story was inspired by the real-life Jerry Sandusky case and captures the reader's attention from the first page and keeps running.

Anna Curtis is a sex crimes prosecutor in Washington, D.C. She puts her career on hold and comes to Michigan to defend her sister Jody from a murder charge.

Small town life is depicted and the love of football is well illustrated. High school football dominates the life of Holly Grove, a town not far from Detroit.

Owen Fowler,the town's beloved football coach is dead and Jody Curtis is charged with the crime.

The pacing of the story is right on the mark as current action is separated from the incidents of Jody's life as a fifteen-year-old. She is a high school athlete competing in the high jump and searching for something she could do that would surpass her older sister who is a star and a college student at that time.

Coach Fowler becomes Jody's mentor and life seems grand. Then, something happens and Jody's dreams are shattered.

Anna shows intelligence and determination as she defends her sister. She's coming from her own emotional roller coaster as she has just called off her wedding. A high school friend and Afghan War vet and amputee, helps in the investigation. He is well described and the kind of character the reader will want to succeed.

The dialogue flows smoothly and small town life jumps from the pages. It's the kind of story the reader will want to turn the pages gripped with the suspense and emotional upheaval of the story.

I received a free book in return for my honest review.½

An almost perfectly executed thriller, A Good Killing by Allison Leotta is the fourth novel in her Anna Curtis series. Well-developed characters, a tightly written mystery and plenty of emotional angst kept me turning the pages from start to finish. In fact, I got so caught up on this book, I didn’t want to put it down. While this is the fourth book in an established series, this book stands on its own and I was able to enjoy it without having read any of the previous novels. Of course, now I want to read the first three books I missed.

Having just broken off her engagement, D.C. federal sex-crime prosecutor Anna Curtis feels as if her life is up in the air. When she receives a call from a childhood friend, Anna discovers that her hometown’s beloved football coach has died, and that somehow her younger sister, Jody, is wanted by the police for questioning. Jumping on the next plane home to Michigan, Anna soon finds herself playing defense attorney for the first time in her life and desperate to prove her sister innocent. Something she begins to question as her investigation digs deeper into her hometown’s secrets. With the help of Cooper Bolden, a childhood friend and Iraq war vet with his own secrets, Anna soon discovers that home isn’t always what we think it is as children.

Ms. Leotta does an excellent job developing the primary characters in this story; I easily connected with both Anna and Jody from the start and enjoyed getting to know them more as the story developed. Told in first person by both Anna and Jody, we get to see a fuller picture of their background and what has been taking place in both women’s lives. Born to a hard working mother and alcoholic father, Anna and Jody were both determined to get an education and get out of town, but only Anna managed to leave while Jody stayed behind and went to work at GM in Detroit.

While both girls loved their mother, and she eventually raised them as a single mom and did the best she could, Anna and Jody have a close and yet fractured relationship; Jody’s been keeping secrets for a long time and both of them have a hard time trusting men. Something they’ve both learned the hard way. While equally intelligent, Jody’s past (both long term and recent), that’s tied to her personal history with the deceased coach, makes the police look at Jody as their best candidate for a suspect and puts Anna in the position of having to look at the law, and our justice system, from the defenses point of view. Something she’s never really thought about before

The secondary characters are also well developed and I especially enjoyed getting to know Cooper Bolden, their childhood friend and hottie yet damaged war veteran. We also got to meet some characters from Anna’s life in D.C., such as Grace her best friend and Jack, the man she was going to marry, who is also technically one of her bosses. We get to meet Jody’s best friend, Kathy, who’s got her own issues with the dead coach, which turn out to be tied to Jody’s case.

The mystery itself, as to who murdered the coach and why, is very well done. The story takes plenty of twists and turns, and we discover who the coach really was as a teacher, a husband and man about town. Ms. Leotta’s story also deals with a topic close to my heart in this story, how athletes and their coaches, have somehow been able to get away with a code of behavior that would get anyone else in trouble with the law. As recent events in real life have come to light with professional athletes, Ms. Leotta’s story highlights how this insidious behavior affects both large and small towns.

Will Anna be able to prove her sister’s innocence? Will uncovering her hometown’s secrets result in any additional deaths? And will Anna and Cooper’s mutual attraction change the course of Anna’s life? You’ll have to read A Good Killing to find out. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

*** I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher for a fair and honest review.

When her sister cannot be found, Washington, D. C. prosecutor Anna Curtis returns to her Holly Grove, Michigan home town. She finds her sister being interviewed by the police and things take a decidedly downward turn when Jody is suspected of being involved in the fiery crash that claimed the life of the town’s beloved high school coach.
Anna turns defense lawyer to defend her sister when that suspicion turns into a murder charge. But the town’s closely-held secrets may keep her from finding the truth and, despite Anna’s courtroom skills, may ultimately send her sister to prison.

The suspenseful narrative of this legal thriller moves quickly and plot twists will keep readers invested.

Recommended.