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. ( )

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

Because reading taste evolves over time, I would have rated SPEAK OF THE DEVIL higher when I was in my 20s. But now, three decades later, the type of writing in this book is no longer for me. Now I see the characterization as too simple. Other reviews compare this to a John Grisham book; I would compare it to a Lisa Scottoline book, good writing and good story but a different type.

However, SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is written with authenticity. It deserves points for that. I learned of the degree that viscous, organized gangs exist in our society.

Allison Leotta's main character in SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is Anna, a beautiful female sex-crimes prosecutor. The devil referred to in the title is the head of the MS-13 gang, a man who truly does look like a devil, even to the point of implanting bumps in his forehead to look like horns and cutting off his nose.

While Anna works to shut down MS-13, she is also dealing with a fiance who still loves his wife who died at the hands of an MS-13 gang member. The description of Anna's personal life, in particular, is a little too goody-goody for me.

My point is that SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is a good book, just not for me anymore. ( )

Listened for Review (Simon & Schuster Audio)
Tracking Books Read Review (Short)
Overall Rating: 3.00
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 2.50

Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Speak of the Devil had a super strong case but it was weighed down by overly dramatic relationship things.

Overall Thoughts: I am going to admit that I am not a fan of super messy relationship drama in my thrillers unless it is the reason that certain things are happening. In this case, the drama was distracting for me. The twist should have either happened earlier or better yet the beginning shouldn't have happened. The case was very good, the extra layer of angst was not needed. I did enjoy the tracking down of clues, information, and the court drama. I thought all of that was done really well. I will read more in this series because overall I did enjoy Allison's writing voice.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated By Tavia Gilbert / Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Tavia nailed it! I loved the narration for Speak of the Devil. I think it helped me stick with the story (glad I did). She was great as Anna!

Final Thoughts: Despite the relationship issues, I really enjoyed this book. I will be getting the next one in the series. ( )

I won this book from Goodreads. A story of a DC sex crime prosecutor that recently gets engaged then a horrible crime is committed by a local gang. She must work to bring them to justice. ( )