Law of Attraction
Review: A young prosecutor in the US Attorney's office in Washington DC is torn between professional responsibility and personal ethics in Law of Attraction, the debut romantic legal thriller by Allison Leotta.
Anna Curtis, a graduate of Harvard Law, is assigned to handle misdemeanor domestic violence cases in her new job. But her latest case hits her hard, causing an feeling of alarm she cannot shake. Laprea Johnson, the mother of 5-year-old twins, walks into Anna's life after being beaten badly by D'Marco Davis, her boyfriend on the morning after Valentine's Day. Nick Wagner, with whom Anna had a romantic fling, is the defense attorney for D'Marco. Anna's case against D'Marco is solid … until during the trial, Laprea refuses state that he beat her. He's freed but not long after Leprea's body is found near D'Marco's home. Once again, Anna finds herself going after D'Marco, this time working with another prosecutor, Jack Bailey, as part of a criminal crimes division. But their investigation comes up with some surprising evidence that puts Anna in conflict … and in danger.
Law of Attraction is an absorbing novel about domestic violence, those that commit it, those that continually allow it to happen, and those who must prosecute and defend them. Anna Curtis is a well-rounded character, one of high principles and ideals but also one with a difficult and troubled past. The criminal investigation has a number of surprises for the reader, though the courtroom scenes — where this book could have really shined — seem somewhat perfunctory. Still, it's a fast-reading, at times riveting novel, and a good start for a series, if the author is considering a sequel.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Law of Attraction.
Acknowledgment: Simon & Schuster provided a copy of Law of Attraction for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in Law of Attraction: Washington DC
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Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta
Publisher: Touchstone
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-4391-9384-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-4391-9384-6
Publication Date: October 2010
List Price: $25.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): As a newly minted Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., Anna Curtis has already developed thick skin to deal with the brutality she encounters with her daily stack of domestic violence cases. Yet when Laprea Johnson walks into Anna’s life—battered by her boyfriend on the morning after Valentine’s Day—there’s something about this particular case that Anna can’t quite shake, something that reminds the prosecutor of her own troubled past.
At the trial, Laprea makes a last-minute reversal, lying on the witness stand to free her boy-friend. Shortly after he is freed, Anna is horrified to hear that Laprea’s body has been found in a trash heap. Hastily assigned to prosecute the murder case alongside intimidating chief homicide prosecutor Jack Bailey, Anna’s heart sinks when she learns that her own boyfriend, public defender Nick Wagner, is representing the accused.
Torn between bringing the killer to justice and saving her personal life, Anna makes a series of choices that jeopardizes her career, her relationships, and her very life as she uncovers the shocking truth behind the murder.