Law of Attraction
A Novel
-
- $6.99
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
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.
Weaving expert knowledge with deft storytelling, federal sex-crimes prosecutor and Harvard Law School graduate Allison Leotta takes readers on a thrilling ride through D.C.’s criminal justice system. From the back rooms of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the flirtations and machinations of Washington’s Ivy League lawyers to the struggles of its poorest citizens on the gritty streets of Anacostia, Law of Attraction is a gripping debut from an exciting new talent.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Leotta s solid suspense debut, Anna Curtis, an earnest but decidedly green Washington, D.C., assistant U.S. attorney, learns some unforgettable lessons about domestic abuse. The rookie prosecutor is dismayed when a client, Laprea Johnson, the battered girlfriend of ex-con D marco Davis, who s charged with assaulting Laprea, recants her testimony in court, allowing D marco, the father of Laprea s four-year-old twins, to go free. D marco happens to be represented by Nick Wagner, a former Harvard Law classmate of Anna s who soon starts pursuing Anna romantically. When months later Laprea s lifeless, pregnant body turns up in the garbage dump behind D marco s building, D marco is charged with her murder. D.C. homicide chief Jack Bailey and Anna become friends as they prepare the case against D marco, while Nick, who s lost Anna s affections, tries to win her back. Leotta, herself a D.C. sex crimes prosecutor, makes some smart observations about the conflicts legal eagles face in the pursuit of justice.
