From the “female John Grisham” (The Providence Journal)–a new legal thriller exploring the intersection of sex and power in Washington, D.C.’s most secretive worlds.
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When a beautiful young woman plummets to her death from the balcony of the U.S. Capitol, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Curtis is summoned to help handle the high-profile case. Anna is teamed with brash FBI Special Agent Samantha Randazzo and they discover that the victim is one of the city’s highest-paid escorts, and the suspect is the District’s most powerful elected official. This case could make Anna’s career–or ruin it.
At the same time, Anna’s budding romance with Jack Bailey, the chief homicide prosecutor, is at a crossroads. Determined to gain respect in the office, Anna prefers to keep their relationship under wraps. The scrutiny that comes with the office’s most important case will inevitably expose their relationship, if it doesn’t destroy it first.
The investigation leads Anna to Discretion, a high-end escort service that caters to D.C.’s elite. When a series of shocking developments turn the case upside down, Anna and Samantha must race to find Discretion’s remaining escorts before they become the next victims.
About the Author
For twelve years, I was a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., where I specialized in prosecuting sex crimes, domestic violence, and crimes against children.
I started writing novels because I saw heartbreaking tragedies, acts of shocking evil, and vulnerable victims every day – but also moments of real heroism, true love, and healing. Given the stories I witnessed, the rich cast of characters I worked with, and my lifelong love of fiction, I had to write some books.
My first novel, LAW OF ATTRACTION, was written in the spaces of my life between prosecuting and mommying. I started writing while I was pregnant with my first son. I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. and write for a couple of hours before heading to work. I wrote at night and on weekends. After my son was born, I wrote during his naps and after bedtime. Now, the sound of a softly snoring baby triggers a Pavlovian response in me to start typing.
In 2010, Simon & Schuster published LAW OF ATTRACTION. The Washington Post called it “a racy legal thriller…taking on a still-taboo subject.” Suspense Magazine named it one of the best books of the year, and Library Journal gave it a starred review, calling it “riveting.”
The sequel, DISCRETION, will be published this July, and is available for pre-order. David Baldacci called it a “first-rate thriller,” and #1 bestselling author Douglas Preston said, “Discretion is the best legal thriller I’ve read this year, beautifully crafted and frighteningly real.”
I also blog about what TV crime shows get right and wrong, from my perspective as a real sex-crimes prosecutor. I’m thrilled that the ABA has named my blog, The Prime-Time Crime Review, one of the best legal blogs in America, for two years in a row. Visit me online at http://allisonleotta.com/