Author: Allison Leotta
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: August 6, 2013 by Gallery Books
In this gripping legal thriller by “the female John Grisham” (The Providence Journal), sex-crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis must stop a vicious street gang before it destroys more lives—and her own family.
On the very night she gets engaged to the man she loves, Assistant US Attorney Anna Curtis’s professional life takes a shocking turn that threatens everything she holds dear. A few miles away from where she’s enjoying her romantic dinner, two separate groups are gearing up to raid a brothel. A vicious killer known as Diablo—the Devil—leads one group. A few minutes later, Anna’s own investigative team heads in to search the brothel, as part of an ongoing fight against human trafficking in DC. Both groups are caught off guard, with deadly results.
As Anna investigates the bloody face-off, the boundaries between her work and home life begin to blur when she discovers a web of long-buried secrets and official lies that lead straight to her doorstep. And everything Anna counted on—the happiness she seemed so close to securing—comes into question as Diablo moves in for yet another kill.
Allison Leotta draws on her experience as a DC sex-crimes prosecutor to take you into the back rooms of the US Attorney’s Office, the hidden world of the Witness Protection Program, and the secret rituals of one of America’s most dangerous gangs. Universally praised by bestselling authors from Catherine Coulter and George Pelecanos to Lisa Scottoline and David Baldacci, Leotta weaves fact and fiction to create her best novel yet.
On the very night she gets engaged to the man she loves, Assistant US Attorney Anna Curtis’s professional life takes a shocking turn that threatens everything she holds dear. A few miles away from where she’s enjoying her romantic dinner, two separate groups are gearing up to raid a brothel. A vicious killer known as Diablo—the Devil—leads one group. A few minutes later, Anna’s own investigative team heads in to search the brothel, as part of an ongoing fight against human trafficking in DC. Both groups are caught off guard, with deadly results.
As Anna investigates the bloody face-off, the boundaries between her work and home life begin to blur when she discovers a web of long-buried secrets and official lies that lead straight to her doorstep. And everything Anna counted on—the happiness she seemed so close to securing—comes into question as Diablo moves in for yet another kill.
Allison Leotta draws on her experience as a DC sex-crimes prosecutor to take you into the back rooms of the US Attorney’s Office, the hidden world of the Witness Protection Program, and the secret rituals of one of America’s most dangerous gangs. Universally praised by bestselling authors from Catherine Coulter and George Pelecanos to Lisa Scottoline and David Baldacci, Leotta weaves fact and fiction to create her best novel yet.
This is the third entry in a mystery/legal thriller series centering on protagonist Anna Curtis. She's an Assistant U.S. Attorney in DC. Anna has handled a couple of major cases so far. In Speak of the Devil, she'll work on her most dangerous one yet. The story picks up with Anna on a date with Jack Bailey, her fiance. He's the head of the Homicide Unit at the USAO (Anna's in Sex Crimes). Anna and Jack have had a somewhat rocky relationship so far. At least the interracial aspect of it hasn't been a big obstacle. It now seems as if Anna and Jack may soon get their happily ever after.
Several miles away, a group of MPD officers conducts a raid at a brothel. What was supposed to be a routine crackdown turns into a deadly confrontation. A couple of gang members manage to escape, but the cops are able to capture a third one. The guy's nickname turns out to be Psycho. Fitting for a dude involved with the MS, one of the most violent gangs in America. Psycho is found carrying something that causes MPD to bring Anna and Jack into the case. The former learns about it first, as she prepared a document enabling the police to conduct the raid. Detective Tavon McGee (a friend of Anna's and Jack's) is the one who brings the evidence.
After questioning the neighborhood, the police learn about one of the escaped suspects. He's the main antagonist of this novel. The guy is known only as the Devil. People call him that because of his grotesque appearance. He's covered in tattoos, has shark-like teeth, and sports two actual horns on his forehead. What's startling is that these aren't mundane Halloween accessories. The guy actually had a doctor implant the horns. It gives you an idea how unhinged this Devil is. He's a sort of leader/enforcer for the MS and takes the gang's wicked motto to heart. Anna, Jack, and the MPD have a hard time finding any information about the Devil. He's never been caught, so his data isn't on any criminal database.
When the case grows larger than expected, Anna calls in an old ally. She's Samantha Randazzo, a special agent with the FBI. Sam is quite an "ask for forgiveness rather than permission" type of person, which contrasts with Anna's cautious work style. The two women have learned to worked with each other. Anna and Sam are even sort of friends now, especially with Sam being a good friend of Jack's. When Sam learns that Anna and Jack are getting married, she's happy for the couple. Sam is one of the first people Anna invites to the wedding, apart from the latter's sister, Jody. The latter had a small role in Discretion. Jody rarely shows up because she lives a little far outside of DC, in hers and Anna's hometown.
As Anna digs deeper into the case, she ruffles one too many feathers. This causes the MS to greenlight Anna (put a hit out on her). Jack feels extremely worried when he learns this. He has a personal history with the MS, making this understandable. Anna insists on staying put, continuing to work the case and bringing Psycho and his homies to justice. But soon, Anna will have more to worry about than her life. She discovers a shocking truth that'll change several lives. When this happened, I was a little bummed. I wanted things to go a different way. Despite this, I really liked Speak of the Devil. It was a thrilling novel. And at least part of the ending was satisfying. I look forward to reading the next entry in this series.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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