Author: Allison Leotta
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: May 12, 2015 by Gallery Books
Former federal prosecutor and critically acclaimed author Allison Leotta’s spellbinding thriller follows prosecutor Anna Curtis as she heads home to Michigan to defend her sister in a case that will bring her to her knees.
How far would you go to save your sister?
Anna Curtis is back in her hometown just outside of Detroit. Newly single after calling off her wedding, Anna isn’t home to lick her wounds. She’s returned to support her sister, Jody, who has been wrongfully accused of murder after their old high school coach, a local hero, dies in a suspicious car crash.
But maybe Jody isn’t so innocent after all. The police are convinced that Jody was having an affair with the married coach and killed him out of jealousy. As Anna investigates with the help of her childhood friend Cooper Bolden, an Afghan War veteran with a secret of his own, she slowly peels back the facade of her all-American town and discovers that no one is telling the truth about the coach, not even the people she thought she knew best. When the town rallies against them, threatening not just Jody’s liberty but both sisters’ lives, Anna resolves to do everything she can to save her sister and defend the only family she has left.
In her best book yet, Leotta, “the female John Grisham” (The Providence Journal), explores the limits of vigilante justice, the bonds of sisterhood, and the price of the truth.
Everything has changed in the fourth book of the Anna Curtis series. She's the main protagonist, an Assistant U.S. Attorney from D.C. Speak of the Devil had a shocking development that completely altered Anna's life. It left me rather bummed. For almost three books, the series had been building a romance between Anna and Jack Bailey. The latter is the head of the Homicide Unit at the USAO. The two were an inch away from getting married. It turns out that Jack's deceased wife, Nina Flores, was alive after all. She faked her death to protect her family and bring down an extremely dangerous criminal. Nina still loves Jack, so with her back in the picture, Anna felt she couldn't go forward with the wedding.
A call from a high school friend gives Anna an excuse to get away from D.C. for a bit. She returns to Holly Grove, her hometown. Anna has no idea what awaits her, though. She soon learns that Jody, her younger sister, is in trouble. Jody has played a small role in the two books she's appeared in so far. Now, Jody shares protagonist status with Anna. Things start with a local tragedy. Owen Fowler, a beloved high school coach and pillar of the community, is found dead. He was inside his car when it crashed into the school gym. The police find the circumstances suspicious. Knowing of Jody's relationship with the coach, they want to bring her in for questioning.
At first, Anna doesn't think Jody has reason to worry. Then the police search her house and find what appears to be solid evidence. Without thinking twice, Anna appoints herself as Jody's lawyer. She has to request permission from her superiors for this. I found this part of the novel interesting. Seeing Anna in the role of defense counsel is quite a change. I think she'll do a great job; Anna is a very good lawyer. Anyway, the evidence search left Jody's house temporarily unlivable. She and Anna stay with Cooper, an old school friend of theirs. He lives in Detroit, which is just outside Holly Grove.
Cooper used to be sort of a nerdy, thin guy while at school. Anna learns that he's since enlisted in the army and then returned after surviving an IED. The Cooper that Anna meets again is a very different man. He lost a leg, but Cooper is now tall and muscular. Anna feels attracted to him from the moment they meet again. Cooper's suffering from a mild case of PTSD now. It's fortunately not bad enough to affect his ability to function in the civilian world. Cooper is well able to protect Anna and Jody. They get to reconnect now that they live under the same roof.
There are several chapters written from Jody’s POV. They’re interesting in that those scenes take place in the past. Jody recounts her story from the time she was in high school. There are several characters involved, including a couple of unlikely ones. The information that Jody steadily reveals come with quite a few surprises. And yes, the coach is a big part of the story. The cops didn’t name Jody as a suspect for nothing. But whether she actually killed Owen Fowler is to be seen. I found myself wondering what Anna would do if her sister really did murder the coach. That would be a hard situation.
I thought Anna’s and Jack’s breakup would be a huge let-down. In some ways it is, but I still enjoyed A Good Killing. It’s a great thriller and a compelling mystery. There’s a lot for Anna to discover, not just about Coach Fowler, but about other people. One thing I found curious is the involvement of real-world hacking group Anonymous. They get interested in Jody’s case after certain developments. For the most part, they’re on Anna’s side, though. Another thing I liked is that Anna doesn’t rush into another romance so soon after canceling her wedding. That would have made readers question whether she truly loved Jack. In conclusion, I liked A Good Killing more than I thought I would. It’s the best Anna Curtis novel since Discretion.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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