with Allison Leotta
We are delighted to welcome legal thriller writer Allison Leotta to Omnimystery News today.
Allison's third "Anna Curtis" novel is Speak of the Devil (Touchstone; August 2013 hardcover, ebook, and audio formats) … and we recently had the chance to catch up with her to talk about it.
— ♦ —
Omnimystery News: You and your series lead Anna Curtis share a similar biography. How much of your own personal and professional experience did you integrate into her character?
Photo provided courtesy of
Allison Leotta; Photo credit Tim Coburn
Allison Leotta: For twelve years, I was a federal prosecutor in D.C., where I specialized in sex crimes and domestic violence. I now write thrillers about — surprise! — a fictional D.C. sex-crimes prosecutor. In writing my books, I draw directly from my experience, taking the most interesting real-life details and incorporating them into the story. The criminal justice system is a fascinating, rewarding, and sometimes disturbing place to work. I try to capture that in my books.
My series heroine, Anna Curtis, faces many of the same challenges I faced as a prosecutor. She is, however, much more interesting than I am! She had a darker childhood, and also lives a much more exciting romantic life. (I'm a married mom of two little boys, so a normal night for me involves Kraft Mac'n'cheese and Matchbox cars.) It's fun for me to live vicariously through Anna!
OMN: Your books take place in Washington D.C. How true are you to the setting?
AL: I try to be as authentic as possible in the setting. D.C. is an intriguing city, full of contrasts. It's filled with powerful politicians, Ivy-League lawyers, and locals who might live their whole lives in the shadow of the Capitol but never set foot in it. The U.S. Attorney's Office is one of the few points where all these characters intersect. Describing the city, as it really is, and the machinations of the people who live there, I strive to give readers a true insider's view of the city.
OMN: Tell us something about the book that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis.
AL: As a D.C. sex-crimes prosecutor, I dealt with some of the city's most chilling crimes — but few were as frightening as those involving MS-13, which National Geographic calls "America's most dangerous gang."
Also known as the Mara Salvatrucha, MS-13 has mushroomed from a small band of L.A. thugs into an international organization with an estimated 50,000 members and cliques in almost every major American city. They kill for fun, throw parties for the purpose of raping their female guests, and coerce their girlfriends into becoming prostitutes. The gang actively recruits middle-schoolers — and never lets members walk away. In the last decade, MS-13 has become so violent, powerful, and brutally misogynistic, the FBI created a task force solely to fight them.
As a prosecutor, I handled many cases where victims of haunting MS-13 crimes refused to testify, for fear of gang reprisals. "Speak of the devil and he will appear," one survivor said. Often, my biggest challenge wasn't legal maneuvering but persuading witnesses that talking about evil is necessary to defeat it.
These cases inspired me to do extensive research into MS-13 for my third novel. I spoke to police officers and federal agents, and drew on my own experience prosecuting these crimes. In Speak of the Devil, I try to provide an authentic glimpse into the shadowy world of the Mara Salvatrucha: what tempts so many kids to join, the bonds and secret rituals that keep them coming back, and why it's nearly impossible to quit.
Much of my novel is drawn from elements of real MS-13 cases: Gang members pimping out fourteen-year-old girls at construction sites; a police raid on a brothel that coincided with a machete-wielding MS invasion of the same brothel — and the resulting battle; and a teenage girl murdered by her MS lover when she tried leave the gang and go into Witness Protection.
While Speak of the Devil is a crime story, it is also the story of a young woman coming into her own, finding her place and power in the world. Anna Curtis is a young D.C. prosecutor basking in the love of her life even as she conducts the tireless, sometimes frightening work of prosecuting MS-13. This is my third Anna Curtis book; she and I have grown and evolved with each other over the last few years. I'm so honored and gratified by how much she has resonated with readers.
Although Speak of the Devil deals with some dark themes, I think it is ultimately a hopeful story: about how far we'll go to protect our families, the power of redemption, and the ways that love can prevail over violence.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
AL: The best advice I've received was from one of my favorite authors, George Pelecanos, who told me to talk to everyone I meet. This is great advice for a novelist. It's not always easy — it often puts you outside of your comfort zone. But it's so helpful to hear different real-world perspectives. If you ask thoughtful questions and listen to what makes people tick, you not only get to know your neighbors, you enhance your ability as a storyteller to paint colorful characters.
OMN: What's next for you?
AL: I recently signed another two-book deal with Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. So I'm hard at work on books four and five!
— ♦ —
For twelve years, Allison Leotta was a federal prosecutor specializing in sex crimes and domestic violence in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Michigan State University. She lives with her husband, Michael Leotta, and their two sons just outside of D.C.
Allison also blogs about what TV crime dramas get right and wrong from her perspective as a former prosecutor.
To learn more about Allison and her work, visit her website at AllisonLeotta.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
— ♦ —
Speak of the Devil
Allison Leotta
A Legal Thriller
Speak of the devil — and he will appear …
On the very night she gets engaged to the man she loves, sex-crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis's professional life takes a shocking turn that threatens everything she holds dear.
While Anna is enjoying a romantic dinner capped off by a marriage proposal, a few miles away 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 the fight against human trafficking in D.C. 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. Though eager to focus on her new fiancé, the chief homicide prosecutor Jack Bailey, and her soon-to-be stepdaughter, Olivia, this case and the search for Diablo are never far from her mind.
When Anna discovers a web of long-buried secrets and official lies leading straight to her doorstep, the truth about this case threatens to rob her of the happiness she seemed so close to securing. And everything Anna counted on becomes a question mark as Diablo moves in for yet another kill.
Click on the Amazon button to see also the special Whispersync offer associated with this title.
