This debut novel strikes all the right chords, drawing on the author’s experience as a federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital. Anna Curtis is a new assistant US attorney in Washington, DC, where she has the lowly job of preparing paperwork in the Domestic Violence Papering Department. On the morning after Valentine’s Day, Anna is greeted at her desk by a bleeding and bruised Laprea Johnson, who finally seems ready to hold her abusive boyfriend, D’marco Davis, accountable for his violent actions. Reminded of her own traumatic childhood, Anna is determined to put Davis away for a long time. But a major complication arises when Laprea recants her story in court, allowing Davis to be released.

When Laprea’s body is found tossed in the trash outside of Davis’ apartment building, Anna is assigned to second chair with the top homicide prosecutor, Jack Bailey, in what is now a homicide case—but she is forced to make a difficult choice between her work and her personal life when she discovers her love interest, Nick Wagner, a former classmate from Harvard Law School, will be defending D’marco on the murder charge.

Law of Attraction is an impressive accomplishment, particularly for a novice writer. Leotta has fashioned a gritty, suspenseful novel that is part courtroom drama and part mean streets chronicle with a smidgen of romance. The characters are well formed and multi-layered and Leotta deftly portrays the thin line those in the law must walk between personal and professional ethical behavior. This is a new writer to watch.