THE LAST GOOD GIRL – Allison Leotta
Anna Curtis Series , Book 5
A Perfect 10
Touchstone (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-4767-6111-4
ISBN: 978-1-4767-6113-8
May 2016
Suspense

Detroit, Michigan – The Present

Anna Curtis is a successful U.S. Attorney in the Washington D.C. Sex Crimes Division. After her fiancé's missing wife turned up, and Jody, Anna's sister, called needing her as a lawyer for a murder accusation, she returned to her home state of Michigan. There she met Cooper Bolden, a veteran with PTSD, and other scars including a missing leg. After Jody's house burned, Cooper invited them to move into the old Detroit mansion he has restored. He is an urban farmer growing apples. His goal is the restoration of the distressed city. Jody has a new baby, and Anna for the first time thinks of becoming a mother. Her and Jody's father abused their mother, and both daughters have trouble dealing with their past. Things have been going well, but then Anna receives a call from Jack, her former fiancé. He is in Michigan investigating college sex crimes. He wants her to help on the disappearance of the daughter of Tower University's president. She accepts the job. She will be working with FBI Agent Samantha Randazzo.

Emily Shapiro was a freshman at Towers, an event she has looked forward to since a child, but even her father's position won't save her from an encounter at a prestigious fraternity's party. There she meets Dylan Brooks. What Emily doesn't know is this fraternity is often disparaged as ‘the Rape Factory.' By her second day on campus as a student, a rohypnol-laced drink has made naïve Emily another statistic. She thought her father's position would help her, but that is just another disappointment Emily must bear. Even with all the betrayal, hateful remarks, and shamming aimed at her, she remains determined to gain justice. However, the father of her rapist is a big donor to the Tower and a highly placed elected official in Michigan. After posting some vlogs about her rape online, neighborhood cameras show Dylan chasing Emily late at night, making him the last person to see her before she disappeared.

This volume follows A GOOD KILLING (2015), which I also gave a Perfect 10. If a book keeps me up all night, it deserves that award. Although it is a continuation, readers needn't have read A GOOD KILLING to understand the action, but will want to. In THE LAST GOOD GIRL the interactions between all of the characters are superb and the triangle set up between Anna, Cooper, and Jack adds to the dynamics. The investigative and legal procedures are very realistic, and campus rape is a very current issue. Oh, and Cooper's brother is pledging Dylan's fraternity! Living with abusive or neglectful parents, and how the kids deal with it, is another sub theme. These elements all add up to perfection.

Robin Lee