Speak of the Devil

In Leotta’s suspenseful third thriller featuring federal sex crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis (after 2012’s Discretion), undercover cop Det. Hector Ramos interrupts a vicious attack on a small bordello in Washington, D.C. Members of MS-13, a particularly violent gang, are quickly apprehended, but why does one of them have a photo in his pocket of Nina Flores, the late wife of Anna’s fiancé, Jack Bailey? Anna and Det. Tavon McGee learn that a frightening man known as “the Devil” may be leading the gang, and the case becomes more disturbing with every new detail, especially once Jack discovers the origin of Nina’s photograph. Hector has secrets of his own, while Anna and Jack get unsettling news from an unexpected source that causes upheaval to their personal lives. The interagency investigation builds to an exciting climax in the courtroom. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Aug.)