"Her first book for Silhouette!"

Judge Jessica Kirkland was elected on the issue of supporting victim's rights. Yet, she is confronted with the harsh reality of a judicial system that seems to protect the perpetrator of crimes at the expense of the victim. Why? The police are not doing their jobs by the book, That all changes in the persona of one very sexy Police Detective Doug McGuire, who breaths down Jessica back from page one much to her discomfort and delight. When the judge meets the lawman, the sparks fly both in and out of the courtroom in Ana Leigh's THE LAW AND LADY JUSTICE. This is historical master-storyteller Leigh's first book for Silhouette and hopefully we will see many more.

After an especially nasty confrontation orchestrated by local anchor newswoman Sherrilyn Mathews, Judge Jessica finds herself face to face with Detective Doug before the lights of curious public. Though they share the same cause - justice- it becomes apparent there is more than just antagonism sparking between them. The problem is Doug feels she is out of his reach socially, and Jessica is having doubts about her own career choice which was based on a need to resolve issues from her sister's violent death. All seems to come to a head when the scum Jessica is forced to release start turning up dead. Is someone is taking vigilante justice into their own hands or is someone out there helping the Jessica where the police have not. The plot quickly picks up as Doug is drawn to her side when the link to her is made. Can they keep this raging attraction in check as Doug begins to suspect all those closest to her?

The story is so well written with just enough questions as to who is perpetuating the crime, taking the reader on a suspenseful ride to the final pages. For me one the charms of the read is because it is set in Milwaukee, my hometown. I could relate to the use of the location, which is done exceptionally well. Though there is a strong sense of a who-done-it mystery, the romance is at the forefront of the story from the very beginning. The reader will be cheering for Jessica to grab the brass ring, and the same time for Doug to realize Jessica is interested in the man not the image.

Ana Leigh's THE LAW AND LADY JUSTICE is a must read for those who love romantic suspense but enjoy the length of tightly written category romances. Surely we will be seeing more from Ms Leigh now that she as broken into the contemporary market with the same quality of read we have come to expect from her historicals.

Reviewed by Jody Allen
Posted August 23, 2003

Summary

Judge Jessica Kirkland and Detective Doug McGuire clashed every chance they got, from the courtroom to the evening news, but ultimately they were after the same things — justice and each other. But they had every reason to ignore the passion singeing the air between them, tempting them to cross the line and risk it all....

Until someone started taking the law into his own hands, meting out punishment in the form of murder. Now the lady judge and the rugged detective had two new assignments: Stop the vigilante killer before it was too late...and keep from imprisoning each other's hearts.