I can still feel the adrenalin pumping through my body from reading the last chapters of Stacey Abrams’s first thriller, While Justice Sleeps. This conspiracy story with a legal and medical edge is complex yet riveting. Its convoluted plot takes the reader from the upper echelons of the White House to the dusty basements of the Pentagon, twisting through the action to a riveting conclusion.

When Justice Howard Wynn makes a surprising speech at a university’s commencement ceremony, whispers are already stirring of paranoid delusions and his ability to continue as a Supreme Court Justice. This is just the beginning. Merely days later, he falls into a coma and the country is shocked to discover that Avery Keene, his law clerk, has been awarded power of attorney at Wynn’s explicit request.

While Justice Sleeps follows Avery, a young Black woman with a brilliant mind who is just as baffled as everyone else at her new responsibility. As she begins looking for answers, she only finds more questions, which seem to centre around the Supreme Court’s impending decision on a controversial biotech merger. Together with Wynn’s estranged son, her best friend from college, and Wynn’s lawyer, she embarks on a journey to solve a seemingly endless stream of puzzles and clues laid out for her by Wynn, leading her to uncover a conspiracy that will put her at the centre of a deadly power struggle.

The narrative plays out cinematically, Abrams’s visceral imagery bursting to life in the mind’s eye. The details are intricate, gifting the reader nuggets that turn into gems as the story unfolds. It’s the perfect thriller for those who love to try and figure out the mystery as they read. From the inner workings of the American legal system to the complex lines of code and analysis of biogenetic research, Abrams includes a vast amount of information that pulls the reader into the world of the novel. It can sometimes be a little difficult to digest, but Abrams seamlessly incorporates these details into the narrative to explain complex notions in layman’s terms.

It is refreshing to read a book with a Black woman protagonist that doesn’t centre around racism or her identity. Avery is just an unlucky bystander pulled into a whirlwind of corrupt politicians, hitmen, and pharmaceutical companies. But Avery is smart, stubborn, and uncompromising in her principles. She isn’t willing to lay down and allow external forces to play her like a chess piece. No, she digs for the truth and pursues a just resolution, even if she has to fight the Supreme Court to do it.

A great first thriller from Abrams. Slow to start, but once it gets going… it’s gets going. Perfectly folding in politics, thriller/mystery, and a dare I say… romance. There is a trilogy if not a sequel in there. 4.5

I technically did not finish this. I think it was an okay read but I just don't think legal thrillers are for me. The story was very intricate and had a lot of separate parts, which was confusing to me at times, but I have every faith that Stacey Abrams wrapped it all together beautifully in the end, but I just did not care enough to find out.

It's rare that I have to work through unfamiliar vocabulary words, but in this one I did - and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. A well written, fast paced legal mystery/thriller from Stacey Abrams. I'll certainly recommend it to others.

3.5/5 stars

Overall an interesting medical thriller, but it felt flat and verbose. Too much unnecessary details and sideplots; the book could have 1/4 cut from it and it would have been a tighter story.

I was very excited to read Ms. Abrams and so very much wanted to love this story.

QUICK TAKE: I read this one a few months ago and am way late in posting my review, so apologies if this one is a little vague...here's what I can tell you: this was an enjoyable legal thriller reminiscent of classic Grisham, with a great female protagonist at the center. I could have done with a little less "you were sleeping with the judge, weren't you" from literally every single character, but otherwise I think there's a lot to like and recommend in this one, and I would definitely prioritize a sequel if superhero Stacey Abrams manages to find time between saving the world to write another!

A well-written book for lovers of politics, Stacey Abram’s detailed novel, full ozf sophisticated sentence structure and vocabulary, may fail to enthrall some readers. However, the plot is solid and entertaining.

John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Stacey Abrams.....sounds about right. Political rock star and author, Abrams serves up justice at the highest court in the land.

What happens when the Surpreme Court judge you clerk for falls into a suspicious coma? And then makes you his legal guardian? This book was so good. I learned about the Supreme Court and biological/gene manipulation. Avery's character was multi-faced and the story was action packed. Highly recommended.

I really wanted to love this book, but I didn't. It was overly complicated and lots of description that wasn't necessary to the story.

Although I enjoyed the character of Avery Keene, I found this thriller/mystery a little difficult to believe. I have to disclose that I find a lot of these types of reads set off my "believablity scale", and While Justice Sleeps was no exception. A supreme court justice is drugged and put into a coma, and shocks Washington by placing his young law clerk, Avery Keene, as his Power of Attorney. Avery has a photographic memory, a drug addicted mother, and now has a mystery to solve involving an old chess game strategy. She may even find a bit of romance with the judge's estranged son as they follow the clues and try to save the judge and rid Washington of a corrupt President. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of the book to review.

Wow! What a story! Politics, pharmaceutical mysteries, Supreme Court, politics, international intrigue. Abrams has created a strong female character in Avery Keene, who is forced into a role for which she was not prepared. Serving as a law clerk for Justice Howard Wynn, a controversial Supreme Court justice who frequently is the swing vote on many cases, she becomes his legal representative when he goes into a coma. He leaves her several cryptic clues, some of which relate to chess games, and it is up to her to solve the clues. She is not the only one trying to solve the riddles, and the other people do not have Justice Wynn's best interests at heart. As a result, Avery is thrown into a maelstrom of intrigue and political machinations. Keene has an eidetic memory which has aided her in law studies and helps with this mystery. As she follows the clues, people around the world vanish. These people might have been able to add information to her clues but it's too late. Along with all this, she is dealing with a drug-addicted mother who becomes a pawn in this intrigue.

This one was a DNF for me. I thought I could get through because of Ms. Abrams, but legal thrillers just aren't my cup of tea.

Abrams is a force to be reckoned with in the political world, and she bring that expertise to the world of fiction. While Justice Sleeps is an intense thriller, deftly plotted and full of intelligent machinations. I forsee this one being a popular title. It’s a gripping legal thriller full of compelling action.

This was a suspense-filled tale set in the Supreme Court, a place you don't expect to contain as much intrigue and thrills behind the scenes. It kept my attention and no doubt will be a hit, given the author!

I admire Stacy Abrams and think sh’e’s great for America. I enjoyed her book but thought it was hard to follow in parts and somewhat forced with the use of words i constantly had to look up in the dictionary. I think she is extremely bright and has a creative mind but the book’s intrigue and mysterious clues left me somewhat lacking. The book started slowly but got better. I’m still glad i read it so that I could appreciate another side of Ms Abram’s talents.

I'll be honest, I 100% requested this book simply because Stacey Abrams wrote it. I didn't even care what the synopsis said. That being said, Abrams delivered an incredible political thriller that had me fully engaged from start to finish.

This is not one of those heart pumping, hanging on to the edge of your seat thrillers. Instead, this is one of those books that asks the question of what if and plunges into a dark and insidious possibility. Abrams poses the question of "what happens if a court justice slips into a coma and what repercussions would follow?". And what follows is an intricately woven tale that walks the fine line of potential reality versus conspiracy theory.

I was thoroughly engrossed, and I can honestly say that I hope something like this NEVER happens. Bravo Abrams. I can't wait for her next book!

Loved this and can’t wait to read it again. The suspense just kept building and building and what a twist of an ending. Lot of good explanations on the inner workings of the Supreme Court, the FBI, Homeland Security, the White House and just what it means to be appointed a legal guardian. Would love to see this turned into a movie.

Overall, this was an entertaining enough legal thriller (though I haven't read many for comparison). There was a lot happening in this book, and I liked the Avery Keene character. The chess component was interesting (and timely, given the popularity of Netflix's recent adaptation of The Queen's Gambit). My biggest 'complaint' is that the plot sometimes felt a little rushed; with so much going on plot-wise, I feel this might have been better spread out into a trilogy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Stacey Abrams is a gifted writer, and this book is a prime example of that. I hadn't sunk my teeth into a good legal thriller in a while, but I'm sure glad it was this one that got me re-interested in the genre. Abrams has done her homework, supplying not only detailed legal and Supreme Court storylines, but medical ones as well. She handles plot twists and relationships with ease, and I couldn't put it down.