Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely
While Justice Sleeps is a gripping political thriller that entwines legal intrigue, abuse of power, complex characters, and a web of secrets. Abrams, known for her political standing, demonstrates her literary standing with this debut novel. The story follows Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk thrust into a high-stakes conspiracy when her Supreme Court Justice boss falls into a coma and appoints her his power of attorney. As Avery unravels the mysteries surrounding her boss's condition and the impending legal decisions, she navigates a treacherous landscape of power, corruption, and personal sacrifice. Abrams crafts a meticulously plotted narrative, with twists and turns that defy expectations but somehow seem plausible considering the world we're currently experiencing.

Stacey Abrams delivers a thought-provoking exploration of morality and the pursuit of truth in the face of systemic corruption. Drawing from her experiences in politics and law, Abrams infuses the novel with authenticity and depth, shedding light on the inner workings of the judicial system and the forces that shape it. With its compelling blend of suspense and social commentary, While Justice Sleeps is a must-read for fans of legal dramas and anyone seeking a riveting tale that resonates long after the ending.

I highly recommend While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams. I want to thank HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review, and I apologise for the huge delay in submitting this review.

A fast paced thriller set in the world of the US government. It is clearly geared towards an American audience so sometimes it could be a bit confusing but overall a very enjoyable read with an engaging protagonist.

DNF'd. Didn't click with the writing style or the characters and the way they were portrayed or written. I also wasn't immediately hooked by the plot or the mystery/thriller element so I don't want to waste my time on it. Disappointed but there's too many books out there to persevere. 3 stars because DNF'd

I haven't read a legal thriller in years and this one sounded wonderfully intriguing. I love that it was written by someone in the legal world too. Avery Keene is a legal clerk for Justice Wynn on the US Supreme Court, a cantankerous man who is not the easiest to work for so she is shocked when he falls into a coma and gives her power of attorney over his life. Soon Avery is deep in conspiracies and bioengineering mysteries relating to one of the cases the judge was going to rule on. The author has delivered a fast-paced thriller that makes a good beach read.

this is full of smarts - power plays that are brilliantly creative - and event that is all too true from newspapers - deep conspiracies, mad justices and politicians - and a narrative thread that is convoluted but manageable - what i truly liked about this was its authenticity and despite all it's credibilty - when a justics is hounded to death and has himself become deranged , his very close support system has been corrupted - we know we are in for a dark read. it does not entirely work but its author is a great heroine for me, so I allow for a lot! it is the fashion right now from Hillary Clinton and others, to try - so this is admirable but does not entirely work for me.

Avery is a law clerk for one of the Supreme Court Judges, and finds herself his guardian after he unexpectedly falls into a coma.
Everyone seems to want the Judge to die, but he has left Avery lots of clues in order to solve the "mystery" of finding a cure for the disease that he has passed onto his son, and also unravel the corruption that lies within.
Great read and I could not put this book down.

Quickest read this year. I bought it while waiting for the Netgalley request! When is the Netflix series happening?!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this ebook.

I thought the premise of this book looked just my kind of read and it definitely was. I really enjoyed this book, it captured my attention immediately right from the start and held it mostly all the way through. I felt it had a believable and a very well thought out plot line, lots of twists which I I loved, it was written very well and was a great book to read. I liked Avery, the main character, who finds herself in an unexpected and difficult position when the Judge she is clerk for goes into a coma, naming her as his legal guardian. There is a hell of a lot going on in this book - sometimes it felt like a bit too much though. Trying to keep track of all the characters with their own end games was initially hard until they all slotted into place in my mind. Once or twice I felt the book was a little overly long and maybe could have been slightly shorter without taking anything away from the story. Overall a great, fast paced political thriller that is full of tension and suspense. Would definitely look to reading more by this author.

I loved While Justice Sleeps, the first legal thriller by Democrat Stacey Abrams. It's a well researched and well paced and plotted novel with believable characters written with real depth. I hope this is the first of more thrillers to come from the author.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

A well crafted story centred around the President of the United States and a Supreme Court Judge. The plot is as intricate as the chess moves often used in this novel. A real page turner, recommended.

Justice Howard Wynn is a highly respected court judge and has the deciding vote in an upcoming matter. However he falls into a coma and is hospitalised leaving his Law Clerk Avery Keene power of attorney. She finds out that he was keeping a secret and now she has to find out what this secret is. As she learns more and more she finds herself in increasing danger. However she must find everything out at any cost. I liked the story but found it hard going to read. I would still recommend it though despite that as the storyline is good. It’s different to what I was expecting and usually read.

Stacey Abrams is a politician, and this comes through in this first thriller by her.
Avery Keene, a young law clerk, has her life turned upside down when Justice Wynn goes into a coma and it becomes known that he has made her his legal guardian. Justice Wynn sits on many high profile cases, but Avery finds that he has also been investigating another controversial case that may have links with those in power in Washington - which means that Avery could become disposable.
A fast paced political thriller, with quite of lot of legal and medical jargon.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review it.

A most intriguing and fascinating read of legal manoeuvring, political plots, genetic research with vast commercial potential, and secret agendas ruthlessly protected. A high court judge lays dying having laid out a secret strategy to accomplish his required ends. He leaves a last message to his law clerk that sets everything in motion before he falls into a comma in the night. In the morning. his cleck finds that she has his powers of attorney which together with his cyptic message sends her off solving riddles leading into a labyrinth of earth-shattering events that brings down the president during an appeal court hearing. A most unique tale.

This is a riveting read, a political thriller filled with intrigue, deadly danger and secrets.

Avery is the law clerk of the somewhat notorious, cantankerous and taciturn Justice Wynn, who often seems to have the deciding vote on issues in the Supreme Court. She has an eidetic memory, is a great poker and chess player and she never expected the judge to give her full power of attorney for him, something she discovers when he is discovered in a coma. Actually, no one had anticipated her appointment but he also leaves her a series of clues for her to decipher, clues that put her in deadly danger and uncertain just who she can trust. With the FBI and Homeland Security doubting her, she also has to countermand Wynn’s wife who not only challenges her appointment but also seems determined to switch off his life support….

This is an international chess game where you’re uncertain just what the end goals are. It is filled with so many different threads, skilfully intertwined to create a tapestry depicting Avery’s quest for the truth despite the obstacles and threats. It has great characters, a complex plot and demonstrates the author’s personal knowledge of the political workings as well as her excellent skills as a writer. It is a real page turner and had me on the edge of my seat, just hoping all would work out for Avery!

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for my copy of this fascinating book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together--excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn--the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases--has slipped into a coma, Avery's life turns upside down. She is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney.

Excellent book, perfect for those who love sophisticated or political thrillers. The resolution of this thriller keeps the reader engaged until the conclusion. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Is there no end to the achievements of Stacey Abrams? The lawyer, politician and campaigner’s voter outreach programme is widely credited with turning Georgia Democrat. She also finds time to write novels, first writing romantic suspense as Selena Montgomery, now the thriller While Justice Sleeps.

Justice Wynn is widely believed to be the swing vote on an upcoming ruling in the US Supreme Court, in a case which could see him rule against the president. However, when he falls into a coma, his clerk, Avery Keene, learns that he has appointed her as his legal guardian. This comes as a shock to her — he has always seemed a remote, forbidding figure.

Avery learns that he was investigating the case, which involves a biotech company with strategic and national interests for the United States, in his own time. He has left Avery a series of clues to interpret his wishes. She is confronted with political pressure, the fury of the Wynn’s family, and not a few issues in her own life as she struggles to do the right thing by him. It’s clear the implications of the challenge he has left her go right to the top and her very safety is at risk.

There’s a lot going on in While Justice Sleeps. There’s a political element, an action-adventure element, and the challenge of solving the puzzles which have been left by Wynn for Avery. There’s a chess motif that runs through the novel as well as cryptic clues which might appeal to crossword fans.

I must admit, I hoped for more about the law, given that Abrams is a lawyer. Although While Justice Sleeps is set in the world of the Supreme Court, there is little law or courtroom procedure in it. It’s not like the novels of Attica Locke or Scott Turow, which feature plot twists based on points of law, the theatre of the courtroom, and deeper questions about the distance between morality and law. It’s more a conspiracy than a legal thriller.

This is definitely a plot-driven novel. The characters are quite generic. Avery is the poor but driven young mixed-race woman whose drive is hampered only by her addict mother. Her nemesis is a ruthless and driven Homeland Security agent. Her friends rally to help her through this crisis, and they just happen to have the perfect mix of skills – from law to medicine to a Special Forces veteran. All to help a cantankerous but clever justice who never showed Avery any warmth apart from when sharing his gnomic reflections with her.

The writing is pacy and the language is occasionally clunky. Some of the dialogue scenes are repetitive and circular. These aren’t major issues, they’re what happens in early drafts and would normally be smoothed out in editing. It feels like perhaps publication has been rushed to make the most of Abrams’ high profile after the election.

There are some things which are unresolved at the end of While Justice Sleeps, such as the reason for Wynn’s past behaviour to his family, and I still wasn’t entirely clear why he felt he had to leave Avery such enigmatic clues. Still, if you like a thriller that’s pacy and plot-driven, high concept rather than realistic, it’s an entertaining read.
*
I received a copy of While Justice Sleeps from the publisher via Netgalley.

When I heard Stacey Abrams was writing a political thriller, I thought this book is going to be good, as her career is quite political and she's probably met some people who could make some excellent inspiration for this book, and I feel like she really made that clear in this book combined with incredible pace.

I really appreciate her knowledge and the way she uses her work to make such an incredibly and brilliant setup to this story, that I really loved, being the political nerd I am, and appreciated how she use real law in the story to make the case (i.e. the Exon-Florio Amendment). I feel like as much as this book kept me on the edge of my seat, this book taught me alot about the American judiciary.

Incredible intrigue throughout and wonderful pacing, Abrams really can write a book that leaves you on tenterhooks, reminiscent of writers such as John Grisham. Everything is well done here and I'd recommend this thriller to anyone with a brain.

A really good read. Avery, a clerk to Judge Wynn is suddenly thrust into a political and business conspiracy when Wynn collapses into a coma. Have the biotech companies used gene research into medication as a weapon of war? How high up in the US government does it go? It's a fast paced thriller. As with all these type of stories, they stretch credulity. Still a very enjoyable book.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

Wow!

While Justice Sleeps is a twisty, intriguing and gripping political thriller. It features a strong cast of characters, a propulsive plot, and will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they root for Avery. If you’re a fan of political thrillers, then I definitely recommend you check this book out! Now this author is on my radar I’ll be looking to see what she brings out next! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was full of expectations: Stacey Abrams, as a person, is a fascinating character. But, oh my - she can write. I could hardly put her book down. All required ingredients of a fast paced thriller are in here and more. I keep quoting from it.

The story is a somewhat complicated tale of conflicts of the very basic nature: loyalty towards family vs friends vs colleagues vs country vs the elected leaders. Our unlikely heroine, a clerk to an old Supreme Court justice, finds herself torn between her loyalties but also intrigued by the conundrum set up for her by her boss in coma, a conundrum he was not able to resolve without her help. Basically, he throws her under the bus, hoping she will survive. And she does. At some point our clerk even becomes a superwoman, she easily delegates to those around her, whether a friend, a Chief Justice or the FBI and outsmarts even the smartest guys in the room - Jack Reacher in a dress:-)

I did not grow to like the characters, may be except the judge's son, and this made the whole story even more interesting for me. No black and white personalities, no good or bad decisions - plain politics and power plays, families with their own baggages of the past.

Looking back, I like the title very much. These 3 words are echoing in my head now.

"Show men ignoble work and easy sex and there went civilization."