Name: While Justice Sleeps
ISBN: 9780008468521

Stacey Abrams

The #1 New York Times bestseller ‘Glossy, gritty, breathlessly suspenseful, effortlessly authentic, and altogether wonderful ’ Lee Child ‘A compelling, suspenseful mystery’ Mark Billingham ‘A mesmerising legal thriller’ Michael Connelly

While Justice Sleeps

Celine

America was destined to repeat the cycles of intellectual torpor that toppled Rome and Greece and Mali and the Incas and every empire that stumbled into short-lived, debauched existence. Show man ignoble work and easy sex, and there went ciyilization.

Reputation was all you had when youd been born without the relationships.

What square? Online? I dont understand." "Ah. That is why ..." He paused, then said, “No matter. Per his instructions, join me where the other scion of justice is known but not seen. Where the world mneets.

From celebrated national leader and bestselling author Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps is a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. "Stacey Abrams is a true novelist, and While Justice Sleeps is a first-class legal thriller, favorably compared to many of the best, starting with The Pelican Brief, which it brings to mind. It's fast-paced and full of surprises--a terrific read." --Scott Turow, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Presumed Innocent and The Last Trial 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. Plunged into an explosive role she never anticipated, Avery finds that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching one of the most controversial cases before the court--a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm, which promises to unleash breathtaking results in the medical field. She also discovers that Wynn suspected a dangerously related conspiracy that infiltrates the highest power corridors of Washington. As political wrangling ensues in Washington to potentially replace the ailing judge whose life and survival Avery controls, she begins to unravel a carefully constructed, chesslike sequence of clues left behind by Wynn. She comes to see that Wynn had a much more personal stake in the controversial case and realizes his complex puzzle will lead her directly into harm's way in order to find the truth. While Justice Sleeps is a cunningly crafted, sophisticated novel, layered with myriad twists and a vibrant cast of characters. Drawing on her astute inside knowledge of the court and political landscape, Stacey Abrams shows herself to be not only a force for good in politics and voter fairness but also a major new talent in suspense fiction.

A Novel

Princess Doe 

3.5/5. 

This was a fun read, and really interesting plot! I thought that the word choices were sometimes to unnecessary, and that the book as a whole could have done with a little more editing. Felt clunky at some places. But nontheless, a fun easy read!

One of the most riveting books I’ve read all year. Exceptionally long and involved, but worth every hour!

Sue Schilling

Amazing book! I love the legal tactics, the chess tactics, the writing, the character building, the story, the concept, all of it. There's not a bad moment in the book.

Katheryn

Kristen Claiborn

Because the woman who almost singlehandedly saved the American democracy going into the 2020 election cycle didn’t have enough to do, she thought it would be great to write a novel. While helping millions of people make sure they were registered to vote and then make sure they got to a polling location, she put her creative hat on and penned a piece of fiction. There might have been a tiny part of me that hoped it wouldn’t be any good…because come on! Unequal distribution of talent!!! That didn’t last long, I opened the book and rooted for the woman who has become an American hero. 
	We meet Avery Keene who is a law clerk for supreme court Justice Wynn while spending her days being degraded and insulted by the man. Justice Wynn falls into a coma, people around him seem to be disappearing or dying, and she finds herself appointed to be his guardian, the one to make legal decisions on his behalf while in the coma. Dumbfounded, she is sent on a what seems like a wild-goose-chase, but she uncovers a deadly and nefarious plot involving high-ranking members of the US government. She has to decipher clues that seem more like puzzle pieces while not having anybody she feels she can truly trust. 
	This story feels like James Patterson, David Baldacci, and John Grisham sat down and came up with the best of all their writing. While it starts out as a bit of an overwhelming mess, it slowly comes together to explain all the intricacies of the plot. It was expertly crafted to make the reader feel like they were reading a jigsaw puzzle-starts as a mess but comes together beautifully. While I didn’t start the book feeling like I couldn’t put it down, about midway through I found myself unable to accomplish anything until I knew how the story ended. This is a great, fast-paced thriller and an impressive effort by an already impressive woman.

Gisela Ayala 

Super interesting! Not gonna lie - I was super confused in the beginning since it was introducing all the different characters (which were many). Kind of felt like those epic fantasy books where they have a bunch characters. But after that I was able to enjoy listening to the book. I've never read anything like this so I didn't know what to expect. Some things definitely went over my head but other than that the second half of the book moved fast in a very action movie sort of way!

Alex Q

Mariane Ferrantino 

Stacey Abrams rules, and this was a very fun political thriller with ridiculously current themes and plot lines. Highly recommend.

Caitlin Snyder

I love a good book with the supreme court as its focus! This is a great political thriller.

Lisa W.

Phenomenal woman that's Stacey!
Geez Louise, this was a ride.... While Justice Sleep is marketed as a Political Thriller and that's exactly what it gave. Political intrigue, medical conspiracy, and complicated family dynamics wrapped into one compelling, almost realistic story. 

Trigger warning: Drug addiction, Genocide, Murder, Kidnapping and gaslighting. 

While Justice Sleeps (WJS) is a fictional story that eerily sounds like it could be real. Although this book was released in 2021 it has been in Stacey's back pocket for years. Her notoriety in politics was the needed push to get this book published, which is very unfortunate given this is a good body of work on its own. I also believe the interest in US politics in general has heighten due to recent cabinets and access to social media which makes this book timely. That being said, people need to constantly remind themselves while reading this, it is fiction. WJS can quickly add fire to reader's anxiety.

Stacey did a great job of crafting the main characters (Avery, Jared, Noah, Ling, Agent Lee, Agent Vance, Honorable Justice Wynn and President Stokes). Each members vested interest was clear, their voice and opinion on how to proceed forward were clear, and their loyalties and priorities aligned. At no point did I find Avery misguided or irritating because I understood her position. I often thought a romantic relationship would blossom on page between her and Jared but I appreciated that it didn't because that would diminish the integrity of Avery and her mission. I was unsure how Ling would play into the story line outside of her being Avery's best friend but it all became clear after the 50% mark. 

However my two tick marks that moved this from a 5 star to a 4 star read is the convenience of it all. While I believe that Justice Wynn could be cunning and wise as a chess aficionado, I struggled with his and Avery's combination of breadth and depth of knowledge. Stacey mentions the varied list of majors that Avery attempted while in undergrad and her photogenic memory but it is too "well crafted". I also struggled with the wording used by Stacey. Granted, she is highly intelligent and this book shows that however I would often find myself checking out (while audibly reading) because the writing would go into too much political or medical background. In addition to content knowledge, it the vocabulary would often be too advanced for general readers. 

I would highly suggest WJS to anyone with an open mind to fictional reading that could be a scary reality.

Jo Kelly

I really wanted to love this book. My biggest issue was the way the author would change POVs. Often times it would happen in the middle of paragraphs, sometimes making dialog difficult to follow. It would pull me out of the story quite often. The overall mystery was great but the interaction between the characters would be incredibly distracting.

Rachel

I expected this political thriller to have a realistic plot and it does not.

From celebrated national leader and bestselling author Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps is a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. "Brilliant and mesmerizing. Abrams follows in Dan Brown’s footprint with this masterfully plotted thriller that unfolds like the ultimate chess match—bold move to bolder move with lives hanging in the balance."—Lisa Gardner "Stacey Abrams is a true novelist, and While Justice Sleeps is a first-class legal thriller, favorably compared to many of the best, starting with The Pelican Brief, which it brings to mind. It’s fast-paced and full of surprises—a terrific read."—Scott Turow 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. Plunged into an explosive role she never anticipated, Avery finds that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching one of the most controversial cases before the court—a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm, which promises to unleash breathtaking results in the medical field. She also discovers that Wynn suspected a dangerously related conspiracy that infiltrates the highest power corridors of Washington. As political wrangling ensues in Washington to potentially replace the ailing judge whose life and survival Avery controls, she begins to unravel a carefully constructed, chesslike sequence of clues left behind by Wynn. She comes to see that Wynn had a much more personal stake in the controversial case and realizes his complex puzzle will lead her directly into harm’s way in order to find the truth. While Justice Sleeps is a cunningly crafted, sophisticated novel, layered with myriad twists and a vibrant cast of characters. Drawing on her astute inside knowledge of the court and political landscape, Stacey Abrams shows herself to be not only a force for good in politics and voter fairness but also a major new talent in suspense fiction.

While Justice Sleeps

Reviews

Popular highlights