Rogue Justice

How does Stacey Abrams do it all? Last year, she ran for Governor of Georgia while maintaining her voting-rights activism and apparently writing this book. The second in the Avery Keene duology (after While Justice Sleeps) sees Supreme Court clerk Keene back in the lawyer/amateur detective seat. As the book opens, she’s being grilled by Congress about allegations she’s brought to light regarding corruption and crimes by disgraced President Brandon Stokes. Readers won’t help but imagine him as having a certain orange hue, and it seems no coincidence that his initials are BS. Other parts of the book seem taken from current headlines, too, enriching an exciting tale of blackmailing of federal judges and imminent nationwide technological sabotage that seems all too possible. At the heart of it are Keene’s smarts, eidetic memory, and integrity—this is a woman who’s underestimated at her foes’ peril, and there’s plenty of peril. Details of the inner workings of Washington, DC are strewn throughout the work and raise the interest level even further. For a mini-course in political intrigue, try this and James Comey’s Central Park West, which is out later in May.