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Avery Keene #2
Rogue Justice
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of While Justice Sleeps returns with another riveting and intricately plotted thriller, in which a blackmailed federal judge, a secret court, and a brazen murder may lead to an unprecedented national crisis. Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene is back, trying to get her feet on solid ground after unravelling an international conspiracy in While Justice Sleeps.
But as the sparks of Congressional hearings and political skirmishes swirl around her, Avery is approached at a legal conference by Preston Davies, an unassuming young man and fellow law clerk to a federal judge in Idaho. Davies believes his boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed in the days before she died. Desperate to understand what happened, he gives Avery a file, a burner phone, and a fearful warning that there are highly dangerous people involved.
Another shocking murder leads Avery to a list of names – all federal judges – and, alarmingly, all judges on the FISA Court (the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court), also known as America’s "secret court." It is this body which grants permission to the government to wiretap Americans or spy on corporations suspected of terrorism. As Avery digs deeper, she begins to see a frightening pattern – and she worries that something far more sinister may be unfolding inside the nation’s third branch of government. With lives at stake, Avery must race the clock and an unexpected enemy to find the answer.
Drawn from today’s headlines and woven with her unique insider perspective, Stacey Abrams combines twisting plotlines, wry wit, and clever puzzles to create another immensely entertaining suspense novel.
But as the sparks of Congressional hearings and political skirmishes swirl around her, Avery is approached at a legal conference by Preston Davies, an unassuming young man and fellow law clerk to a federal judge in Idaho. Davies believes his boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed in the days before she died. Desperate to understand what happened, he gives Avery a file, a burner phone, and a fearful warning that there are highly dangerous people involved.
Another shocking murder leads Avery to a list of names – all federal judges – and, alarmingly, all judges on the FISA Court (the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court), also known as America’s "secret court." It is this body which grants permission to the government to wiretap Americans or spy on corporations suspected of terrorism. As Avery digs deeper, she begins to see a frightening pattern – and she worries that something far more sinister may be unfolding inside the nation’s third branch of government. With lives at stake, Avery must race the clock and an unexpected enemy to find the answer.
Drawn from today’s headlines and woven with her unique insider perspective, Stacey Abrams combines twisting plotlines, wry wit, and clever puzzles to create another immensely entertaining suspense novel.
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First published May 23, 2023
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About the author
Stacey Abrams
25 books2,532 followersStacey Abrams is an American politician, lawyer, author, and businesswoman who was the house minority leader for the Georgia General Assembly and state representative for the 89th House District. She is a Democrat.
Abrams, one of six siblings, was born to Robert and Carolyn Abrams in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi. The family moved to Atlanta where her parents pursued graduate school and later became Methodist ministers. She attended Avondale High School and was the school's first African-American valedictorian. While in high school, she was hired as a typist for a congressional campaign and was later hired as a speechwriter at age 17 based on the edits she made while typing.
In 1995, Abrams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Political Science, Economics and Sociology) from Spelman College, magna cum laude. While in college, Abrams worked in the youth services department in the office of Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson. She later interned at the Environmental Protection Agency. As a Harry S. Truman Scholar, she studied public policy at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and went on to earn her J.D. from Yale Law School.
Abrams worked as a tax attorney at the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta, with a focus on tax-exempt organizations, health care and public finance. She was appointed the Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta at age 29.
Abrams co-founded and served as the senior vice president of NOW Corp. (formerly NOWaccount Network Corporation), a financial services firm. She co-founded Nourish, Inc., a beverage company with a focus on infants and toddlers, and is CEO of Sage Works, a legal consulting firm, that has represented clients including the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.
Abrams has had an extensive writing career, penning several best-selling novels under the nom de plume of Selina Montgomery. Abrams is also the author of 'Minority Leader', a book of leadership advice to be published by Henry Holt & Co. in April 2018.
Abrams, one of six siblings, was born to Robert and Carolyn Abrams in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi. The family moved to Atlanta where her parents pursued graduate school and later became Methodist ministers. She attended Avondale High School and was the school's first African-American valedictorian. While in high school, she was hired as a typist for a congressional campaign and was later hired as a speechwriter at age 17 based on the edits she made while typing.
In 1995, Abrams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Political Science, Economics and Sociology) from Spelman College, magna cum laude. While in college, Abrams worked in the youth services department in the office of Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson. She later interned at the Environmental Protection Agency. As a Harry S. Truman Scholar, she studied public policy at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and went on to earn her J.D. from Yale Law School.
Abrams worked as a tax attorney at the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan law firm in Atlanta, with a focus on tax-exempt organizations, health care and public finance. She was appointed the Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta at age 29.
Abrams co-founded and served as the senior vice president of NOW Corp. (formerly NOWaccount Network Corporation), a financial services firm. She co-founded Nourish, Inc., a beverage company with a focus on infants and toddlers, and is CEO of Sage Works, a legal consulting firm, that has represented clients including the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.
Abrams has had an extensive writing career, penning several best-selling novels under the nom de plume of Selina Montgomery. Abrams is also the author of 'Minority Leader', a book of leadership advice to be published by Henry Holt & Co. in April 2018.
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August 30, 2023
A US President facing impeachment- no rogues here!!!
Corruption in the heart of Government - never!!!
Those that uphold the law would brazenly flaunt it - impossible!!!.
Well in this daring, multilayered, complex, gripping and wonderfully written book by Stacey Abrams, the author weaves all of these threads into a work of art. A woman who knows her way around the political and judicial landscape which makes her books feel all the more authentic.
This fictional story draws you into the corridors of corruption, the walls of silence as we rub shoulders with the moral delinquents and the do-gooders who believe that justice will always prevail!!! I wonder and was intrigued.
The Plot
Preston Davies believes his boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed in the days before she died and was somehow linked to some highly sensitive information that has cost her her life. A deep suspicion that drives him to take the desperate steps in reaching out to Avery for help with the investigation and ultimately unmasking those responsible. Who better than the law clerk who exposed such treachery on behalf of Judge Wynn. An act that has elevated her profile as she precariously works her way through the duplicitous and dangerous landscape of the court system and the government.
However, moments after Preston gives Avery some files, a burner phone, and a cautionary warning that the system is corrupt and many senior judicial and dangerous people are involved, he is shot dead along with the taxi driver who was helping him escape.
What ensues is something much more frightening as Avery stumbles onto the States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also known as America’s "secret court” and with it the 12 judges who possess unrivalled and supreme power as Americas third branch of government.
Meanwhile, President Stokes has been sacked from office with a pending impeachment trial after his Cabinet invoked the 25th Amendment. Blaming Avery, he and his followers seek to discredit and ultimately silence her. But this is a race against time as well as the gripping battle of good versus evil where corruption and power play their hand indiscriminately and unapologetically. Evident when the bodies of the various judges and others start to accumulate.
Dodging murderous attempts on her life and that of her close allies, Avery is holed up in a safe house alongside her tech guru friend Jared who happens to be the estranged son of Justice Wynn, while they try to break into the electric power grid and disable it.
Review and Comments
A sequel that did not disappoint after such a compelling first book in the series.
The only rub is the high profile role a law clerk plays with access to some of the most sensitive government material which stretched reality for me personally at times. Once maybe, after all we have whistleblowers but how many get to repeat? Nevertheless, this feels like Abrams knows the system and is subtlety showing us it’s flaws by those who seek to abuse it. At times I was lost in the government speak and the language of ‘law’ but this is what has made this book so compelling too.
Political mayhem, carefully guarded secrets, corruptible Politicians and Judges and a perverted form of justice. What more could you want.
Complex, immersive, compelling and highly charged as we travel into the darkened corridors of government and into the murky passageways of the corruptible side to justice.
Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up.
Corruption in the heart of Government - never!!!
Those that uphold the law would brazenly flaunt it - impossible!!!.
Well in this daring, multilayered, complex, gripping and wonderfully written book by Stacey Abrams, the author weaves all of these threads into a work of art. A woman who knows her way around the political and judicial landscape which makes her books feel all the more authentic.
This fictional story draws you into the corridors of corruption, the walls of silence as we rub shoulders with the moral delinquents and the do-gooders who believe that justice will always prevail!!! I wonder and was intrigued.
The Plot
Preston Davies believes his boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed in the days before she died and was somehow linked to some highly sensitive information that has cost her her life. A deep suspicion that drives him to take the desperate steps in reaching out to Avery for help with the investigation and ultimately unmasking those responsible. Who better than the law clerk who exposed such treachery on behalf of Judge Wynn. An act that has elevated her profile as she precariously works her way through the duplicitous and dangerous landscape of the court system and the government.
However, moments after Preston gives Avery some files, a burner phone, and a cautionary warning that the system is corrupt and many senior judicial and dangerous people are involved, he is shot dead along with the taxi driver who was helping him escape.
What ensues is something much more frightening as Avery stumbles onto the States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also known as America’s "secret court” and with it the 12 judges who possess unrivalled and supreme power as Americas third branch of government.
Meanwhile, President Stokes has been sacked from office with a pending impeachment trial after his Cabinet invoked the 25th Amendment. Blaming Avery, he and his followers seek to discredit and ultimately silence her. But this is a race against time as well as the gripping battle of good versus evil where corruption and power play their hand indiscriminately and unapologetically. Evident when the bodies of the various judges and others start to accumulate.
Dodging murderous attempts on her life and that of her close allies, Avery is holed up in a safe house alongside her tech guru friend Jared who happens to be the estranged son of Justice Wynn, while they try to break into the electric power grid and disable it.
Review and Comments
A sequel that did not disappoint after such a compelling first book in the series.
The only rub is the high profile role a law clerk plays with access to some of the most sensitive government material which stretched reality for me personally at times. Once maybe, after all we have whistleblowers but how many get to repeat? Nevertheless, this feels like Abrams knows the system and is subtlety showing us it’s flaws by those who seek to abuse it. At times I was lost in the government speak and the language of ‘law’ but this is what has made this book so compelling too.
Political mayhem, carefully guarded secrets, corruptible Politicians and Judges and a perverted form of justice. What more could you want.
Complex, immersive, compelling and highly charged as we travel into the darkened corridors of government and into the murky passageways of the corruptible side to justice.
Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up.
September 10, 2023
3.5 stars
I found this second book in the series much harder to get into than the first. It started intriguingly well but then gets bogged down with too much detail, an abundance of characters, so many acronym government agencies that I’m dazzled and A LOT of US politics that went way over my confused head. Convoluted and complex? ☑️
Me - Confused Dot Com? Absoballylutely.
However at some point I realised my attention had ceased to wander and my totally unnecessary clothes shopping on Boden, Zara, Jigsaw, Mint Velvet and anywhere else that flitted into my sore head had thankfully stopped before I hit the credit card big time. The plot became way more interesting and clearer, tension kicked in, the pace picked up and continued through to a good end.
Whilst I like Avery she’s a bit of a smarty pants - probably just as well with that lot in charge 😱
I found this second book in the series much harder to get into than the first. It started intriguingly well but then gets bogged down with too much detail, an abundance of characters, so many acronym government agencies that I’m dazzled and A LOT of US politics that went way over my confused head. Convoluted and complex? ☑️
Me - Confused Dot Com? Absoballylutely.
However at some point I realised my attention had ceased to wander and my totally unnecessary clothes shopping on Boden, Zara, Jigsaw, Mint Velvet and anywhere else that flitted into my sore head had thankfully stopped before I hit the credit card big time. The plot became way more interesting and clearer, tension kicked in, the pace picked up and continued through to a good end.
Whilst I like Avery she’s a bit of a smarty pants - probably just as well with that lot in charge 😱
September 3, 2023
Stacey Abrams is a multitalented political savant who has galvanized underrepresented groups to participate in political and electoral life.She is also an author of popular fiction books.Recently she has created a series that fuses accessible entertainment with pressing concerns about the viability of American democracy.
Avery Keene, the series’ protagonist, drives both the plot and political discourse forward. She is a biracial child who has leveraged her eidetic memory, street smarts and logical mind to overcome her difficult childhood ,becoming a law clerk for a Supreme Court Justice. The first book in the series, “ While Justice Sleeps,” centers on the effectiveness of lifetime Supreme Court appointments while also raising the specter of a rogue President focused on personal gain who attempts to manipulate the Court’s composition. Avery confronts these issues and enlists the help of a coterie of friends that represent a Rainbow Coalition of ethnicities and skills that hint at the author’s vision of political participation.
The current book,” Rogue Justice,” takes place four months after the events in the earlier novel.The plot again returns to structural political problems and broadens its scope by introducing concerns about clandestine money influencing Court decisions, the proliferation of domestic surveillance, and the vulnerability of our cybersecurity system.
Avery and her associates confront these threats with an elan bordering on super heroic in thought and deed. I did not find this aspect of the novel among its strong points. However, I do recognize that the novel is intended to reach a wide audience and dramatize political issues simply and accessibly. In that regard, Ms Abrams succeeds admirably. The United States is at a tipping point where democracy might threaten to migrate to autocracy. The country and its political infrastructure are relatively new and still evolving.Those who say “ It can not happen here” have not taken a critical view of events. Although the plotting of the novel did not totally engage me, I admired Ms Abrams’ efforts to continue her grass roots proselytizing for her vision of American participatory democracy.3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Avery Keene, the series’ protagonist, drives both the plot and political discourse forward. She is a biracial child who has leveraged her eidetic memory, street smarts and logical mind to overcome her difficult childhood ,becoming a law clerk for a Supreme Court Justice. The first book in the series, “ While Justice Sleeps,” centers on the effectiveness of lifetime Supreme Court appointments while also raising the specter of a rogue President focused on personal gain who attempts to manipulate the Court’s composition. Avery confronts these issues and enlists the help of a coterie of friends that represent a Rainbow Coalition of ethnicities and skills that hint at the author’s vision of political participation.
The current book,” Rogue Justice,” takes place four months after the events in the earlier novel.The plot again returns to structural political problems and broadens its scope by introducing concerns about clandestine money influencing Court decisions, the proliferation of domestic surveillance, and the vulnerability of our cybersecurity system.
Avery and her associates confront these threats with an elan bordering on super heroic in thought and deed. I did not find this aspect of the novel among its strong points. However, I do recognize that the novel is intended to reach a wide audience and dramatize political issues simply and accessibly. In that regard, Ms Abrams succeeds admirably. The United States is at a tipping point where democracy might threaten to migrate to autocracy. The country and its political infrastructure are relatively new and still evolving.Those who say “ It can not happen here” have not taken a critical view of events. Although the plotting of the novel did not totally engage me, I admired Ms Abrams’ efforts to continue her grass roots proselytizing for her vision of American participatory democracy.3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
April 14, 2023
It felt so good to be reading a sequel that felt like a sequel. I'm positive that's a sentence that reads a little foolish, but given my reading year the second books in things have been flopping. Though here the story feels much less like it's a definite conclusion, and so that that does help things a little. At the same time the more time I spent reading this book the more I also started to wonder just how long a series like this could run for when already the stakes feel pretty intense.
There was a quality to this book that felt like I was a kid again. Stay with me because I don't mean for that to be a drag or symbolize that the book reads younger than the intended audience. There was simply a quality to this book that reminded me of being in middle school and watching a really good movie.
So much of the media created over the past decade has this essence looming over it that the alternate history or near future depicted is decidedly a little too close for comfort, and there is something of that in this book? On page it feel ludicrous that the consequences of the last book could lead into the plot of this book but then you look up from the pages and remember where we are in the real world and the way the narrative was able to have this interplay between something set contemporaneously while playing with nostalgia but also keeping the tension... it just clicked.
As for Avery Keene I liked being back with her. I still don't know how Abrams found the time to get this book out, but I loved it even more than the last one. I think that it handled raising the stakes in a way that felt believable and not clownish, while also subverting some expectations that also felt believable given the game being played here.
Sure, there are some scenes that I would have personally loved a little more of, but overall it was definitely time well spent.
There was a quality to this book that felt like I was a kid again. Stay with me because I don't mean for that to be a drag or symbolize that the book reads younger than the intended audience. There was simply a quality to this book that reminded me of being in middle school and watching a really good movie.
So much of the media created over the past decade has this essence looming over it that the alternate history or near future depicted is decidedly a little too close for comfort, and there is something of that in this book? On page it feel ludicrous that the consequences of the last book could lead into the plot of this book but then you look up from the pages and remember where we are in the real world and the way the narrative was able to have this interplay between something set contemporaneously while playing with nostalgia but also keeping the tension... it just clicked.
As for Avery Keene I liked being back with her. I still don't know how Abrams found the time to get this book out, but I loved it even more than the last one. I think that it handled raising the stakes in a way that felt believable and not clownish, while also subverting some expectations that also felt believable given the game being played here.
Sure, there are some scenes that I would have personally loved a little more of, but overall it was definitely time well spent.
September 3, 2023
I was ready to snuggle in with a good book and a good nights sleep. I picked the wrong book for a good nights sleep.
This is the second in the series, for Avery Keene, an intelligent DC law clerk for a cantankerous judge. We first met her in the author's first book While Justice Sleeps. If you haven't read, the first book, you may be a little lost with this one. They are a bit connected. I found myself struggling to recall details - so I think the author might have helped if she provided more summary of the first book in the second book, as reminders - just so we could have followed along more easily.
This book picks up after Avery's testimony which had to do with the impeachment of President Stokes. If some of this story seems to mirror real life politics, don't be surprised. That is what I believe drives this author.
In this book, Preston Davies, a clerk for a recently deceased federal judge, felt that his judge had been blackmailed. He is concerned and really feels Avery should look into it. She is a bit skeptical, until she witnesses Preston's murder.
While details can enhance a story, it seemed to be an overkill in information. (And bodies.) I'm sure with Abram's vast political astuteness this would add to the authenticity of her setting and the characters she presents, but the pacing of the plot felt off. Unfortunately there were just too many characters to keep track of, and they didn't stand out from each other.
In the end, the story had trouble holding my attention. And I don't think it was just because I was tired. Still, if you like books with deeper plots than most legal, political thrillers, this series might work for you. Unfortunately, it was a skipper to the end for me.
This is the second in the series, for Avery Keene, an intelligent DC law clerk for a cantankerous judge. We first met her in the author's first book While Justice Sleeps. If you haven't read, the first book, you may be a little lost with this one. They are a bit connected. I found myself struggling to recall details - so I think the author might have helped if she provided more summary of the first book in the second book, as reminders - just so we could have followed along more easily.
This book picks up after Avery's testimony which had to do with the impeachment of President Stokes. If some of this story seems to mirror real life politics, don't be surprised. That is what I believe drives this author.
In this book, Preston Davies, a clerk for a recently deceased federal judge, felt that his judge had been blackmailed. He is concerned and really feels Avery should look into it. She is a bit skeptical, until she witnesses Preston's murder.
While details can enhance a story, it seemed to be an overkill in information. (And bodies.) I'm sure with Abram's vast political astuteness this would add to the authenticity of her setting and the characters she presents, but the pacing of the plot felt off. Unfortunately there were just too many characters to keep track of, and they didn't stand out from each other.
In the end, the story had trouble holding my attention. And I don't think it was just because I was tired. Still, if you like books with deeper plots than most legal, political thrillers, this series might work for you. Unfortunately, it was a skipper to the end for me.
July 25, 2023
Rating: 3.85
Stacey Abrams ads a sequel to While Justice Sleeps by continuing the Avery Keene narrative. In the first book we learn that Avery is a head strong, high IQ law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Steven Wynn who is rushed to the hospital in a coma. Much to the disappointment of his family, Avery is named legal guardian with power of attorney. Avery soon discovers President Stokes has deceived the American people due to ties with greedy corporate entities.
Here we learn that President Stokes has been removed from office through use of the 25th Amendment; angered at Avery, he plans revenge for his removal. When Avery attends a legal conference she meets a law clerk for Judge Whitmer from Idaho who tells Avery she's being blackmailed by dangerous people and hands her a file. With a quick glance she notices a list of 'secret' FISA judges who have the unique ability to order wiretaps for companies suspected of terrorism. While leaving the conference she spots someone following the judge closely toward a taxi and assassinates her as she's about to get in.
Avery has partnered with Justice Wynn's estranged son Jared, a military trained cyber pro and with his help, digs into the list of judges and corporations. In the process she unearths a plot to hack the US power grid network and disable it. Avery approaches the SCOTUS Chief Justice and shares the terrorist plot with her which leads to a meeting with Stokes and the cabinet. As Avery and Jared continue their research, the assassin called Nyxx is tasked with removing anyone that could expose the plot and Keene becomes a target.
This is an extremely complex story filled with countless government acronyms, technological terms, high ranking government types as well as elements related to international finance, electric grids and more. Fast paced, every chapter adds mystery, characters and concepts which can make the reader lose track of where they are. I would have much preferred if she'd simplified the narrative, though her style and prowess are formidable.
In all honesty, I preferred the first book to this one, but I'm a fan of Ms. Abrams storytelling even when the plots are complex as with this one. If you enjoy legal/political crime mysteries, make sure you add both of her books to your list
Stacey Abrams ads a sequel to While Justice Sleeps by continuing the Avery Keene narrative. In the first book we learn that Avery is a head strong, high IQ law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Steven Wynn who is rushed to the hospital in a coma. Much to the disappointment of his family, Avery is named legal guardian with power of attorney. Avery soon discovers President Stokes has deceived the American people due to ties with greedy corporate entities.
Here we learn that President Stokes has been removed from office through use of the 25th Amendment; angered at Avery, he plans revenge for his removal. When Avery attends a legal conference she meets a law clerk for Judge Whitmer from Idaho who tells Avery she's being blackmailed by dangerous people and hands her a file. With a quick glance she notices a list of 'secret' FISA judges who have the unique ability to order wiretaps for companies suspected of terrorism. While leaving the conference she spots someone following the judge closely toward a taxi and assassinates her as she's about to get in.
Avery has partnered with Justice Wynn's estranged son Jared, a military trained cyber pro and with his help, digs into the list of judges and corporations. In the process she unearths a plot to hack the US power grid network and disable it. Avery approaches the SCOTUS Chief Justice and shares the terrorist plot with her which leads to a meeting with Stokes and the cabinet. As Avery and Jared continue their research, the assassin called Nyxx is tasked with removing anyone that could expose the plot and Keene becomes a target.
This is an extremely complex story filled with countless government acronyms, technological terms, high ranking government types as well as elements related to international finance, electric grids and more. Fast paced, every chapter adds mystery, characters and concepts which can make the reader lose track of where they are. I would have much preferred if she'd simplified the narrative, though her style and prowess are formidable.
In all honesty, I preferred the first book to this one, but I'm a fan of Ms. Abrams storytelling even when the plots are complex as with this one. If you enjoy legal/political crime mysteries, make sure you add both of her books to your list
May 22, 2023
Ok I hope Stacey Abrams is doing nothing else but writing legal thrillers for the near future and just keeps them coming, because y’all, this one is just as fantastic as the first, if not a wee bit more as she did not have to set any stages and could just jump right into it. As an added bonus, this story had elements of power grids and ERCOT and ahem, I lived through the nightmare a few years ago of losing power during the freeze and so this one got a little too close to home but I loved it so much. Legal thrillers are a favorite of mine, especially political ones, and the pacing was on point here. In addition to power issues (grid and political) there was also the topic of crypto, but not to worry, she explains it for the layman in here and so nothing was over my head.
Avery is a strong character with phenomenal credibility, so of course she has both powerful allies and enemies alike and it is fun to watch her handle the enemies and use the allies throughout. This starts off with a bang and does not let up until the very end and I was hooked all the way through. The audio is fantastic, I followed along with the physical book but I did not need to, it was just a preference in this case. I hope this is not the conclusion of the series and there are more coming, as I have thoroughly enjoyed these books!
Thank you to Doubleday Books and PRH Audio for the advanced copies to review. Pub date is Tuesday, May 23 and while you do not need to have read the prior book, While Justice Sleeps, I highly recommend them both!
Avery is a strong character with phenomenal credibility, so of course she has both powerful allies and enemies alike and it is fun to watch her handle the enemies and use the allies throughout. This starts off with a bang and does not let up until the very end and I was hooked all the way through. The audio is fantastic, I followed along with the physical book but I did not need to, it was just a preference in this case. I hope this is not the conclusion of the series and there are more coming, as I have thoroughly enjoyed these books!
Thank you to Doubleday Books and PRH Audio for the advanced copies to review. Pub date is Tuesday, May 23 and while you do not need to have read the prior book, While Justice Sleeps, I highly recommend them both!
September 8, 2023
The beginning and most of the end are the best parts of this political thriller, save for the mild last cliffhanger. 7 of 10 stars
October 2, 2023
Apparently this is the second book in the series, as is becoming my norm, I had no idea. Not to deter though, I felt it read perfectly as a stand alone.
This is a fast paced legal thriller will a kick ass strong female lead. While at times it can be quite heavy with legal and political jargon, it still held my interest and found it a twisty, clever and explosive journey.
If you love legal and political thrillers with contemporary topics, I highly recommend this one 💫
This is a fast paced legal thriller will a kick ass strong female lead. While at times it can be quite heavy with legal and political jargon, it still held my interest and found it a twisty, clever and explosive journey.
If you love legal and political thrillers with contemporary topics, I highly recommend this one 💫
June 4, 2023
Big fan of Ms. Abrams but not as a writer. Gave this series a second chance but had to push myself to finish—convoluted & far too detailed, felt endless.
November 18, 2023
Having discovered the great political and legal thriller novels of Stacey Abrams, I was so happy to get my hands on the second book in the Avery Keene series. Abrams ticks all the boxes for me with this piece; something legal-based with a strong crime thriller layered amongst political discussions. I found myself pushing forward to understand all the legal and political ramifications that came from the story, basking in the intense delivery. Stacey Abrams has what it takes to be a stellar thriller writer and the two books in this series have laid a great framework for future successes.
After outing the President of the United States for genocide, Avery Keene is hoping for something quiet. The Capitol prepares for impeachment and POTUS has been set aside by the 25th Amendment, but this only adds to the drama. Avery’s boss, an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, remains in a coma, thereby keeping her employed, if only by a thread.
Avery fills her time with judicial conferences, where she is approached by a keen law clerk, Preston Davies. Serving a federal judge in the mid-West, Davies has a story about Judge Francesca Whitner, who is being blackmailed to make decisions in some significant cases around Idaho. Mysteriously, Judge Whitner took her own life days after a recent ruling and Davies has a package for Avery to review; a file, a burner phone, and a warning to watch her herself. As Avery tries to chase him down outside the conference, she watches as Preston is shot in the head. This could be the foreboding Avery needs to realise just how dangerous things have become.
While rhetoric around the impeachment ramps up and Avery is targeted by the right as being a traitor to the state, she begins deciphering the contents of the Davies package. She finds a list of federal judges, all of whom serve on the FISA Court (the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court), long called America’s most secret court. This court has the power to give the government power to wiretap anyone or corporations thought to be involved in terrorism. This is serous business and Avery is unsure what to do with the intel.
It becomes apparent that Judge Whitner has been extorted for some reason and other judges are soon pulled into the middle of the mess. A pattern arises that sheds light not only on influencing of various FISA judges, but a larger and far-more troubling plan that could bring America to its knees. At the heart of it all, a rejection by the Supreme Court of the United States on a request to review a case. Rushing against time and swimming contrary to the political current of the White House, Avery must work to help herself and protect the country from another tyrannical event. Abrams does a stellar job once more, keeping me reading well into the night.
At the heart of every good thriller is a strong narrative that is able to pull the reader along with great ideas. Stacey Abrams does that effectively throughbout this piece, providing a strong pacing and leaving much to the imagination throughout this legal and crime thriller. The politics kept me hooked, as did many of the legal mentioning. Abrams knows her stuff and builds upon this foundation to keep the reader enthralled until the very end.
Character development is key to this novel’s success. Abrams builds on some strong core characters, flavouring them as being all over the spectrum. This reflects the current sentiment in the United States, including a despotic leader in the White House (paralleling the asinine Trump), and sycophants seeking to secure their place in a future administration. Working from a variety of developmental angles, Abrams is able to propel things along, while keeping Avery Keene at the heart of the discussion throughout.
Plot points are needed, not only to push things along, but add depth and intensity to this piece. Abrams provides the reader with some great twists and builds on them throughout the piece, injecting a great deal of realism into the middle of the story. Never backing down from her perspectives, Abrams points to a potential cataclysm that awaits the country from an unexpected attack, though it could be realised with the right connections. Adding an angle regarding military justice, Abrams covers the gamut of legal and criminal elements, peppering political ideas to keep things sharp.
Kudos, Madam Abrams, for keeping me enthralled from start to finish.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
After outing the President of the United States for genocide, Avery Keene is hoping for something quiet. The Capitol prepares for impeachment and POTUS has been set aside by the 25th Amendment, but this only adds to the drama. Avery’s boss, an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, remains in a coma, thereby keeping her employed, if only by a thread.
Avery fills her time with judicial conferences, where she is approached by a keen law clerk, Preston Davies. Serving a federal judge in the mid-West, Davies has a story about Judge Francesca Whitner, who is being blackmailed to make decisions in some significant cases around Idaho. Mysteriously, Judge Whitner took her own life days after a recent ruling and Davies has a package for Avery to review; a file, a burner phone, and a warning to watch her herself. As Avery tries to chase him down outside the conference, she watches as Preston is shot in the head. This could be the foreboding Avery needs to realise just how dangerous things have become.
While rhetoric around the impeachment ramps up and Avery is targeted by the right as being a traitor to the state, she begins deciphering the contents of the Davies package. She finds a list of federal judges, all of whom serve on the FISA Court (the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court), long called America’s most secret court. This court has the power to give the government power to wiretap anyone or corporations thought to be involved in terrorism. This is serous business and Avery is unsure what to do with the intel.
It becomes apparent that Judge Whitner has been extorted for some reason and other judges are soon pulled into the middle of the mess. A pattern arises that sheds light not only on influencing of various FISA judges, but a larger and far-more troubling plan that could bring America to its knees. At the heart of it all, a rejection by the Supreme Court of the United States on a request to review a case. Rushing against time and swimming contrary to the political current of the White House, Avery must work to help herself and protect the country from another tyrannical event. Abrams does a stellar job once more, keeping me reading well into the night.
At the heart of every good thriller is a strong narrative that is able to pull the reader along with great ideas. Stacey Abrams does that effectively throughbout this piece, providing a strong pacing and leaving much to the imagination throughout this legal and crime thriller. The politics kept me hooked, as did many of the legal mentioning. Abrams knows her stuff and builds upon this foundation to keep the reader enthralled until the very end.
Character development is key to this novel’s success. Abrams builds on some strong core characters, flavouring them as being all over the spectrum. This reflects the current sentiment in the United States, including a despotic leader in the White House (paralleling the asinine Trump), and sycophants seeking to secure their place in a future administration. Working from a variety of developmental angles, Abrams is able to propel things along, while keeping Avery Keene at the heart of the discussion throughout.
Plot points are needed, not only to push things along, but add depth and intensity to this piece. Abrams provides the reader with some great twists and builds on them throughout the piece, injecting a great deal of realism into the middle of the story. Never backing down from her perspectives, Abrams points to a potential cataclysm that awaits the country from an unexpected attack, though it could be realised with the right connections. Adding an angle regarding military justice, Abrams covers the gamut of legal and criminal elements, peppering political ideas to keep things sharp.
Kudos, Madam Abrams, for keeping me enthralled from start to finish.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
September 12, 2023
I have admired Stacey Abrams for her political leanings and efforts, but only recently found out she also writes books. Although not a genre I usually get drawn to, the author did draw me, tweaking my curiosity.
In hindsight, I'd probably recommend reading the first in the series before this one, as it appears to be a continuation of some threads that are confusing without the background. And it gets more confusing with all the governmental agencies represented as acronyms, and all the players associated with those agencies. But I stopped trying to keep track of each one and just sank into the story, focusing on those main characters and what they were trying to do, and that seemed to help the story flow better.
Today I saw the opinion that if someone can imagine something, then it can come to pass as a reality. After reading this book, that comment has more (frightening) meaning than ever before. Abrams' knowledge of our world--political, technological, judicial, financial--adds insight and credence to a story where manipulation, deception, greed, and hatred threaten to upend the stability we count on as ordinary people. Her protagonist is a David fighting Goliath in various forms. Rogue Justice offers an education in our unpredictable institutions within thriller wrapping paper. It's an interesting ride, but it might shake you out of your complacency as it shatters your faith in our "leaders" and systems. They are all run by mere, and flawed, mortals.
In hindsight, I'd probably recommend reading the first in the series before this one, as it appears to be a continuation of some threads that are confusing without the background. And it gets more confusing with all the governmental agencies represented as acronyms, and all the players associated with those agencies. But I stopped trying to keep track of each one and just sank into the story, focusing on those main characters and what they were trying to do, and that seemed to help the story flow better.
Today I saw the opinion that if someone can imagine something, then it can come to pass as a reality. After reading this book, that comment has more (frightening) meaning than ever before. Abrams' knowledge of our world--political, technological, judicial, financial--adds insight and credence to a story where manipulation, deception, greed, and hatred threaten to upend the stability we count on as ordinary people. Her protagonist is a David fighting Goliath in various forms. Rogue Justice offers an education in our unpredictable institutions within thriller wrapping paper. It's an interesting ride, but it might shake you out of your complacency as it shatters your faith in our "leaders" and systems. They are all run by mere, and flawed, mortals.
June 6, 2023
▪️ 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝙍𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 proves to be a solid sequel to 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨. It lulls only partly in the beginning to build up the tension, plot, and background for the government corruption occurring in the book. It’s best to read Book 1 first. It’s a whirlwind of political drama. I’m in awe of the astute political mind Abrams possesses and hopes she continues to allow Avery Keene a place in the legal mind. The ending was explosive and had me cheering for the “anti-villain.” This one is out now and doesn’t disappoint.
▪️ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲: 1.) That sometimes the wheels of justice turn in the wrong directions by those in power, forcing some people to pursue “rogue justice” to feel heard, seen, and acknowledged by a system meant to protect them. Justice must see the marginalized and power cannot be corrupt. 2.) Cybersecurity is a looming threat to our national security if our governments are not prepared effectively from terrorist attacks.
▪️𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: Yes, I waited patiently. Thanks to @libby.app and @prhaudio for the free listen. The narrator for Abrams’ story is none other than Adenrele Ojo. She is a true giant in the audiobook world with over 200+ titles including 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙒.𝙀.𝘽. 𝘿𝙪 𝘽𝙤𝙞𝙨, 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙨, and 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖 to name a few that I’ve read. Ojo is spectacular here with an array of different voices/accents. 85% of my read was on audio only and I was intrigued by the drama. Great audiobook version.
▪️𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(4.25)
▪️𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱: For readers of legal thrillers, political dramas, mystery thrillers, and adult fiction with some contemporary issues.
▪️ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲: 1.) That sometimes the wheels of justice turn in the wrong directions by those in power, forcing some people to pursue “rogue justice” to feel heard, seen, and acknowledged by a system meant to protect them. Justice must see the marginalized and power cannot be corrupt. 2.) Cybersecurity is a looming threat to our national security if our governments are not prepared effectively from terrorist attacks.
▪️𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: Yes, I waited patiently. Thanks to @libby.app and @prhaudio for the free listen. The narrator for Abrams’ story is none other than Adenrele Ojo. She is a true giant in the audiobook world with over 200+ titles including 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙒.𝙀.𝘽. 𝘿𝙪 𝘽𝙤𝙞𝙨, 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙨, and 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖 to name a few that I’ve read. Ojo is spectacular here with an array of different voices/accents. 85% of my read was on audio only and I was intrigued by the drama. Great audiobook version.
▪️𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(4.25)
▪️𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱: For readers of legal thrillers, political dramas, mystery thrillers, and adult fiction with some contemporary issues.
June 18, 2023
Vastly entertaining follow-up to While Justice Sleeps. This is a non-stop political techno-thriller featuring a plot to destroy the whole US power grid.
August 24, 2024
This book was just okay to me. While there was a direct connection to Avery in the first book and what she was tasked to uncover, I felt this one the connection wasn't really there and the expectation that was placed on her were a little unfair and in some parts unbelievable even in a fictional story. Also the buildup to what she uncovered seemed more suspenseful than what actually unfolded. I was happy to see some familiar faces from book one return in this one and I was happy that none of them were part of any of the casualties. The overall plot of the story seemed a little farfetched as well with the motives for the what was happening and the ending felt a little flat.
June 13, 2023
I was really looking forward to reading this latest by Stacy Abrams, but I felt let down: too convoluted, too many characters, too many acronyms...just too much clouded the story.
April 12, 2023
Rogue Justice is an excellent follow up and book two in the Avery Keene series. I really like Avery as the main character, and I appreciate how she moves and makes choices with agency and direction. Stacey Abrams has such a solid grasp on politics as a politician and activist herself, and that is even more evident in this book. There's a pending impeachment, reelection, and Supreme Court Justice appointments all interwoven in the book and they're explained in a way that felt accessible to me to easily understand without being too mired in the details. The plot focuses heavily on the questions and concerns surrounding the US's reliance on the internet and the cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Overall, this is a solid political thriller, and I'd recommend this book if you've read and enjoyed While Justice Sleeps, and I recommend While Justice Sleeps to anyone who is interested in some political/legal mystery thrillers set in the US.
Some content warnings to be aware of: sexual assault, stalking, attempted strangulation.
A huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Some content warnings to be aware of: sexual assault, stalking, attempted strangulation.
A huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!
August 5, 2024
In the first book of this series, I liked Avery Keene and her awkward situation workwise. Her actions seemed to fit her position in a law firm in Washington DC. This one, she seemed to feel more "key" to all the situations - and that everyone around her should as well. The story itself confused me but not enough to make me try and suss it out. . .I read through to the end, and never need the bit by bit torture shooting to get the message that torture is happening. . . could have done without that - but that's a me thing, maybe. Bottomline, I didn't have a clear feeling of urgency for the whole "grid" - only for individuals as their moments of crisis occurred. So, more meh than I like.
That said, I like this author, so I'll read whatever's next.
52:15
That said, I like this author, so I'll read whatever's next.
52:15
November 1, 2024
Stunned by the writing talent of this politician-writer. Abrams has created a character in Avery Keene whose adventures I would be eager to read about next.
Highly recommended book for those who like legal/political thrillers.
Highly recommended book for those who like legal/political thrillers.
May 5, 2023
WOW. I don’t even know how to talk about Rogue Justice. This will probably be one of my top books of 2023. This book pulled me in and just wouldn’t let go. I had dreams about it. I thought about it between times when I could read it. I tried to convince a friend to read it immediately because I couldn’t wait to discuss it (sorry for the pressure Christine!)
This is the second book in the Avery Keene series and I sure hope there will be more!! I do suggest reading them in order but it’s okay to go into this if you don’t remember everything from the first book. This picks up a few months after that ended and everyone is dealing with the consequences.
I didn’t read any of the synopsis before I started and want to give you that opportunity too. So I’ll just say this is a political thriller that will keep you flying through the pages and scare you with possibilities. At one point I started making safety plans for what I would do in a certain situation. Wow. What a book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
This is the second book in the Avery Keene series and I sure hope there will be more!! I do suggest reading them in order but it’s okay to go into this if you don’t remember everything from the first book. This picks up a few months after that ended and everyone is dealing with the consequences.
I didn’t read any of the synopsis before I started and want to give you that opportunity too. So I’ll just say this is a political thriller that will keep you flying through the pages and scare you with possibilities. At one point I started making safety plans for what I would do in a certain situation. Wow. What a book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
November 17, 2024
Well, well, well, a nonfiction book got to the fiction section. This is so similar to real life, it hurts.
The pace of this thriller is slower than usual, if you are looking in this book for a thriller a la Patterson or Connelly look somewhere else, this book is full of riveting information and cerebral plots. Over the top scenarios full of unlikely events do not work in this novel, Abrams explains how government works and gives you a peek into real life plots at the same time she is giving us a riveting thriller.
The main character is truly engaging, believable and fascinating.
Abrams is not only smart as a political figure but she really can produce a great thriller like no other. If you like political suspenseful novels full of cliffhangers and realistic plots, then get a copy as soon as you can.
The pace of this thriller is slower than usual, if you are looking in this book for a thriller a la Patterson or Connelly look somewhere else, this book is full of riveting information and cerebral plots. Over the top scenarios full of unlikely events do not work in this novel, Abrams explains how government works and gives you a peek into real life plots at the same time she is giving us a riveting thriller.
The main character is truly engaging, believable and fascinating.
Abrams is not only smart as a political figure but she really can produce a great thriller like no other. If you like political suspenseful novels full of cliffhangers and realistic plots, then get a copy as soon as you can.
June 27, 2023
She writes well. I could have used a review of the first book; I was lost for quite a while and missed quite a bit. Wasn’t going to reread the first one, though. Best read back to back. Plot wasn’t very original, but the book held my interest most of the way through. Without the backstory from the first book, a law clerk’s involvement in international terrorism, high level hacking etc seems incredulous. I’ll probably read the next one because - Stacey Abrams!
May 19, 2023
Almost exactly two years ago, I read and reviewed Stacy Abrams’ novel While Justice Sleeps, in which we were introduced to Avery Keene, “…a brilliant young law clerk working for Justice Howard Wynn, a curmudgeon who is in failing health. Avery is doing her best to hold her life together, working long hours in a demanding job, while dealing with a messy family situation featuring her drug addict mother.
For some reason unknown to Avery, Judge Wynn names her his legal guardian and gives her his power of attorney, so when he falls into a coma, her life gets very messy very quickly. Avery soon discovers that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching a controversial case involving a proposed merger between an American biotech company and a genetics firm in India.” Terrific plotting, great characters, I pretty much loved it. I gave it four stars, and admitted that “...my rating of fewer than five stars is due to my own lack of knowledge of chess!”
Avery Keene is back in Ms. Abrams’ new novel entitled Rogue Justice, and she is trying to get things in her life back to what passed for normal after her efforts to deal with an international conspiracy in While Justice Sleeps. She is at a legal conference where she meets Preston Davies, a fellow law clerk working for a federal judge in Idaho (Avery works at SCOTUS). Preston is sure that his recently deceased boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed shortly before she died. Along with a dire-sounding warning, he gives Avery a file and a burner phone, and his fear that dangerous people are involved.
Avery discovers that judges on the FISA Court (the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court), which grants permission to the government to wiretap Americans or spy on corporations suspected of terrorism, are on a list, and in danger, so she sets out to unravel the truth. So far, so good. But then the real world intruded on my thoughts, as headlines about the shocking corruption in Washington, D.C. in general and the U.S. Supreme Court in particular made me very concerned about the state of our democracy. Although I was enjoying Avery’s story, and I found the book to be (as expected) well written and filled with insider knowledge, I just kept having nightmares.
I have not yet finished it, and I’m not sure when I will be ready for it. TBH, my therapist recommended I give it a rest until I am less fearful. (God knows when THAT will be.) In the meantime, I recommend it for fans of legal thrillers, political intrigue, and intricate plotting, just as I did the first in the series. I look forward to more from Avery Keene and Ms. Abrams, although I am still puzzled about when Stacey sleeps! Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of Rogue Justice in exchange for this honest review. Four stars.
For some reason unknown to Avery, Judge Wynn names her his legal guardian and gives her his power of attorney, so when he falls into a coma, her life gets very messy very quickly. Avery soon discovers that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching a controversial case involving a proposed merger between an American biotech company and a genetics firm in India.” Terrific plotting, great characters, I pretty much loved it. I gave it four stars, and admitted that “...my rating of fewer than five stars is due to my own lack of knowledge of chess!”
Avery Keene is back in Ms. Abrams’ new novel entitled Rogue Justice, and she is trying to get things in her life back to what passed for normal after her efforts to deal with an international conspiracy in While Justice Sleeps. She is at a legal conference where she meets Preston Davies, a fellow law clerk working for a federal judge in Idaho (Avery works at SCOTUS). Preston is sure that his recently deceased boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, was being blackmailed shortly before she died. Along with a dire-sounding warning, he gives Avery a file and a burner phone, and his fear that dangerous people are involved.
Avery discovers that judges on the FISA Court (the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court), which grants permission to the government to wiretap Americans or spy on corporations suspected of terrorism, are on a list, and in danger, so she sets out to unravel the truth. So far, so good. But then the real world intruded on my thoughts, as headlines about the shocking corruption in Washington, D.C. in general and the U.S. Supreme Court in particular made me very concerned about the state of our democracy. Although I was enjoying Avery’s story, and I found the book to be (as expected) well written and filled with insider knowledge, I just kept having nightmares.
I have not yet finished it, and I’m not sure when I will be ready for it. TBH, my therapist recommended I give it a rest until I am less fearful. (God knows when THAT will be.) In the meantime, I recommend it for fans of legal thrillers, political intrigue, and intricate plotting, just as I did the first in the series. I look forward to more from Avery Keene and Ms. Abrams, although I am still puzzled about when Stacey sleeps! Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of Rogue Justice in exchange for this honest review. Four stars.
May 31, 2023
This legal thriller was quite a read. Avery Keene is back and ready to do more investigating. This was a book about terrorism, espionage, and government. It was very technical, which made it difficult to follow. I did find myself skimming some of the more intricate sections.
The ending was really good. I'm always happy when a book gives you closure in a mystery. Finding out the who, why, and how it all connects was very interesting. I'm not sure I would read a book like this again. I like my stories a little less complicated and more relatable.
The ending was really good. I'm always happy when a book gives you closure in a mystery. Finding out the who, why, and how it all connects was very interesting. I'm not sure I would read a book like this again. I like my stories a little less complicated and more relatable.
June 29, 2023
DNF. Waaay too much technical discussion of cyber crime. Might be interesting to a computer tech person but doesn’t do anything to move a plot along. Also waaaay too many characters with alphabet soup jobs in alphabet agencies. Impossible to keep straight. Not worth the effort.
January 14, 2025
I really like Avery's character in these stories and Abram, with her experience in Politics and Washington can write a very good tale that puts you in the place and time with ease.
Trying to come out from underneath all the fallback of Avery's uncovering of the Whitehouse involvement in the genocide conspiracy of the last book, Avery is stuck doing minor research for the Chief Justice. While at a seminar she is approached by a stranger who slips her a burner home that contains shocking information. In true Avery style, she gets herself involved. Let me say, that you need to have an open mind to read these books, sometimes they go a little far with "could this really happen".
While reading Book 1 I thought that Abram has a bit of the "the Grisham" style. Book 2 solidified that for me. Whether that is good or bad, only time will tell. I stopped reading Grisham a long time ago, as his books became too predictable. I am hoping this does not happen with Abrams.
Trying to come out from underneath all the fallback of Avery's uncovering of the Whitehouse involvement in the genocide conspiracy of the last book, Avery is stuck doing minor research for the Chief Justice. While at a seminar she is approached by a stranger who slips her a burner home that contains shocking information. In true Avery style, she gets herself involved. Let me say, that you need to have an open mind to read these books, sometimes they go a little far with "could this really happen".
While reading Book 1 I thought that Abram has a bit of the "the Grisham" style. Book 2 solidified that for me. Whether that is good or bad, only time will tell. I stopped reading Grisham a long time ago, as his books became too predictable. I am hoping this does not happen with Abrams.
April 25, 2025
It appears that the author has used her vast political insider knowledge to create a book that is filled with knowledge of the many US security institutions. This book seems to be fed with insider information and security flaws. If one is not a conspiracy theorist one might become one after this Reading experience! It is also implausible, and yet given the current background of government functioning just recently under the new Trump administration we might think that the author had some prescient knowledge.
April 11, 2023
Rogue Justice, the second in this series by Stacey Abrams, will be released on May 23, 2023. Doubleday books provided an early galley for review.
This one picks up four months after the end of the last book, and that fallout is being addressed right at the start of this one. The reader is able to easily see how the cast has progressed, giving a realistic feel for the advancement of time.
Of course, there is also a new threat that involves parties seeking power through manipulation of the United States legal branch. Abrams describes the action and danger well and continues to explain organizational and technical terms in a reader-friendly manner that fits the story flow and tone.
She also has a knack for reflecting current political themes into her story without directly referencing them verbatim while adapting them to fit into her fictional world. I like that her Washington DC has a different cast than our own, even if the rules of agencies and the nature of human behavior still matches up. She has continued to add to her world-building that, hopefully, we'll see more of in future installments of this series.
This one picks up four months after the end of the last book, and that fallout is being addressed right at the start of this one. The reader is able to easily see how the cast has progressed, giving a realistic feel for the advancement of time.
Of course, there is also a new threat that involves parties seeking power through manipulation of the United States legal branch. Abrams describes the action and danger well and continues to explain organizational and technical terms in a reader-friendly manner that fits the story flow and tone.
She also has a knack for reflecting current political themes into her story without directly referencing them verbatim while adapting them to fit into her fictional world. I like that her Washington DC has a different cast than our own, even if the rules of agencies and the nature of human behavior still matches up. She has continued to add to her world-building that, hopefully, we'll see more of in future installments of this series.
January 6, 2025
Love Stacey Abrams and she's a good writer but girl...this was so technical I had no idea what was going on 95% of the time. If you need someone to say "can you put that in laymen's terms?" or "explain it to me like I'm a fifth grader" every two paragraphs you're too far in the weeds my good sis! Anyway, I enjoy this series and will continue to read.
August 10, 2023
I'm always annoyed when authors lean into the not like other girls trope in adult fiction. Why is it Avery putting all the pieces together and her minions just following along? Isn't this supposed to be their jobs?? Aren't they supposed to be good at this sort of thing?
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