Stacey Abrams, well-known for her political work in Georgia and an experienced tax attorney IRL, has written When Justice Sleeps, a legal thriller that is complex, clever, and revelatory of the high-stakes political maneuverings in Washington DC (particularly the Supreme Court). The protagonist of this fast-paced thriller is 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. The woman representing the Indian firm is an astute observer of US politics: “Despite years in American schools, she still barely understood the deep divisions between the left and right in a country with so little to argue over.”  President Stokes is a “shrill xenophobe,” who reveals that to “…maintain the peace, I cater to the far right and cavil to the farther right and pretend to have patience with the weak-willed left. I’ve denounced what I know to be true, all in the name of patriotism and bipartisanship.” (did I mention the author REALLY knows politics?) Stokes is itching to replace Justice Wynn on the bench, but he can’t do that until the Justice resigns or dies. 

There is a ton of intrigue as the political wrangling to potentially replace Wynn, and he has entrusted Avery with an incredibly complex puzzle that is designed to lead her to the secrets that he fears will destroy democracy. As Avery unravels the chess-related clues that are the key to finding out what is going on, she realizes that the stakes are even higher than she thought: the medical condition afflicting Wynn might be helped by the results of the merger. The technology and its potential impact are fascinating. The “Science Directorate reveled in developing the type of technology that would have made Bond’s Q envious and a bit intrigued.” Creepily, the research  “attempted to manufacture a genetic virus to kill Muslims,” and the interactions between and among both nations and agencies make for a fascinating look at current political intrigue: as one of her potential allies tells her, “I worked for Homeland Security, Avery. We watch everything. Usually, though, no one watches us.”

While Justice Sleeps is a complicated plot, with twists and turns involving interesting characters. Stacey Abrams clearly knows her way around DC, the Court, and chess strategy. TBH, I’m not sure if it was my lack of knowledge about chess that made me think perhaps there was a requirement for occasional willing suspension of disbelief as Avery and Justice Wynn’s son  work frantically to unravel the puzzle and unearth the real reasons for the proposed merger and the role played by the President and various representatives of alphabet agencies that are numerous in Washington. 

For fans of legal thrillers, puzzles, political intrigue, and intricate plotting, this will be a big hit. I can’t help but wonder when Ms. Abrams finds time to sleep, but this made me admire her even more that I did. Four stars. Very well written and I suspect my rating of fewer than five stars is due to my own lack of knowledge of chess! Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this honest review. Four stars, and I expect we will see more outstanding fiction from Ms. Abrams.