Thrillers & Suspense
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Rogue Justice: A Thriller (Avery Keene)
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.
"A thoroughly compelling take on the machinations of Washington and those covetous of power." -New York Magazine
Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene is back, trying to get her feet on solid ground after unraveling 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.
"A thoroughly compelling take on the machinations of Washington and those covetous of power." -New York Magazine
Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene is back, trying to get her feet on solid ground after unraveling 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.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Rogue Justice
"A thoroughly compelling take on the machinations of Washington and those covetous of power." -New York Magazine
"With Rogue Justice, Abrams delivers another smart, zippy thriller; in Keene, she's created a dogged and determined hero who could take down a whole slate of bad guys between her morning latte and a late lunch." -Washington Post
"Abrams excels at showing how power and the desire for revenge can twist people into the worst versions of themselves." -The New York Times Book Review
"A fleet-footed, spine-chilling narrative.... Abrams is an assured writer and a boffo storyteller who makes diverting use of her knowledge of the American justice system. All politics aside, Rogue Justice is a nonpartisan thrill ride." -Shelf Awareness
"Abrams' appealing characters ground this frenetic thriller in wry humor and heart." -Booklist
"Former Georgia representative Abrams parlays her political knowledge into a complex and highly entertaining thriller....stuffed with genuinely surprising twists.... Political junkies and thriller fans alike will eagerly anticipate the next installment." -Publishers Weekly
Praise for While Justice Sleeps
"Supremely entertaining...A page-turner, plot-driven in the extreme...It succeeds brilliantly."-The Boston Globe
"Stacey Abrams delivers a taut, twisty thriller, drawing the reader into the hallowed halls of the Supreme Court along the strands of a complex web of politics, raw ambition and deadly deception."-Nora Roberts, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Come Sundown
"While Justice Sleeps is a mesmerizing legal thriller that does the rare thing: It uses the novel to get at the truth. Stacey Abrams is a powerful new voice in fiction."-Michael...
"A thoroughly compelling take on the machinations of Washington and those covetous of power." -New York Magazine
"With Rogue Justice, Abrams delivers another smart, zippy thriller; in Keene, she's created a dogged and determined hero who could take down a whole slate of bad guys between her morning latte and a late lunch." -Washington Post
"Abrams excels at showing how power and the desire for revenge can twist people into the worst versions of themselves." -The New York Times Book Review
"A fleet-footed, spine-chilling narrative.... Abrams is an assured writer and a boffo storyteller who makes diverting use of her knowledge of the American justice system. All politics aside, Rogue Justice is a nonpartisan thrill ride." -Shelf Awareness
"Abrams' appealing characters ground this frenetic thriller in wry humor and heart." -Booklist
"Former Georgia representative Abrams parlays her political knowledge into a complex and highly entertaining thriller....stuffed with genuinely surprising twists.... Political junkies and thriller fans alike will eagerly anticipate the next installment." -Publishers Weekly
Praise for While Justice Sleeps
"Supremely entertaining...A page-turner, plot-driven in the extreme...It succeeds brilliantly."-The Boston Globe
"Stacey Abrams delivers a taut, twisty thriller, drawing the reader into the hallowed halls of the Supreme Court along the strands of a complex web of politics, raw ambition and deadly deception."-Nora Roberts, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Come Sundown
"While Justice Sleeps is a mesmerizing legal thriller that does the rare thing: It uses the novel to get at the truth. Stacey Abrams is a powerful new voice in fiction."-Michael...
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle SGJ.AM
The bad guy is a severely wronged woman and she does some good with her badness. The good guy is brilliant and tireless
Robert Cabrera
Ms. Abrams’ ability to weave a tale is incredible!!! The fact that the story is based on government departments adds another level of fear into the mix! This was a GREAT Read!!!
t. w. davis
Avery Keene returns and doesn’t disappoint. In this second installment, she faces political turmoil and an unimaginable threat to national security. The story is complex but the reader never gets lost. Fun and fascinating.
Kindle
Stacey Abrams, besides her many other accomplishments is a skillful thriller writer with her heroine, Avery. She weaves a story interlacing factual context with the plot and action. Enjoyed the read! Await the next novel and what looks to become a successful recurring endeavor for the author!
steve lieberman
blew through this book in a few hours. I know it’s a hackneyed expression but this was a real page turner. stacey Abrams has hit it out of the park. makes you reflect on what’s going on currently in the world especially with the introduction of AI .
Short Excerpt Teaser
One
Monday, September 30
Avery Keene took the assigned seat, her mass of black hair with its tight curls tamed into a sleek chignon at her nape. The hunter-green suit she'd chosen for today's inquisition complemented her caramel skin and clear green eyes. For jewelry, she wore department store pearls and a slim gold watch that had once belonged to her maternal grandmother-a woman she'd never met.
The circa-1920s piece kept excellent time, and the links were made of real gold. Her mother, Rita, had pawned it years ago. Fourteen-year-old Avery secretly bought it back with a sob story and $158 she had squirreled away from completing homework for overprivileged, lazy kids. She drew the line at cheat sheets and crib notes. Homework was for practice, and if they wanted to squander a chance at learning, that was on them. By then, she'd built a nest egg of $1,792, and only sentiment forced her to part with even a penny. Lucky for her, the pawn dealer hadn't realized Rita was telling the truth about the watch's value, which meant she got it back for a fraction of its worth.
After recovering the watch, Avery had stashed it with her emergency money and the precious few treasures she still had from her father, like the engraved knife she'd consciously left at home. On days like this, and nearly every day, she sincerely wished she still had him too. Arthur Keene had perished in a bus accident weeks after her ninth birthday, leaving her with a broken mother who'd crawled into alcohol, drugs, and destitution. Avery had decided that night at the pawn shop that she would never follow her mother's spiral down.
She hadn't gone down, but her life had certainly spun sideways.
Avery shifted in her seat, waiting for the proceedings to begin. She unfolded her copy of the New York Times and let her eyes scan down the front-page article that cataloged the current woes of the nation-and her own existence.
President Brandon Stokes, Removed from Office, Aims to Discredit Congressional Investigation; House Promises Impeachment Vote Within Days
By Linda Loewenthal
WASHINGTON-It has been four months to the day since the Stokes presidency was brought down by an explosive investigation begun by Supreme Court Associate Justice Howard Wynn, who currently lies in a coma at Bethesda Naval Hospital. In a controversial move, Justice Wynn's clerk, Avery Keene, 27, was designated to hold his power of attorney, and she followed an elaborate trail of intrigue left by Justice Wynn. After a tumultuous ten-day foray, Ms. Keene uncovered shocking evidence that has derailed the Stokes presidency-including accusations of genocide, treason and murder.
Several congressional committees have convened hearings based on Keene's revelations, and House Democrats are preparing articles of impeachment. For her part, the enigmatic Ms. Keene has become a legal pawn on Capitol Hill and political symbol around the world, from India to America. She has been interrogated in closed-door legislative sessions, lauded by a narrow majority of Americans and vilified by myriad conservative allies of the displaced president.
One beneficiary of the current political tumult is Vice President Samantha Slosberg. In the wake of the scandal, she and a majority of President Stokes's cabinet members invoked the never-before-used 25th Amendment, removing him from office. Slosberg has been silent about the impeachment proceedings. As the week begins, Congress is expected to hear additional evidence and move forward a vote on removing President Stokes permanently from office, which could come as early as next week. Republicans loyal to Stokes continue to rail against the confidential hearings with Ms. Keene and others, while Democratic leaders invoke "national security interests" to justify the secret interviews.
With a sigh, Avery scanned the rest of the article, tucked the newspaper into her bag, and glanced up at the ceiling. The reporter's story was thorough, but not the end of the story. Weeks of private bickering and public snarling led to Avery being brought back to the Capitol and once again before a select array of U.S. representatives ready to prove or disprove the accusations being leveled against President Stokes.
As they had before, her attorneys sat behind her, a team led by a grizzled barrister, Patrick Guarasci-highly recommended to Avery by Chief Justice Teresa Roseborough. Guarasci was managing partner of Wargo, Maxwell, Cofrin, and Guarasci, having earned his place on the firm's letterhead twenty years before when he saved a U.S. senator's daughter and the president's trade representative from extradition to Australia on embezzlement charges. For Avery's purposes, he had also come c...
Monday, September 30
Avery Keene took the assigned seat, her mass of black hair with its tight curls tamed into a sleek chignon at her nape. The hunter-green suit she'd chosen for today's inquisition complemented her caramel skin and clear green eyes. For jewelry, she wore department store pearls and a slim gold watch that had once belonged to her maternal grandmother-a woman she'd never met.
The circa-1920s piece kept excellent time, and the links were made of real gold. Her mother, Rita, had pawned it years ago. Fourteen-year-old Avery secretly bought it back with a sob story and $158 she had squirreled away from completing homework for overprivileged, lazy kids. She drew the line at cheat sheets and crib notes. Homework was for practice, and if they wanted to squander a chance at learning, that was on them. By then, she'd built a nest egg of $1,792, and only sentiment forced her to part with even a penny. Lucky for her, the pawn dealer hadn't realized Rita was telling the truth about the watch's value, which meant she got it back for a fraction of its worth.
After recovering the watch, Avery had stashed it with her emergency money and the precious few treasures she still had from her father, like the engraved knife she'd consciously left at home. On days like this, and nearly every day, she sincerely wished she still had him too. Arthur Keene had perished in a bus accident weeks after her ninth birthday, leaving her with a broken mother who'd crawled into alcohol, drugs, and destitution. Avery had decided that night at the pawn shop that she would never follow her mother's spiral down.
She hadn't gone down, but her life had certainly spun sideways.
Avery shifted in her seat, waiting for the proceedings to begin. She unfolded her copy of the New York Times and let her eyes scan down the front-page article that cataloged the current woes of the nation-and her own existence.
President Brandon Stokes, Removed from Office, Aims to Discredit Congressional Investigation; House Promises Impeachment Vote Within Days
By Linda Loewenthal
WASHINGTON-It has been four months to the day since the Stokes presidency was brought down by an explosive investigation begun by Supreme Court Associate Justice Howard Wynn, who currently lies in a coma at Bethesda Naval Hospital. In a controversial move, Justice Wynn's clerk, Avery Keene, 27, was designated to hold his power of attorney, and she followed an elaborate trail of intrigue left by Justice Wynn. After a tumultuous ten-day foray, Ms. Keene uncovered shocking evidence that has derailed the Stokes presidency-including accusations of genocide, treason and murder.
Several congressional committees have convened hearings based on Keene's revelations, and House Democrats are preparing articles of impeachment. For her part, the enigmatic Ms. Keene has become a legal pawn on Capitol Hill and political symbol around the world, from India to America. She has been interrogated in closed-door legislative sessions, lauded by a narrow majority of Americans and vilified by myriad conservative allies of the displaced president.
One beneficiary of the current political tumult is Vice President Samantha Slosberg. In the wake of the scandal, she and a majority of President Stokes's cabinet members invoked the never-before-used 25th Amendment, removing him from office. Slosberg has been silent about the impeachment proceedings. As the week begins, Congress is expected to hear additional evidence and move forward a vote on removing President Stokes permanently from office, which could come as early as next week. Republicans loyal to Stokes continue to rail against the confidential hearings with Ms. Keene and others, while Democratic leaders invoke "national security interests" to justify the secret interviews.
With a sigh, Avery scanned the rest of the article, tucked the newspaper into her bag, and glanced up at the ceiling. The reporter's story was thorough, but not the end of the story. Weeks of private bickering and public snarling led to Avery being brought back to the Capitol and once again before a select array of U.S. representatives ready to prove or disprove the accusations being leveled against President Stokes.
As they had before, her attorneys sat behind her, a team led by a grizzled barrister, Patrick Guarasci-highly recommended to Avery by Chief Justice Teresa Roseborough. Guarasci was managing partner of Wargo, Maxwell, Cofrin, and Guarasci, having earned his place on the firm's letterhead twenty years before when he saved a U.S. senator's daughter and the president's trade representative from extradition to Australia on embezzlement charges. For Avery's purposes, he had also come c...
