While Justice Sleeps

A Novel

By: Stacey Abrams

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Stacey Abrams

Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

A Go On Girl! Book Club Pick

From celebrated national leader and best-selling author Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps is a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the US 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.

With an audio-exclusive original introduction written and read by the author

©2021 Stacey Abrams (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"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) 

"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 Connelly) 

Good story, Bad Reader, I still recommend

This book is very difficult to listen to because this reader often emphasizes phrases unnaturally. It sounds like she is reading cold, without rehearsal. It's very annoying. Her voice is nice, her voices are good enough, but the way she reads isn't the way people speak. Also, it's really obvious that there are words that she is unfamiliar with and has had to practice, but is still not used to saying. Those words jump out every time she reads them. I would advise reading the book not listening. The reader diminishes rather enhances the prose. UPDATE: I finished the book and it was good. I really liked one of the smaller twists at the end and the big twist was GREAT considering what we are going through right now. I, for the most part, got used to the reader. This book would be a much more enjoyable listen if the reader re-records the book. By the end her reading of previously unfamiliar words stop standing out and the reading become a bit more natural. Whether you read or listen, it's a good book!

Wrong voice

For some reason, when I pre-ordered this I thought Stacey Abrams would be reading it herself, and that would have worked. Perhaps Adenrele Ojo does fine with romances; I don't know since I don't listen to those; but political intrigue needs a different tone. I thought of at least a dozen narrators, both female and male, who could have held my interest. As it was, I had to speed it up quite a bit, but even then had to take a couple of breaks to listen to more enjoyable books. I suggest that anyone who doesn't care about format would prefer a printed copy.

Absurd Narration

The story is completely obscured by the narration. Ojo’s rendering of dialogue is tolerable, but the descriptive portions are the worst I’ve heard: overly dramatized with ineptly placed pauses and a voice inexplicably trills about sentences. I can’t believe that any producer or director would approve the performance.

Painful

I really don't know what to say...which is worse: the story itself or the narration? Let's start with the narrator. I'm not going to waste the energy to look up her name. To say that she's horrible is like calling the Grand Canyon a hole on the ground. Yep...I'm going with the narration. I've tried listening to this story 3 times and each time, I'd rather listen to someone running a fingernail across a chalkboard, Squidward Tentacles playing the clarinet, or a pig squealing. The last straw was the narrator attempting to deepen her voice to sound like one of the male characters...let me just say..."no". The book will be returned.

Engrossing story

A very satisfyng legal thriller. Occasionally over-plotted but consistently compelling. The narrator verged a little too close to a babytalk voice, tho. I got used to it but would have preferred a voice and tone that matched the smarts and purposiveness of the main character.

Indian accent is truly awful

I’m sorry but the Indian accent is completely ridiculous and offensive. I have never heard any such accent in my lifetime of speaking to Indian people. It was so distracting and I can’t believe that it passed muster. I’m going to return and just read the text.

sequel worthy

I raced through the story oblivious to food and drink; now I'm rereading for nuanced plot shifts and character actions that drove the story. I hope to read similar works by the author if not a sequel this year! Don't make us wait😪

Loved it.

Couldn't stop listening. Excellent plot. Excellent writing skills. One of the best books I've read.

Thrilling Legal Drama

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this is. I don’t put a lot of faith in first novels, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace and the story, as well as the narration. I finished it in a day. I basically got nothing much done today because I couldn’t stop. I hope we get to hear more from Avery in the future.

Amazon/Audible. I didn’t even know this book was released and could not find it by searching in Audible and after several unsuccessful attempts, I finally bought it through my Amazon app. I have over 500 books in my Audible library and never witnessed this not being able to find by searching authors name or book title BS. Get it together. This reeks off BS.

AMAZING!!!!

This book was excellent. I enjoyed every minute of this book. The book was suspenseful and kept me on my toes. Great job, Stacey Abrams!!!!