Compelling and suspenseful legal thriller.

"Sabotage, espionage, system disruption, and propaganda" propel the highest levels of government into near meltdown as an unknown and malignant entity comes under the radar of Avery Keene in this second book in the series written by former Georgia State Representative, Stacey Abrams.

Avery Keene is a young law clerk for the comatose Justice Howard Wynn who is sidelined from her job after discoveries caused a political crisis that brought the President to impeachment proceedings. While cooling her heels attending seminars, she receives information about a deep fake video and some suspicious deaths. With little else to do while testifying in hearings related to the disgraced President Stokes, Avery starts digging. The brilliant Avery with her eidetic memory immediately sees the potential for devastating effects related to massive blackmail, tech hacking, and malware. It seems that the USA's "secret court" has been granting an unusual amount of surveillance requests. Something or someone very well-financed is poised to disrupt the nation in a spectacularly destructive fashion.

This was fast-paced and extremely interesting with a twisty plot and clever revelations no doubt enhanced by Ms. Abrams having a great insider's perspective. I like the main characters previously met in the first book, and especially the way that Avery's mind works. The writing is excellent and the story so plausible. I suggest that any reader considering this read the first in the series before tackling this one. I look forward to the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

A solid political mystery thriller. While I didn't read Stacey Abrams' first book, "While Justice Sleeps" in her Avery Keene series at the time I read "Rogue Justice," I felt I was able to easily follow along the storylines, and all the action and characters. I recommend this to readers who are into political and legal mystery thrillers.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm thrilled that Stacey Abrams has gifted us with another Avery Keene book, and this is a solid follow up to While Justice Sleeps. This is incredibly detailed and draws on Abrams's vast knowledge of the legal system, but this does mean that it occasionally gets bogged down with a little too much information. There is still a lot that feels like it needs to be resolved in Avery's life, but it is interesting to see what has happened since the first book while still eagerly anticipating future stories.

Stacey Abrams has written an excellent courtroom drama story that keeps the reader guessing until the end. I enjoy her style of writing and look forward to even more books by this wonderful writer.

Stacey Abrams is a magical unicorn. This is the second installment in her political thriller series. She's brilliant and she has an inside view of some of these processes. She basically envisions the worst case scenario and sets her protagonist on a path to intersect with the people that are causing this. It may not work out as planned, from anyone's perspective. I don't want to give any spoilers or ruin the original book.

I would definitely recommend this, but you should absolutely read the other book first.

“Rogue Justice,” by Stacey Abrams, Doubleday, 368 pages, May 23, 2023.

Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene is trying to get her feet on solid ground after unraveling an international conspiracy in “While Justice Sleeps.” At the direction of Supreme Court Associate Justice Howard Wynn, who has been in a coma for four months, Avery derailed the presidency of Brandon Stokes.

Stokes is facing charges of genocide. Avery is now testifying in the impeachment hearing. Then she is sent to a legal conference. Preston Davies, a law clerk to a federal judge in Idaho, approaches her at the conference.

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 warning that there are highly dangerous people involved. 

The file contains a list of names, all federal judges on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. It is this body which grants permission to the government to wiretap Americans or to spy on corporations suspected of terrorism.

As Avery digs deeper, she begins to see a pattern – and she worries that something far more sinister may be unfolding inside the nation’s third branch of government. Avery gives the burner phone to her boyfriend, Jared Wynn, who is a cybersecurity expert, and she takes the information to FBI Agent Robert Lee. She soon begins to unravel a plot that would endanger the nation.

The plot is very well-crafted and the characters are outstanding. The villain’s target makes perfect sense. There are several story lines that are unresolved by the end, leaving them open for the next book in this interesting series.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Rogue Justice is a much better read. The story is still packed full of governmental agencies and their acronyms, information and scenarios way above my clearance, but the story makes sense, is very relatable and flows smoothly! I’m looking forward to more of Avery Keene.

Fans of the political thriller and readers of the news will find themselves caught up in the world of Avery Keene, a young attorney who was already at the center of a storm when she finds herself in possession of a list of US judges who have been blackmailed. Whew. This plays off current events (I struggled not to make the parallels) and the current concern about cyberwarfare and cyber crime. There are multiple murders, lots of bad guys, and a big conspiracy against democracy. This is not a light read and it might be a but too much if you're tired of politics but Avery is an engaging character. She's smart, she's dedicated, and she's a seeker of truth. I missed the first novel but Abrams provides background up front so that wasn't a problem. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

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.

This is a sequel to Abrams's first legal thriller. It didn't feel as meaty to me; the plot was conventional. I was mostly annoyed that she reminded us on every page how smart her main character is - we get it, she's a genius. I think it would be more compelling if everyone weren't always telling her how great she is at everything. Abrams is great in real-life, but this series just isn't for me.

A series featuring perceptive Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene? Yes please.

Rogue Justice kicks off with Avery persona non grata in D.C., as congressional hearings focus on the events of While Justice Sleeps. The following week, Avery's approached at a legal conference where she's trying to lie low. Suddenly she's witness to a murder, worried she's being followed, and digging into who might be blackmailing a judge and why.

One of the strengths of both Abrams' Avery Keene books for me is the way they shine a light on potential threats facing the United States. Or maybe they're less threats and more serious flaws of systems currently in place? Regardless, I enjoy these books more as stories that give me something to chew on and less as fast-paced thrillers. That's to say, you can enjoy this one at the beach AND at book club.

I read the first third or so via text prior to switching to the audio. Adenrele Ojo's narration is, of course, excellent. This is a book that features a bit of vocabulary I don't hear all the time (i.e., jargon related to aspects of the plot); I felt she did a great job clearly enunciating those words in particular so that I could follow along via audio.

Stacy Abrahms crafts a complex and twisty thriller featuring Avery Keene. Rogue Justice is an awesome read. See my complete review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.

This book had me on my toes and also somewhat frightened because the treat to national security felt very believable. I did not realize this was the second book in the Avery Keene series, but this book provided enough detail that I was able to have a basic understanding of the first book. I do think that I will find time to read While Justice Sleeps because I was that impressed with this book. 10/10 recommend this book to anyone who enjoys political thrillers! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Having read "While Justice Sleeps" back in 2021 when it was released, I was over the moon to be able to receive an ARC for this book prior to its publication. I am enthralled with the character and backstory of Avery Keene, a young law clerk with an amazing mind and a gritty tenacity that she has honed throughout the years.

This is an engrossing and fast-moving political and legal thriller, and kept me turning the pages long after I should have turned in for the night. I thought the ending was a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the book, and feel that perhaps the author is keeping room open for a 3rd installment in this series. Fingers crossed that it will happen as I know one thing for sure...both Avery and Ms. Abrams are way smarter than I will ever be, and I am here for it! Highly recommend if you are interested in a smart, fast-moving, political thriller with an amazingly smart main character. Easy 5 Stars!

Avery Keene and her team are back in what I predict will be another hit legal thriller. Even as she is trying to recover from the conspiracy she and her loved ones were caught up with in While Justice Sleeps, another wave of conspiracy and death runs them over. Avery's work to expose misdeeds has not won her any accolades--she's essentially been sidelined with no career prospects while her bosses run out the clock on her clerkship. But when Preston Davies reaches out to her reveal that his boss, a federal Judge, was being blackmailed leading up to her death, it starts a chain reaction that leads into the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA, also known as the US' "secret court"). When old and new enemies start to surface, Avery's search for justice and safety will keep the pages turning.

Oh, wow!!! I definitely should have read While Justice Sleeps first! One can read this book as a stand-alone, but there is so much that ties back to the first Avery Keene book that I wished I had started there instead. But wow, Stacey Abrams' thriller was not only tense, but it drilled down into current political and societal trends. She has her finger on the pulse of the nation's politics (which was to be expected, given her vocation and talents), and that shines through this book. I see real life people and events as potentially inspiring bits of this story too: those who value power above ethics are never in short supply. I hate to draw comparisons because Abrams' voice is unique and fresh, but reading this book now took me back to reading early Grisham books when they first came out--the opening is cryptic and intense and grabs you and doesn't let you go until you're wrung out and shocked at the end. And, yet, left very, very happy that you were taken along on the ride. I can't wait for the next one, and in the meantime I'm going to go back and read the first one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance electronic version.

Well I didn't read book one of the Avery Keene series, so this was my first exposure to this law clerk. I think I would've been better served as a reader as Rogue Justice picks up a few months after the first book, While Justice Sleeps.

First, the amount of characters in this story was overwhelming, and it was difficult to track everyone. And, I found the whole story also challenging to follow. This was ALL a little too much.

Thank you Doubleday for the complimentary copy.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Unlike many books that can stand alone in a series, Rogue Justice will be far more enjoyable if you have the background provided by the first book, While Justice Sleeps. Though I had read her first novel several months ago, I still struggled to recall all of the details, so reading them straight through might have even worked better.

Avery Keene is a highly intelligent 27-year-old African American. She worked as a D.C. law clerk for a cantankerous judge who left her with quite a surprise in the previous book. This book picks up after Avery’s testimony which had to do with the impeachment of President Stokes.

In book two, Preston Davies, a clerk for a recently deceased federal judge, shares his suspicions with Avery that his boss was being blackmailed with a fake video. Avery’s not sure what he expects of her, but he gains her full attention when, only moments later, she witnesses him being gunned down.

The plot thickens as Avery’s curiosity pulls her into a story that is filled with twists and turns.

My Concerns
While details can enhance a story, in this case, it felt too filled with unnecessary information. I’m sure with Abrams’s political history the details were meant to promote the authenticity of the setting and story, but the pacing felt off.

Their were too many characters to keep track of and they didn't stand out from each other.

Bottom line: the story had trouble holding my attention.

Final Thoughts
If you like books with deeper plots than most legal thrillers, you won’t want to miss Abrams’s new series that stars Avery Keene. While I loved her first book, this one didn’t completely win me over.

My thanks to @doubledaybooks for a gifted book.

Stacey Abrams’s heroine, Avery Keene, is back with a new political page-turner. Rogue Justice picks up shortly after While Justice Sleeps. Federal judges should be examples of justice, but Avery is thrown into a blackmailing plot that may have been turning the wheels of justice in the wrong direction. This thriller about corrupt judges seems aptly timed.

Abrams writes great characters with impeccable plotting. This book stands on its own, and I can’t wait to see if there is a book three.

Law clerk Avery Keene is back to save the world once again! This time, while still embroiled in the fallout from outing the president as a murderer, she also unravels a plot to dismantle the entire U.S. power grid.

Like the first book in this series, Abrams deftly crafts a complex, propulsive plot and an interesting puzzle to figure out - or to follow along (it’s honestly beyond my brain capabilities, but I trust all the mambo jumbo makes sense to someone!) It lacked the heart of the first installment, but it’s still a fun read, worthy of a summer afternoon in the sun. And I can’t wait to see what Avery gets up to next!

See my review in the New York Journal of Medicine of Books. I am contractually restricted from reprinting it here.