While Justice Sleeps

Avery Keene is a gifted young clerk to Justice Howard Wynn, the prickly swing vote on some of the Supreme Court's most closely watched cases. She is working hard to keep her demanding job and a troubled family from pulling her apart. Then Wynn falls into a coma, and she learns that he named her his legal guardian and given her power of attorney. Overnight, the fate of one of the most powerful judges in the country rests in her hands.

The role drags her into a fight she never expected. Wynn had been quietly investigating a case now before the court, a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm that could bring dramatic advances in medicine. He also suspected a related conspiracy reaching into the highest levels of power in Washington. With politicians already maneuvering to replace a justice whose survival Avery controls, the pressure on her grows by the day.

Wynn left behind a trail of clues arranged like moves in a chess game, and Avery begins to follow it. As she does, she sees that he had a personal stake in the case, and that the puzzle he designed is steering her toward real danger if she wants the truth.

This legal and political thriller is packed with twists and a lively cast of characters. Stacey Abrams, known for her work in politics and voting rights, draws on her knowledge of the court and the political world to give the story its authority.