In Stacey Abrams’ New Political Thriller, a Law Clerk Controls the Fate of a Nation
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Stacey Abrams, photo credit: Kevin Lowery
Stacey Abrams’ WHILE JUSTICE SLEEPS, published today, Tuesday, May 11, by Doubleday, is our new Igloo Book Buzz selection. The celebrated national political leader, voting-rights advocate, and bestselling author has written a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. Author Scott Turow offered advance praise: “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.”
Ms. Abrams shared, “A decade ago, I wrote the first draft of a novel that explored an intriguing aspect of American democracy – the lifetime appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. As an avid consumer of legal suspense novels and political thrillers, I am excited to add my voice into the mix. Drawing on my own background as a lawyer and politician, WHILE JUSTICE SLEEPS weaves between the Supreme Court, the White House and international intrigue to see what happens when a lowly law clerk controls the fate of a nation.”
Doubleday Vice President & Executive Editor Jason Kaufman commented, “I’ve had tremendous admiration for Stacey Abrams’ political work for quite some time, but it was an unexpected pleasure to discover that she is also a masterful thriller writer. WHILE JUSTICE SLEEPS is intricately plotted with a magnificent puzzle at its core, and the characters were memorable long after I put the manuscript down. Stacey’s inside viewpoint of politics, the Supreme Court, and her background in law all weave together into a suspenseful and satisfying novel. Not to mention, at a time when the political dynamic of the Supreme Court is so important and tenuous, it was spellbinding to read a thriller set within its halls of power.”
In a recent profile, Stacey Abrams told The New York Times, “Writing is as much a part of who I am as anything. One thing I am grateful to my parents for is that there was never a moment where they said, ‘Don’t do this.’ What they wanted for us was to explore and try. And writing is native to the way I think about the world.”
Ms. Abrams previously wrote a number of romance novels under the name Selena Montgomery. Last week, Berkley announced that the imprint will be publishing three of those novels – Rules of Engagement, The Art of Desire, and Power of Persuasion – in 2022.