Reviews

A hokey but entertaining legal-political thriller, sort of halfway between John Grisham and Dan Brown. You have to really not think too hard about some of the developments here, beginning with the initial premise of a Supreme Court justice putting himself into a medical coma and leaving a series of obscure clues about a conspiracy for his law clerk, to whom he's awarded his power of attorney. I have a particularly difficult time accepting the pseudoscience of an experimental poison gas that can be targeted to kill off only members of a given ethnoreligious group, which hinges on a complete misunderstanding of the biological reality -- or lack thereof -- behind apparent racial divisions. Even for fiction of this general level of absurd implausibility, that feels like a step too far.

The main appeal of this title is of course that it's written by Georgia politician Stacey Abrams, the first novel that she's published under her own name (following a few romances going by the pseudonym Selena Montgomery). I love her work on voting rights and wish she had been able to win her governor's race, and it's a thrill to occasionally remember while reading just who came up with this story. On its own merits, though, there's not much to elevate it above the typical fare of this genre.

[Content warning for gun violence, drug abuse, and biomedical experimentation.]

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annalwaring21's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

dperucco's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

notkellyprice's review against another edition

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5.0

Fantastic! Groundbreaking! Revolutionary!

ahhhhhhlexa's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

grimdark_dad's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

gillyanaire's review against another edition

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3.0

Compelling story but a bit long in the middle. This would be fun as a series and I’m sure it’s already being optioned. I’ll support Mz. Abrams come hell or high water. We don’t deserve a compassionate fierce leader like her but gosh darn it we’ll take it.

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