Reviews with content warning for Blood - While Justice Sleeps

I was surprised/disappointed when I realized that this was a work of fiction. I picked it up from a Little Library thinking that it was Abrams take on Washington.

But interested in her capabilities as a fiction writer – what an amazing woman/person.

It’s an interesting read – fast-paced with many unexpected turns, although a bit too spy-vs-spy for me to follow. It was good to experience a young [black] woman in a professional and pivotal role in a non-chic lit format. I would have liked to have the main characters more developed and fewer random murders so that the story was more about the people and less about the conspiracies. There were a few corn cob moments that could have been less sentimentalized but I would certainly read another of Abrams’ books, fiction or otherwise.

Content Warnings

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

When Supreme Court Justice Howard Wynn falls into a coma, the world is shocked to learn he has left his power of attorney in the hands of his law clerk, Avery Keene. Avery herself has no idea why Wynn would have done such a thing…and in her quest to find out uncovers a conspiracy that will threaten her life and the lives of everyone around her.

Oof. I need to preface this by saying I absolutely adore Stacey Abrams the person/politician and none of the following changes that. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly as big a fan of this novel as I am of Abrams personally. The entire thing felt contrived and impossible to believe—even factoring in the suspension of disbelief inherently necessary for most politico-legal thrillers. The characters were unlikable and the stakes felt shockingly low (they were not) because no one seemed particularly invested in uncovering the mystery until the end. Worst of all, one recurring riddle, discussed several times by the characters and presented as key to the entire story, was never adequately solved and instead was entirely forgotten by the end. It’s possible I would have enjoyed this more if I was a bigger fan of this type of thriller (I’m really not) but as it was it still fell significantly short of my expectations.

Recommended if you are already a fan of politico-legal thrillers.

CW: Medical experimentation; government oppression; death/violence/blood; drug abuse/addiction.

Content Warnings

emilysbookishlife's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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jdsquared's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

mangofandango's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I've never really read a political thriller before, but I have so much respect for Stacey Abrams and I like to sometimes try something outside of my typical reading choices, so I picked this one up at the library. I can't say I have a new favorite genre, but it was worth reading. It involves chess, which I don't know much about, probate court and guardianship (which I know more about than I used to thanks to the podcast Toxic, about Britney Spears' conservatorship and the issue of conservatorship and guardianship abuse, check it out), genetic bioengineering, which I could mostly follow, and a lot of other Stuff that makes it a fairly weighty read for a thriller. I didn't have as much fun as I usually do when reading something marketed as a thriller, but I did find this to be an interesting experience.

Content Warnings

jenkneebee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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