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A review by octavia_cade
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
I appreciated the clear amount of research that went into this, but I have to admit that my over-riding impression is that it's unnecessarily complicated. Granted, over-complication is something to be expected from political thrillers, and very probably truth is stranger than fiction, but still. The impression remains.
Other than that, I enjoyed it. The story, which follows a law clerk working for one of the Supreme Court judges, trying to unravel the horrific relationship between genetic research and defense priorities, is entertaining and well-written. One of the main themes here is ethics in science, which is something I always find compelling, especially in how science and scientists can be used by governments to further their own agenda. As a biologist myself, it frankly disgusts me that any number of distant colleagues choose to work in weapons research, for instance. It clearly disgusts Abrams as well, although she's more concerned with the legal aspects than the scientific ones, I think, which is understandable given that she's a lawyer herself. I am, it must be said, far less fascinated by the role of the US Supreme Court than the author, but then I don't live in the US and the horrific clusterfuck that is that country's political and legal systems have less immediate impact on my life. All of which is to say I found the scientific elements more interesting than the legal ones here.
Other than that, I enjoyed it. The story, which follows a law clerk working for one of the Supreme Court judges, trying to unravel the horrific relationship between genetic research and defense priorities, is entertaining and well-written. One of the main themes here is ethics in science, which is something I always find compelling, especially in how science and scientists can be used by governments to further their own agenda. As a biologist myself, it frankly disgusts me that any number of distant colleagues choose to work in weapons research, for instance. It clearly disgusts Abrams as well, although she's more concerned with the legal aspects than the scientific ones, I think, which is understandable given that she's a lawyer herself. I am, it must be said, far less fascinated by the role of the US Supreme Court than the author, but then I don't live in the US and the horrific clusterfuck that is that country's political and legal systems have less immediate impact on my life. All of which is to say I found the scientific elements more interesting than the legal ones here.