Rogue Justice - Book Review

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Author and political activist Stacy Abrams returns with her second legal thriller following the success of While Justice Sleeps .

Her new novel, Rogue Justice takes place not long after the events of the previous novel concluded. Both books were written under her legal name. Previously, Abrams had written romance fiction using the moniker Selena Montgomery . At the start of Rogue Justice, Supreme Court Justice Howard Wynn, the protagonist Avery Keene's employer, remains in a coma. President Brandon Stokes is facing possible impeachment for his past actions amid an impending election. Avery herself has to front the House committee to answer allegations she faked a video to get Stokes removed from office. Not a good sign at all for things to come.



Meanwhile, an attack on the United States of America's power grid is on its way unbeknownst to everybody. The only indication of this comes from a cryptic warning Avery receives from Major William Vance, now a fugitive since his role in Stokes' crimes was exposed. Avery is later contacted by fellow law clerk Preston Davis, who confides that his judge may have been blackmailed and gives her a stack of documents moments before he gets taken out by a mysterious assassin. As Avery digs deeper, she uncovers a conspiracy going all the way up to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court . Two parallel threads emerge, culminating in a shocking denouement that may spell the end of Brandon Stokes' political career if there ever will be a third Avery Keene book in future.

Abrams takes readers deep into the world of cyber security, high-level hacking and the vulnerabilities of the USA's power grid in this novel after her previous one dealt with the creation of bioweaponry. Readers are given an insight into how the different agencies of the US government operate and the apparent silo culture that appears deep-seated in most of them. This results in critical intelligence not being shared and the whole system becoming vulnerable to hostile actions by ruthless cyber criminals as a result.

The novel also deals with, among other things, far right conspiracy theories. Such theories have proliferated ever since Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States and have gained traction among the less educated members of society. This has led to threats made against innocent people when their personal details get leaked, which Avery Keene and her close friends experience first-hand. President Stokes himself appears to be on full-blown Trump mode in Rogue Justice as he fights tooth and nail against impeachment.

As with While Justice Sleeps, Rogue Justice is something that fans of American politics would enjoy. The American political system has always been suspenseful, and the Avery Keene novels are simply reflecting this fact.

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