First published 2023
Avery Keene barely has time to recover from exposing the conspiracy that brought down a president when trouble finds her again. At a legal conference, Preston Davies, a nervous law clerk from Idaho, approaches her with disturbing news. His boss, Judge Francesca Whitner, killed herself after being blackmailed by dangerous people. Davies hands Avery an encrypted file, a burner phone, and a warning before disappearing into the crowd. Minutes later, Avery watches in horror as Davies is murdered before her eyes. The encrypted file reveals a list of federal judges, all serving on the secretive FISA Court that authorizes government surveillance of suspected terrorists. Judge Whitner was being extorted, but as Avery digs deeper into the other names, she uncovers a terrifying pattern. Someone is systematically targeting the judges who control America's most sensitive surveillance decisions. Avery must navigate political chaos and deadly threats to expose the truth before more judges die and the country's security apparatus falls into the wrong hands.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, action, political-thriller, legal-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conspiracy, investigation, political-intrigue
Setting: Idaho, United States
Period: 21st-century
353 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday/Penguin Random House Publishing Group/Bertelsmann
Content warnings: death, murder, violence