June 2024 Author Video - Stacey Abrams

Here is an interview and review of Stacey Abrams book, While Justice Sleeps.

 

Character List for While Justice Sleeps

SCOTUS Characters

Chief Justice Teresa Roseborough—the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Debi Starnes—one of Roseborough’s secretaries

Mary Gonzalez—one of Roseborough’s secretaries

Justice Howard Jefferson Wynn—a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; in a coma at Bethesda Naval Hospital from the beginning of the book, possibly by his own hand

Avery Olivia Keene—one of Justice Wynn’s law clerks; unbeknownst to her, he has given her power of attorney and guardianship over him in the event of incapacitation; she is the main protagonist

Matt Brewer—Justice Wynn’s other law clerk; dismissed by the Court when he’s discovered to be the source of leaks

Gary Stewart—the SCOTUS press secretary

Characters Connected to Justice Wynn (outside of SCOTUS)

Jared Wynn—Justice Wynn’s estranged son (Wynn sent him to live with his mother’s sister after his mother, Wynn’s first wife, died; the two have barely spoken since)

Celeste Turner-Wynn—Justice Wynn’s second wife, whom he was in the midst of divorcing when he fell ill; she believes she’s the rightful guardian

Jamie Lewis—Howard Wynn’s nurse, who finds him in distress and calls U.S. Marshalls who arrange for his transport

Noah Fox—a lawyer with the wills and estates division of Wynn’s law firm, Lowry Kihneman; he’d been responsible for drafting all the documents involved with Wynn’s estate plans as Wynn dictated them

Dr. Michael Toca—Wynn’s neurologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital

Characters Connected to Avery Keene

Rita Keene—Avery’s mother, a long-time alcoholic and drug addict

Ling Yin—Avery’s roommate and long-time friend; a doctor

U.S. Government Officials and Those Connected

President Brandon Stokes—current President of the United States; as Vice President, he succeeded President Warren Cadres, who died in office

Major William Vance—the President’s liaison from the Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Papaleo—aka “Wilma”; head of Strategy, Policy & Budget for the Science and Technology Directorate within the Department of Homeland Security

Phillips—lead member of a “skunk-works” team reporting to Vance

Castillo—a member of Vance’s skunk-works team

Special Agent Robert Lee—an FBI special agent “loosely attached” to the Office of Law Enforcement Coordination and coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security

Eliza Leighton—one of the FBI agents reporting to Lee and assigned to Avery’s security detail

David Ralston—the U.S. Solicitor General; argues the U.S. position in the SCOTUS hearing on Avery’s filing to reverse her resignation as Wynn’s guardian

Characters Connected to Various Biotech Companies

Dr. Indira Srinivasan—head of Advar Biogenetics, an Indian company (HQ: Bangalore, India) attempting to acquire the U.S. company GenWorks; the U.S. President’s opposition to this acquisition is the basis of the case currently before SCOTUS—the root of the plot of the book

Nigel Cooper—the founder and president of GenWorks, the U.S. company (HQ: Chapel Hill, NC) that is the target of Advar’s acquisition attempt; if the acquisition is successful, Cooper would head the American division of Advar

Dr. Ani Kumar Ramji—a scientist in hiding, formerly with Hygeia (an Indian company acquired and quietly buried within Advar) and a lead in its ethically questionable Tigris project (which was also buried in the Advar acquisition)

June 2024 Mystery Book Group Meeting

 

OLLI Mystery Books

June 10, 2024 at 12 Noon

Conference Room

OLLI Building