Stacey Abrams

Dr. Erin Abbott knows that there's someone playing a deadly game of "find me." All of the clues are tied to a secret past life and the deceased mentor in that past life. Erin thought she was starting anew in New Orleans. Wearing dowdy clothing and trying to be as unappealing and unassuming as possible was supposed to be her mask. Unfortunately, the ABC killer knows all about Erin's past, and journalist Gabriel Moss isn't fooled by her disguise. Fortunately, Gabriel does believe Erin's show more declarations about a local serial killer. The more Gabriel and Erin uncover, the more Erin realizes each murder is linked to her, and those links are benign acquaintances. Not wanting any other innocent to die because of her, Erin tries to push Gabriel away in order to protect not only him but his sister. But Gabriel isn't budging. Can they uncover the motivations of the killer and the killer's identity before it's too late and someone else dies?

I'm an eclectic reader, but one of my go-to genres for the past two years has been romance, especially romantic suspense. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when offered the opportunity to read and review Never Tell by Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery. Although billed as a romance or romantic suspense story, the romance (in my opinion), plays a close second to the psychological suspense that builds with Erin's attempts to preserve her secrets and secret identity while facing the killer's taunts. Yes, there's a definite romance factor and a bit of steaminess, and the relationship between Erin and Gabriel is definitely important, but there are quite a number of other things going on as well: murder, psychological torture, physical abuse, physical torture, psychological and mental abuse, and more. Ms. Abrams has taken quite a number of dark topics and combined them into one immensely readable story. Although the abuse elements might be a trigger for some, I felt it was presented with a deft touch that didn't diminish the impact of the abuse or provide detailed descriptions that might be repulsive. Never Tell isn't exactly a light read due to the topics presented, but it is one I found to be intriguing. For those of you into slightly darker reads, then I encourage you to grab a copy of Never Tell to read. I'm putting Never Tell on my TBRR or to be re-read list.

Happy Reading, y'all! show less

I was pretty excited when I came across this book on the "new" shelf at my local library. Its a romantic spy thriller (two of my favorite genres) written by an author who I've read and enjoyed before. I was sure this was going to be a fun read. Unfortunately, this really doesn't work as either a romance or a spy thriller. On the romance front, I genuinely do not understand why the female lead likes the male lead other than he's hot. And his attraction to her doesn't seem based on much more show more than that. And yet, we need to believe that these two are madly, deeply in love. Even the resolution, at the very very end of the book their feeling seem shallow and like they've learned absolutely nothing about communication or trust. And I could have overlooked that if the spy thriller part had been worthwhile, but honestly that might have been even worse. The whole mission seemed contrived to get the two leads in the same space rather than for any logical reason. Nothing about the terrorist plot or the revel of the who the traitor is makes any logical sense. And I'm not talking about the way a lot of thrillers don't make sense if you think too hard about them...I'm talking about literally I cannot explain to you why these allegedly professional operatives would have behaved this way. All in all, do not recommend and I won't be reading more of Abrams backlist for sure. show less

Before Stacey Abrams became today’s leading voting rights activist and the first Black woman in American history to become a gubernatorial candidate, she was a spelling bee hopeful.

Stacey is a kid who understands the power of language. Ushered from infancy into the world of books by her librarian mother, she is a devoted student of the dictionary and a diligent young linguist in her own right, squirreling away words in a dedicated notebook. Quiet and awkward, she finds refuge and clarity show more in reading and writing. When she is nominated by her second grade teacher, Mrs. Blakeslee, to participate in the school spelling bee, Stacey is thrilled. However there is one problem—she will be competing alongside Jake, the class bully, whom she has always shrunk from; but, “perhaps at this spelling bee she would be braver.” Readers follow Stacey as she painstakingly prepares, steps onto the competition stage—not once, but many times—and ultimately finds her voice with the loving support of her wise momma. The text is well turned, delivering both emotional resonance and compelling, albeit unromanticized, messages about the value of perseverance and the importance of speaking up for what is right. Thomas’ bold, vibrant digital illustrations use spotlights as a motif, subtly foreshadowing young Stacey’s future as a public speaker, and excel at depicting multiple scenes on the same page to create a sense of parallel action. Jake is White, and several illustrations include diverse representation.

This engaging, edifying, delightfully nerdy childhood retrospective from one of today’s inspirational leaders speaks volumes. (Picture book autobiography. 4-8)

-Kirkus Review show less

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams is a 2021 Doubleday publication.

When Justice Howard Wynn slips into a coma, all hell breaks loose. His law clerk, Avery Keene, has been given the power of attorney for the judge- not his wife, not his son… Avery! And she has no idea why he would do that.

Naturally, this doesn’t sit too well with many people. Avery comes under suspicion as politicians in Washington waste no time in trying to figure out how to proceed.

The stakes are high as the show more court was set to rule on a merger between a biotech company and an Indian genetics firm. Wynn, as it turns out, may have had a personal stake in how things turned out. His investigations could have exposed a chilling conspiracy… and now Avery could be in the line of fire.

This is a very good thriller. The plot is smart with chilling ramifications, and although it has several threads going at once, it never felt too busy.

There are a few warbles, though. Mostly this is a personal problem- for one, I am 'chess impaired', so many of the chess analogies fell flat because I didn’t quite get the whole meaning.

I’m also terrible with math and chemistry, so that also took me out of the story a few times.

The book also has a mildly dated feel to it. No social media, no cell phones etc. To be fair, Abrams wrote the book a while back, but it didn’t garner much interest until recently. It’s a small quibble, but I did notice it, all the same.

The other complaint I have is the ‘Legal thriller’ category the book is placed in. There isn't any courtroom wrangling, or lawyers trying to outsmart each other, there's not criminal on trial, etc. etc.

Avery is a law clerk and Wynn is a judge- that’s it. Okay, there are some legal papers and some court rulings, but in my opinion, this is a conspiracy- based/ political thriller- something along the lines of Brad Meltzer’s expertise- and that’s meant to be a compliment.

Other than that, I thought the story was well thought out, and raised some thought-provoking scenarios on several levels. The pacing is a bit slow, but this is not a book that depends on explosions and car chases.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and I, for one, was grateful the author took her time with it. Despite the deliberate pacing, there are several intense scenes, sprinkled in here and there.

The characterizations are also very well-done. Avery is a fantastic heroine- smart, compassionate, with a strong moral compass. She defines grace under pressure, and I enjoyed seeing her come out of the situation with her sense of humor intact and a bright future ahead of her.

Overall, this one was more of a mixed bag than I had anticipated, but I am so glad the book finally saw the light of day. It is a solid thriller and definitely worth the time spent reading it!

3.5 stars show less