Review by Kirkus Book Review
An uproar over an abortion threatens a judge's career. In Union Springs, Alabama, 13-year-old Nova Jones desperately wants to terminate the pregnancy her school nurse has confirmed. Knowing her personal and professional risk, Dr. Bria Gaines performs the procedure and is soon arrested for committing the Class A felony of performing an abortion, punishable by 99 years in prison. The law allows no exceptions even for rape or incest, and the doctor looks certain to be convicted. "I don't have a prayer," Gaines tells her lawyer. Presiding over the case is Circuit Judge Mary Stone, who is up for re-election later in the year. She is a Black woman who graduated at the top of her class at the University of Alabama Law School and who hosts Saturday morning community breakfasts at her farm. The case will split the town, and Stone is under heavy pressure from both sides to recuse herself: "Mark my words, Mary. This case will destroy you," her sister says. The district attorney wants Gaines to be found guilty and punished to the max. A sanctimonious pastor tries to shame Judge Stone into quitting the case, and he's one of many. "Don't you follow those women into hell," an anonymous caller says. Even the governor gets into the act, threatening to call in the National Guard. But Judge Stone stands firm. "I am Judge Mary Stone, and this is my courtroom," she declares, and her obsession is to ensure a fair trial. Soon almost everything that can go wrong goes wrong, and Union Springs goes "batshit crazy"--with outside help. "A lot of money will be spent" to defeat Mary Stone in the upcoming election, and her judicial career won't be worth a plate of week-old grits. Twists abound that ratchet up the tension as well as readers' sympathy for the story's women. Some of the South's benighted racial past resurfaces, mixing with the post-Roe reality that divides much of America. The Davis-Patterson collaboration delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped in a moral dilemma. Tense, readable, and relevant. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
