While Justice Sleeps

“Tell her to look to the East for answers. Look to the river. In between. Look in the square. Lask. Bauer. Forgive me.”

These are Justice Wynn’s last words before he goes unconscious. From a plot standpoint, they introduce many of the riddles that Avery will be forced to unveil. Symbolically, they also introduce two of the book’s key motifs (the river) and symbols (chess).

“He’d called the denial of their merger an act of national security, but she knew his actions for what they were. Revenge and self-preservation.”

Indira expresses these thoughts about President Stokes, highlighting how people in power will lie to get what they want. In this case, President Stokes has constructed a moral argument (against genetic research) to save his own reputation and ensure that his involvement with Hygeia and Tigris doesn’t come to light. This kind of hypocrisy is frequently criticized in the book.

“They would say I am as culpable.”

Corruption, hunger for power, and greed often go hand in hand with a central human flaw: selfishness and the desire for self-preservation. These words, spoken by Indira to Nigel, exemplify this fact. She originally refuses to expose the president—even though it would be for the greater good—because she herself is just as guilty.

“Some lie for gain, others for protection. The lie matters.”

Avery says these words to Justice Wynn (in a flashback) when he asks her whether she thinks all liars are created equal. This quote foreshadows the fact that Avery will engage in lies, deceit, and unethical behavior herself (for example, helping to frame President Stokes for Justice Wynn’s attempted murder, which the president didn’t commit)—however, her immoral behavior will be in the interests of a greater good and driven by high moral standards.

“The financials on GenWorks would show clandestine US funding for a covert military project […] And that was without knowing what the Tigris Project could do.”

The truth about the Tigris Project is not unveiled until well into the narrative; Avery’s character must first piece together various clues to discover it. This is one of the first moments when the sinister nature of the Tigris Project is hinted at, foreshadowing the awful truth and setting a sinister tone.

“‘Avery, he said, Forgive me.”

When Jamie leaves the message for Avery telling her Justice Wynn’s final words, these are the final words. Both Avery and the reader are left wondering what Avery will have to forgive Justice Wynn for, creating a mystery and elevating the narrative tension. This also alludes to the idea that moral justice is rarely simple; in pursuing it here, the judge chooses to risk everything meaningful in Avery’s life for the greater good.

“You must protect Justice Wynn. Don’t let him die. […] We’re counting on you. I will help. Watch for it.”

Nigel (speaking anonymously) says these words to Avery. His subsequent involvement, transferring $500,000 to Avery’s account without telling her first, shows how many different people are invested in the GenWorks-Advar merger. While President Stokes doesn’t want it to happen, Nigel desperately does. On both sides, the motives are selfish and corrupt. The president is protecting his own reputation and power, while Nigel wants to make money.

“Add to the geopolitical mix the kind of technology that can change DNA, put it in the wrong hands, and it could be weaponized—for profit. Or it could save my life.”

With these words, Jared crystallizes the central moral dilemma of the book—and the reason why Justice Wynn chose to put himself into a coma. The judge, his father, was faced with an unthinkable ethical conundrum—to support or block research that could save his own son’s life or wreak havoc by serving as a genetic bioweapon.

“I don’t want to be in charge. […] I quit.”

A common conceit of the “hero” in a thriller is that they may not want to carry the mantle of the hero. When Avery attempts to deny her power of attorney (as seen here, in her words to the lawyer Noah), she fulfills this conceit of the “reluctant hero.”

“Jared felt a slight tendril of relief that she hadn’t said boyfriend.”

These words are the first moment when the subplot of Jared’s and Avery’s romance is hinted at. The subplot will continue to be teased throughout the work going forward, adding romantic tension as a foil to the more overt suspense.

“A number of bioethicists have worried about the weaponization of gene therapy.”

These words help elucidate for the reader just why Hygeia’s research is so problematic. Through a conversation between the characters—including Ling, a doctor with knowledge on the topic—the reader learns more about gene therapy, both the potential pros and cons. This context helps to give the stakes greater significance.

“If I’m not mistaken, all these people are part of the Muslim minority that remained in India.”

With these words, Avery crystallizes the geopolitical context of Hygeia’s problematic research (creating a weaponized gene therapy that targets Muslim people). In this moment, Avery and her helpers (Ling, Jared, and Noah) finally start to realize the enormity of what’s at stake.

“In that case, the lower court ruling stands and President Stokes wins.”

For the average reader, some of the intricacies of the justice system described in the book may not be clear—such as the appeals process or what happens if the Supreme Court vote is tied because Justice Wynn can’t give his opinion. The author, a lawyer, takes care to help explain legalities that might confuse the reader using techniques like character dialogue and, in this case, a media report. This quote is from news coverage President Stokes watches on TV that explains to the public (and the reader) what happens to the GenWorks lawsuit in case of a 4-4 Supreme Court justice vote.

“Secure whatever they locate and make sure they never return to DC.”

Major Vance gives these directions to Castillo when he tracks Avery and Jared to Georgia. They mark a pivotal turning point in the narrative; thus far, it’s only been hinted at that Avery’s life could be in danger, but now it’s clear that her mission may kill her.

“I stumbled into a labyrinth of lies told by carpetbaggers and Frankensteins and lesser kings. Revelation may seem the simpler choice, but to tell the truth, I would have to abandon my boy to this damnable fate. I have deserted him once. I will not do so again. So I have left my research for your perusal, certain you will see what I saw.”

These words are from Justice Wynn’s letter to Avery and Jared. They exemplify the judge’s symbolism of moral and ethical uprightness, and his harsh criticism of the corruption he sees all around him. With these lines, Justice Wynn also acknowledges the impossible moral dilemma he faces—save Jared or prioritize the greater good—and why he took himself out of the situation and passed it on to Avery, itself a complex moral choice.

“He’s mapped this out like speed chess in the park.”

Avery says this of Justice Wynn after she finds the missing codicil to his will, which gives orders to disconnect Justice Wynn from life support when the term of the Supreme Court ends, unless Avery can provide the document rescinding his order. Avery must continue solving the riddles Justice Wynn has left behind to get this document. The introduction of this deadline elevates narrative tension and allows the book to fulfill a common conceit of thrillers—the protagonist racing against the proverbial clock.

“JUSTICE’S MISTRESS, SON’S GIRLFRIEND, JUNKIE’S DAUGHTER—WHO IS AVERY KEENE?”

This is the headline published in a DC paper after President Stokes orders Major Vance to “discredit” Avery. It exemplifies how political corruption is intertwined with a corrupt media machine. There is, it seems, no such thing as a free and objective press.

“Justice Wynn couldn’t have given a damn about what this would cost me. He had a goal, and he needed a weapon. That’s me. A blind, stupid, loyal weapon that would stay on course until I hit my target.”

Loyalty is a central theme throughout the book and exemplified by Avery’s character. Here, Avery acknowledges the significance of her loyalty—and what it costs her personally.

“Adding a federal agent to his potential list of loose ends, Vance felt a twinge of remorse. Though they both worked in the same shadows, Agent Lee struck him as a man who would not understand nuance or the absolutes of national security. Lee was a domestic soldier, whereas Vance had no such luxury. The commander in chief had given him orders. Nothing meant more.”

Major Vance has these thoughts after he realizes that Agent Lee is aligned with Avery and thus a potential threat to his mission. Vance has a single-minded loyalty that doesn’t consider good or bad but simply requires staying true to his leader, “the commander in chief.”

“Are you insane? Tell her Hygeia attempted to manufacture a genetic virus to kill Muslims—with research illegally funded by the US government—and the successor corporation [Advar] now wants to take over my company [GenWorks]? You don’t think this might damage our fucking merger?”

This conversation takes place between Nigel and Indira. With these words, they incriminate themselves and concretely explicate the magnitude of the scandal that has largely been only hinted at thus far.

“Governments are good at cleaning up messes. If I were you, I’d find out all I could about a company called Hygeia. I’d follow the money.”

Nigel says these words to Avery. His assertion that “governments are good at cleaning up messes” echoes the book’s argument regarding the inherently corrupt nature of politics—everyone has an agenda, and that agenda is usually self-serving.

“You have a simple choice, Ms. Keene. By tomorrow at five p.m., either Howard Wynn dies or your mother does.”

This is the phone call that Avery gets from Phillips after he’s kidnapped Rita. This is a critical moment in the plot, where the hero faces a life-or-death moral conundrum. It also elevates the tension and the time pressure by creating a hard deadline for a decision on Avery’s part.

“You can go and question Vance about his attaché. He’ll tell you Phillips was freelancing, and you’ll have nothing to contradict him. I’m sure Vance has manufactured evidence of a right-wing group that Phillips will be conveniently aligned with.”

Jared says these words to Agent Lee, highlighting how difficult it is to catch corrupt people in power. They always have underlings acting as cogs in the machine, doing their dirty work—and are careful to make sure that there is enough separation between themselves and their juniors, protecting themselves in the process.