Coded Justice by Stacey Abrams

CODED JUSTICE by Stacey Abrams is the third book in the mystery series featuring lawyer Avery Keene. Currently working as an internal investigator, Avery accepts a client whose innovative product (a computerized neural network with talking robots) utilizes artificial intelligence algorithms to provide patient care to veterans. Run by a dedicated ex-military scientist, Rafe Diaz, the company is about to execute an IPO, but another scientist/coding engineer has died recently. Was it some kind of malfunction in the air conditioning system (as the local police believe) or malicious intent? Avery and her team (Jared, the cyber security expert; Noah, a lawyer and financial analyst; and Ling, a doctor) have a limited time to discover the truth, especially as more deaths occur, increasingly pointing to danger for all. This thriller is complex with plenty of suspects. If the pace seems slow at times, that is balanced by being informative and thought-provoking about the ethical dilemmas associated with artificial intelligence. CODED JUSTICE received a starred review from Booklist (“The very real concerns with veteran health, privacy, and the chilling prospect of AI run amok will engage readers’ brains and souls.”)