Overview
- The book was published March 9 by Little, Brown & Co. in hardcover, large-print trade paperback, eBook, and audio, with major retailers carrying it.
- The story follows a respected Black circuit judge in a small Alabama town as she oversees a divisive case involving a teenage girl’s rape and an illegal abortion.
- Davis explains she drew on her own past to shape the victim character, saying survivors deserve the truth of how such trauma feels.
- Patterson says the abortion storyline was chosen to reduce stigma and encourage open conversation on a topic he calls a lightning rod.
- The collaborators describe a collegial writing process, and Davis says she may pursue more writing as she expands her creative work beyond acting.