Supreme Justice by Max Allan Collins

[WaltBristow]

Who is killing U.S. Supreme Court justices? And are they trying to change the balance on the Court by killing conservative justices appointed by a president who stacked the Court to overturn Roe v Wade and to increase police powers, taking huge chunks out of people’s individual freedoms?

Max Allan Collins, author of more than 100 books, joins with “collaborator” Matthew Clemens (who is acknowledged as preparing the story treatment) to create yet another tightly woven thriller that will keep you engaged to the very last chapter.

Supreme Court Justice Venter is shot and killed in what appears to be a botched restaurant robbery. DC homicide detective Carl Bishop asks retired Secret Service agent Joseph Reeder to look at a copy of the surveillance tape from the restaurant. Reeder, who is part of the exclusive club of men who took a bullet for the President, left government service because he couldn’t stand the politics of the man he was willing to die for. He now owns a private security firm. Known as “Peep” for his uncanny ability to read body language, Reeder views the film frame by frame, sees how the shooter is positioned and that the other robber is not surprised by the shooting. The killing was not just a robbery; it was an assassination.

A couple days later another Supreme Court justice is killed at his home. Reeder again quickly sees clues that suggest the two killings are part of a larger plot. The White House wants the plot to be foreign terrorism. Reeder finds himself again in conflict with the White House as he begins to believe the conspiracy is not so sinister. Instead, the shootings may be an attempt to let the ultra-liberal sitting President pack the court with like-minded justices. Because Supreme Court justices have a life-long appointment, the killings could swing the Court to a liberal bias for decades to come.

How do the killers know what Reeder is going to do, almost before he knows himself? Is it an inside job? If so, how deep ‘inside’ does the conspiracy go? Can Reeder solve the crimes – and prevent another killing – before he and his only daughter become victims as well?

Collins has created another great thriller that will keep you turning pages until well past bedtime. The characters, including FBI agent Patti Rogers with whom Reeder is paired, are well-developed and very believable. The premise is downright scary. Would it really be this easy to change the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court?

Note: This review is based on a pre-release edition from NetGalley