Maxine Justice

February 15, 2022
Maxine Justice is a talented young attorney in a far-flung future, not so very different from today. While talented, she is broke. Broke enough to have to sign up for a shift as a public defender in the night court at the megaplex Colosseum. Her performance on a seemingly straightforward shoplifting case brings her to the attention of a mysterious, well-heeled client. Her potential client is willing to heal the human race--for the right price. This new, miraculously lucrative job gives Maxine the resources to pursue some irregularities in her shoplifting case that could be an issue for the legal system at large. If it happens to give her an opportunity for some payback at her former employer, all the better. While solving all of humanity's ills sounds ideal, it's not an easy deal to close. And there are various interests that might not want it to happen at all. Schwabauer combines the dry humor of John Scalzi with the legal procedural and advocacy for the downtrodden of John Grisham in a compelling sf story of intrigue and corporate espionage.

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Starred review from December 6, 2021
The eponymous heroine of this electrifying speculative legal thriller from Schwabauer (Operation Grendel) navigates a corporatized near-future dystopia. Maxine, a down-on-her-luck rookie lawyer hoping for a big break to launch her personal-injury firm, reluctantly accepts a stint as a public defender only to wind up on probation after a rigged trial in which her client is wrongly convicted. A desperate Maxine is then approached by Ibit Arounais, an alien scientist who claims his miracle health serum can cure any natural human flaw. Though she doesn’t believe the serum can possibly work, she’s swayed by lavish compensation and a desire to keep her dream afloat, and agrees to broker a deal with the UN on behalf of Ibit, who hopes for 30% of Earth’s gold reserves in exchange for this miracle cure. As evidence mounts that the serum is the real deal, Maxine is kidnapped and drawn into a web of pulse-pounding intrigue and thorny moral questions about what health is worth. Schwabauer hooks readers from the start with immersive worldbuilding and a feisty, determined heroine, and keeps the pages turning with consistently rising stakes. This is a winner.