A Spy in the Struggle

January 1, 2021
Author of the celebrated Justice Hustlers series, de Le�n offers her first stand-alone about a young Black woman, Yolanda Vance, whose single-track pursuit of success was derailed when her Wall Street law firm was indicted for fraud, and she refused to shred documents. Ostracized from corporate law, she takes a job as an FBI attorney in Manhattan but is suddenly transferred to the Bay Area and asked to infiltrate a group of Black eco-activists protesting wrongdoing by a biotech firm with headquarters in a low-income area near Oakland. Initially convinced that the activists pose a legitimate threat to government research, Yolanda dutifully does what she's told, even planting bugs in the activists' offices. Gradually, though, her commitment wavers as she comes to see how far the agency will go to protect the company's malfeasance; meanwhile, she's drawn into a steamy romance with one of the activists, forcing her to make dangerous choices. Although the plot unspools a bit predictably, de Le�n delivers a suspenseful finale while skillfully building Vance into a rich, many-sided character. An electric blend of romantic suspense, feminism, and socially conscious thriller.

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