Ready to Rumble? You Will Be After Reading the Explosive Novel, Judge Stone

Viola Davis and James Patterson's Collaboration

I just finished two heavy, emotional reads: A Far Flung Life by M.L. Stedman, and The Names by Florence Knapp. Both were excellent novels but painful to read because of the difficult life situations they dealt with: tragic family deaths, suicide, traumatic brain injuries, and domestic abuse to name just a few.

No worries, I thought. I'll take a break from deep literary fiction and read a good courtroom drama. Since I thoroughly enjoyed John Grisham's The Widow recently, I thought I'd pick up one of the same genre with the idea that it would be a fast-paced thriller. My pick was the newest release from James Patterson and Viola Davis titled Judge Stone.

Judge Stone is definitely a fast-paced, thrilling read, but it's not an easy or light because it deals with hot-button, divisive issues. Abortion. Racism. Religious fervor. Political power, abuses of justice, and the Ku Klux Klan.

Union Springs, Alabama

In a small town in Alabama, a poor, thirteen-year-old girl named Nova Jones is pregnant, a fact discovered by the school nurse. When that young girl, Nova, begs for an abortion, the nurse takes her, under the cover of night, to the town doctor. Dr. Bria Gaines chose to come to this small rural town to open a medical clinic where care was desperately needed. She knew Nova Jones and Jones' mother, who had a passel of children she expected Nova to care for. While Dr. Gaines knows the full extent of the law against abortion, with NO exceptions, she performs it anyway because she sees Nova's terror.

Nova's pregnancy, the school nurse's involvement, and Dr. Gaines' decision set into motion a desperate, ugly courtroom battle that divides the community and forever alters lives.

Viola Davis' Part in Judge Stone

Viola Davis is a well-known actress, beloved for her roles in The Help, Fences, and Woman King, just to name a few. But acting is not her only gig. She's also the author of a children's book, Corduroy Takes a Bow, and a memoir, Finding Me. In an interview with The News Digital, Davis emphasizes that much of the novel, Judge Stone, is based on her own experience as a sexually abused child.

"I felt a responsibility to women who have been sexually assaulted and raped, especially children, as I am one of them. And what they also deserve is the truth of how it made them feel."

"Every single bit of my story influenced all of these characters. I feel that it is my duty to honour six-year-old Viola. I can't sort of think about her dimples without thinking about the fact that she always felt ugly."

Maybe it was Viola's truth that filtered down into the fiction, making this novel feel so immediate, volatile, and painful.

James Patterson

If you're a reader, you probably have heard the name James Patterson. He is a prolific writer of thrillers, creating characters like Alex Cross and Michael Bennett. Since 1976, he has written more than two hundred novels, with 114 of them attaining best-seller status. His works have been made into movies and television series. Worldwide, he has sold more than 305 million copies of his books.

Patterson has collaborated with other well-known authors and celebrities including President Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and now Viola Davis.

Because of his popularity and success, Patterson is the wealthiest author in America, with one report saying that in ten years, Patterson had earned 700 MILLION dollars.

But lest we covet his earnings, we - authors and other readers - need to know that Patterson has given millions of dollars away to support scholarships, grants, colleges, and literacy efforts. During the pandemic, Patterson gave $500,000 dollars to support independent bookstores during lockdowns.

The power of Judge Stone

I've read lots of Patterson over the years. Some people criticize him because he often uses cliches, and his use of other authors as co-writers may be just a way to use his name as a selling point. Some suggest that the rapid production of book after book leads to predictable plots and poor quality.

If I'm looking for a good story, his books have delivered. Whether he or his co-author, Viola Davis, or both deserve the credit for Judge Stone, I don't know.

But it was a thriller, for sure, and it took me out of my own little living room to an intense battle (fictional though it was) in small-town Louisiana where I got out of my own head, connected with the characters, and invested in the hope for justice.

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