This book is a lot of things, but I think it's mostly Marzano-Lesnevich's attempt to reconcile her past. There is a crime that she becomes obsessed with, and the book jumps back and forth between the crime, her own childhood, the accused's childhood and life, and her time as a lawyer defending the death penalty. It's atmospheric and reads more like someone talking. The sentences are very long and wind around the pages. I think Marzano-Lesnevich has done something very interesting, and while I sympathize with her story, the writing style is not for me.