19 Minutes

Lionel Shriver

Allen&Unwin

Otago Daily Times, March 23rd 2007

In the acknowledgements to her latest book, Jodi Picoult thanks Camille McDuffie (presumably her editor) for making her a brand name. You have to give her points for honesty, and in 19 Minutes she remains true to that brand. This novel certainly delivers the fast-paced, plot-driven combination of detective story, legal drama and ethical complications that characterises much of her other work. In this instance, she tackles the troubling events at Columbine High School in April 1999.