[1][2] Once again, Brigance is the court-appointed lawyer who seeks truth and justice for his client, in this case a sixteen-year-old boy named Drew Gamble, who is charged with murdering a law enforcement officer and faces the death penalty.

Taking the case puts Jake at odds with most of the residents of Clanton, as well as the local law enforcement community, including his longtime friend Sheriff Ozzie Walls.

With the assistance of his paralegal Portia Lang and his mentor Lucien Wilbanks, Jake puts together a case he hopes will sway at least some jurors to find Drew not guilty.

By concealing the pregnancy until the trial, the element of surprise does indeed have the desired effect, resulting in a hung jury and Drew's release on bail.

Because Josie wants her daughter to avoid the problems she had faced as a young mother, she agrees to let Jake and his wife Carla adopt the baby, which they name Luke.

Sarah Lyall of The New York Times liked the leisurely pace of the suspenseful story and the character development but found aspects of the plot unsatisfying.