Jodi Picoult refuses to tiptoe around volatile issues. In The Tenth Circle, she knotted a tight narrative around an incident of date rape. Nineteen Minutes recounts a deadly high school shooting rampage, its causes, and its aftermath. In flashbacks, we witness the deepening alienation of teen killer Peter Houghton, a helpless victim who sinks steadily into the execution mode of his combat video games. Standing in literal judgment over this teen killer is Alex Cormier, the judge who presides over his trial. Cormier struggles hard to balance her professional duties with her relationship with her daughter, Josie, a former friend of Houghton's and a survivor of the mass slaying. Torn from the headlines and humanized.