What happened the night that Emily Gold died? This question surrounds and fills The Pact, one of Jodi Picoult's earlier novels.

Placed in her baby bassinet in the hospital, Chris Harte has never known a life without Emily Gold. They are neighbors, practically family, and now as teenagers, lovers. Their families have been expecting the moment that they got together since they were children. What they didn't expect was for Emily to die, with Chris there, confessing to a suicide pact between the two teens.

Picoult deals with teen suicide and portrays an engrossing trial as Chris struggles with losing Emily and going to jail all at the same time. The novel works in flashbacks to the past and events from the present, showing the reader the development of Chris and Emily's relationship from the time they were children.

Absolutely fascinated, I could not put The Pact down until I found out how the trial ended. Picoult does her research for her novels and it reflects in how vividly the scenes play out. As always, she takes a touchy issue and reveals both sides of the story to allow the reader to develop their own opinions on the matter. The Pact is a must-read for any Picoult fan and for anyone who likes a good, meaty story.