Rather than reconstruct a tale of crime from the victim’s perspective or after the suspect is found guilty—approaches we see more often—O’Hagan tells the story of a cop. The story becomes one of how difficult it can be to build a case. Readers get a more "real world" picture of prosecution; despite being convinced herself of the man’s guilt, the detective is not certain he will be found guilty. This makes the story more character- than plot-driven. While there’s no final resolution to the plot, we get an interesting portrait of one woman, her heroic quest and the frustrating nature of her job.
Read “Sex-Crime Cop’s Pursuit: Who was telling the truth?” by Maureen O’Hagan