Reading a book by a new-to-me author is always a gamble. But I was hooked after I read an excerpt of Kristin Koval's PENITENCE.

The story is first presented with a 13-year-old girl, Nora, in jail. It is not a spoiler to tell you that she shot and killed her brother, then immediately called 911 and confessed. Throughout the book I wondered why she did it.

Her father rushes to the home of a lawyer in their small town. But she is not a defense lawyer, and her son Julian is. Julian is also Nora's mother's old boyfriend. That past relationship presents a few complications and is what makes this book a page turner. It is not, however, a thriller, as one author blurb claims.

Much of PENITENCE concentrates on that long-time relationship, and I did like reading about it. I think, though, that Koval could also have delved more into the mind of Nora. After all, her crime is central to the story.

I won an advance copy of this book through bookishfirst.com.