*Starred Review* Following up her hit Small Great Things (2016), Picoult delivers another riveting yarn about a hot-button issue this time, it's abortion rights, with a unique narrative format: the story is told backward chronologically over the hours of a tense hostage situation in a women's clinic. When we meet hostage-negotiator Hugh McElroy at the climactic showdown with George Goddard, the father of a teen girl who recently visited the clinic, we know that Hugh's own daughter, 15-year-old Wren, is one of the hostages; Hugh's older sister, Bex, who took Wren to the clinic that morning, has been shot; and that Hugh, like George, is a single father. As the hours tick backward, Picoult reveals what brought each of the characters to the clinic, from a struggling young waitress to an undercover anti-abortion activist to the devoted and devout doctor working at the clinic that day. Even though she's rewinding the story, Picoult manages to keep the tension high as we learn about the characters' personalities and situations. And there's a surprising reveal in the final pages that readers will likely find provocative. Picoult explores both sides of the abortion debate in this carefully crafted, utterly gripping tale, which acknowledges that there are no easy answers. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This topical, daringly told, and suspenseful tale is sure to be another Picoult best-seller generating numerous requests.--Kristine Huntley Copyright 2018 Booklist