Lily White uses elements from several different genres. A discussion which starts out with the mystery and legal questions is likely to diverge onto Lee's own life story, and vice versa. With either focus, though, the human factors are paramount.

Isaacs does not try to make a larger statement about how our criminal justice system works. There are no hints of how vulnerable a woman like Mary is to the vagaries of the courts, for instance. Instead, this part of the story concentrates on the "whodunit" aspects.

Lee's personal life story, on the other hand, is full of larger social questions. Are the social class-cum-ethnic identity worries that shaped Lee's childhood a permanent feature of American life? Does the growing prominence of women in confrontational fields like law mean more women who are not afraid to show they are "tough"? Or will the women help transform...