Perfect Match (novel)
Perfect Match (2002) is the ninth novel by the American author, Jodi Picoult. The novel explores the themes of family conflict, individual inner turmoil and guilt, personal and professional conflict, and vengeance. Though primarily, the novel focuses on child sexual abuse and (justifiable) murder. Unlike many of Picoult's other novels, "Perfect Match" does not follow the back-and-forth flashback format. Plot summary. The story begins with a prologue, in which an unnamed female character enters a courtroom and inexplicably shoots and kills the defendant after shooting him four times as he approaches his defense attorney . The shooter is revealed to be the York County, Maine, Assistant District Attorney, Nina Frost, and the defendant is Father Szyszynski. At the time of the trial (and shooting), Nina believed that Father Szyszynski had sexually abused her five-year-old son, Nathaniel, who confides via verbal accusation that Father "Glen" Szyszynski molested him. Further, laboratory tests confirmed that Father Szyszynski's bodily fluids were found in the child's underpants. It is later revealed that Nina had killed the wrong man, and a visiting priest named Father Gwynne, not Father Glen, had molested Nathaniel. However, Fathers Gwynne and Szyszynski  shared the same DNA because Father Szyszynski had a bone marrow transplant from Father Gwynne (being that they were half brothers), leading to the belief that the semen on Nathaniel's underpants belonged to Szyszynski. Although this fact was entered into evidence at Nina's own murder trial, after which the jury could not reach a verdict, the judge ultimately ruled that Nina's reasons were justified. As such, Nina was found not guilty of murder. However, under Maine jurisprudence, Nina was found guilty of manslaughter because the judge believed she was under the influence of a reasonable fear or  anger brought about by reasonable provocation. Nina was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but this sentence was suspended. In a final twist at the end, Nina's best friend and colleague Patrick Ducharme, moves away. Nina had a very brief affair with Patrick, during a short split from her husband, Caleb. Nina also later discovers that Caleb had poisoned Father Gwynne, with antifreeze, despite Caleb's earlier admonishment towards her killing Father Szyszynski.