The subtitle of this true story is a clear-cut summation of the book. It's a gripping account of the abduction and brutal murder of Jeffrey Curley, an outgoing 10-year-old innocent, who went missing from East Cambridge, Mass., in October 1997.

The two perpetrators had offered little Jeffrey a ride, at the end of which they promised to buy him a new bicycle. It was "The Ride" that altered so many lives and sent shock waves throughout the community.

In stark detail, Boston Globe reporter Brian MacQuarrie depicts the events leading up to the tragic day, the malicious attack, the inhuman disposal of the boy's abused body, the investigation into the crime as well as the trial and its outcome.

MacQuarrie met Jeffrey's father, Bob Curley, at his son's wake. He then followed Curley as he struggled with the anger and grief that consumed him and other members of his family.

As the story progresses, Curley is transformed from a fierce, outspoken proponent of the death penalty to eventually reversing his position.

MacQuarrie's inside accounts also cover leading politicians, community organizers as well as family members of homicide victims as they debate the relevance of the death penalty -- and reinstating it as law in Massachusetts.

It was at one of these gatherings that Curley begins to question his belief that vengeance is the best deterrent to save more people from being murdered.

The argument that sways him most are statistics that prove many death row inmates are actually innocent of the crimes they were convicted of committing.

As he becomes acquainted with several people who have lost love ones in heinous manners, Curley realizes -- stunning many members of his own family -- that he can no longer zealously advocate the death penalty.

Despite the time span involved and the magnitude of this story, Pulitzer Prize nominee MacQuarrie's vivid writing captures the intensity of each situation and kept me engrossed from the first page to the last.