58 pages 1 hour read

Jodi Picoult

House Rules

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010

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Parts 10-11

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 10 Summary: “Case: Woodn’t You Like to Get Away with Murder?”

Part 10 is preceded by the case study of Helle Crafts, a Pan Am flight attendant who disappeared in 1986. Her disappearance immediately cast suspicion on her husband, Richard Crafts. Evidence including blood on the mattress and purchases of a woodchipper and freezer linked Richard to the crime. Additional items like a letter, a chainsaw with human remains, and forensic evidence further incriminated him.

In 1989, despite no body being found, Richard was convicted of Helle’s murder, due to Dr. Henry Lee’s examination of the forensic evidence. Lee’s analysis of minute remains such as a hair, a single fingernail, and a few droplets of blood secured Richard Crafts’s conviction and cemented Lee’s reputation as a pioneer of forensic science.

This case study sets the scene for the final day of Jacob’s trial. A few hours after her illicit tryst with Oliver, Emma rushes home to prepare for the trial and finds Henry in her house. Henry has flown in from California, written Oliver a check for his legal services, and plans to attend the trial. Henry expects Emma to be grateful, but she is furious. Emma sees Henry’s presence as an attempt to make up for abandoning their family, and after their awkward visit to California, she feels that he doesn’t deserve this chance.