Picoult bangs out another ripped-from-the-zeitgeist winner, this time examining a condemned inmate`s desire to be an organ donor. Freelance carpenter Shay Bourne was sentenced to death for killing a little girl, Elizabeth Nealon, and her cop stepfather. Eleven years after the murders, Elizabeth`s sister, Claire, needs a heart transplant, and Shay volunteers, which complicates the state`s execution plans. Meanwhile, death row has been the scene of some odd events since Shay`s arrival — an AIDS victim goes into remission, an inmate`s pet bird dies and is brought back to life, wine flows from the water faucets. The author brings other compelling elements to an already complex plot line: the priest who serves as Shay`s spiritual adviser was on the jury that sentenced him; Shay`s ACLU representative, Maggie Bloom, balances her professional moxie with her negative self-image and difficult relationship with her mother. Picoult moves the story along with lively debates about prisoner rights and religion, while plumbing the depths of mother-daughter relationships and examining the literal and metaphorical meanings of having heart. The point-of-view switches are abrupt, but this is a small flaw in an impressive book.