Defending Jacob

Written by William Landay

Narrated by Grover Gardner

Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, and as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Jan 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781455113521

Reviews for Defending Jacob

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Recommended by Stacey and katie m.
Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.

[amalieturner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book a lot. It's a bit of a departure from what I typically read because it's more crime/mystery than mystery/thriller, but it still contained the same kind of suspense that is the reason I love mystery books. I listened to the audiobook so it propelled the story forward at a good pace. I don't think I would have felt the urge to pick this one up as often if I had been reading it in print form. I had always heard the ending had some sort of twist so I was expecting something grand, probably because I am so used to reading suspense thrillers with crazy twists, but the ending wasn't as shocking as I would have hoped but still surprising. For a crime book, I thought this was very good.

[beth.clarke · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. I don't usually read murder-mysteries, but this one was pretty good. I liked the surprise ending. Quick, easy read.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audiobook and it kept me riveted on what was going on. I couldn’t decide if Jacob was being a normal 14-year-old boy and liked the attention not really comprehending what was happening to him was serious or if he really was detached. The dad, Andy, seem to really not want to admit that his son could carry the “murder gene” that was in his family and could really have killed his classmate Ben.

I really felt for the Mom, she didn't want to believe Jacob could be a killer yet she has questioned over the years that something wasn't quite right with Jacob, which makes her think maybe he did do it.

There were several twists and turns that I did not see coming. I wasn’t surprised about the ending yet it threw me for a loop. What I thought was the twist wasn’t the twist.

This is a great murder mystery, courtroom drama. If you like this type of genre then do read this. You will not be disappointed.

[baystatera · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When his son becomes the suspect of a murder investigation, Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber switches from prosecution to defense to keep his son from being wrongfully accused of the shocking death of one of Jacob’s classmates that has rocked the usually safe community. The audiobook is narrated by Grover Gardner, who does an excellent job as the voice of Andy, who narrates the story from a first-person point of view. At first I thought that he sounded a little old to be the father of fifteen-year-old Jacob, but that feeling went away quickly as he read on. Andy Barber is deeply and closely involved in the case against his son but he can’t help seeing the case proceedings from a lawyer’s perspective either – judging and privately criticizing the methods and decisions of the prosecution as if he were still on the state’s side. Grover Gardner captures this shifting and distancing very well and doesn’t overdramatize Andy Barber’s precise and careful attorney’s statements that don’t give away to the reader any more than he exactly what he intends to let slip. Complicating matters for Andy and his wife and son is his own buried history with his long-estranged father, which the author weaves into the story.Read my full review of the audiobook from Blackstone Audio at Bay State Reader's Advisory".

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A Massachusetts prosecutor find himself at the defendant’s table when his son is accused of murder. My book club selected this book, otherwise I might not have finished it. It was interesting, but it dragged. The ending had a bit of a twist, but I didn’t think it was worth the wait.“At some point, as adults, we cease to be our parents’ children and we become our children’s parents instead.”

[askelmore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In my quest to read more fiction as part of this Cannonball Read, I've been soliciting recommendations. Some (Gone Girl) seem to roll off of everyone's tongues. Others, like this one, I'd never heard of and am bummed I didn't read sooner. It was one of those books that taunted me when it was sitting in my purse during the work day. I read it on the walk to work and the walk home. I chose to read it over watching mindless TV after a long day at work (a rare occurrence for me), and even balanced it on the shelves so I could keep reading it while I brushed my teeth at night. I was engrossed. I have one or two little issues, although even as I write them I realize that they do work pretty well within the book.

Defending Jacob is another first-person narrative, this time told using a flashback device that actually works and really weaves together a tight and interesting book. The narrator is Adam Barber, an assistant DA who prosecutes homicides among other crimes. The flashback device used is Adam testifying at a grand jury hearing set a year or so after the main events of the book. It isn't discussed in every chapter, but helps frame some parts of the discussion, introducing new components of the story. The homicide in this book is an eighth grade boy found dead in a park on weekday morning. Adam has a son, Jacob, in the same class and after a few days it becomes apparent that Jacob is the main suspect.

The book examines many different components of the issue of facing the possibility that one’s child killed another. It's not a plea to sympathize with the parents of accused murderers; it's an exploration of what it must be like, both to see one’s son facing such charges and wondering (or perhaps not wondering) somewhere deep inside if he did it. Does a good parent even entertain the notion? MUST a good parent entertain the notion? What is owed to the child? To society? To one's spouse? Is the priority the child, and to hell with the marriage? Can a marriage survive that? And what happens to the family, regardless of the guilt of the accused, during and after the trial?

These themes are explored in pretty fantastic detail. While Adam gives us the perspective, because he tells the story as a retrospective, he's able to lend clarity to what at the time may have seemed muddy or incomprehensible. He and his wife handle their son’s situation very differently, and while the author gets very close to some stereotypes of the dad vs. mom roles, he also builds them out as based more in the character of the individuals. Meaning, yes, the mother seems more emotive than the father, but the father is also a DA. Frankly, I think it would have been an even better, more interesting book if the mother were the DA and the father were a former teacher. Play around a little bit with the gendered expectations.

There are some surprises in the book, but none that come totally out of left field. It’s not predictable but it makes sense, which I think is such a great quality, and hard to come by. I like authors to avoid Deus ex Machina – it’s lazy and frustrating. But come on – we also want a little surprise in our books, right? Landay does it really well.

What most impressed me about the book is that it took a premise – the murder of a 14-year-old-boy – and kept that premise right in the middle while not making it the focus of the book. I wouldn’t describe it as a crime novel, or a thriller, but a book about a family in a very, very difficult situation.

Pick it up. It’s a good read and worth your time.

[pamv-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good one! This is the story about an assistant district attorney's 14 year old son being charged with the murder of a classmate.

The book is a bit frustrating in that it is told in present day, then we go to the past and then we are back in present day etc...However, once you get into the flow of the writing it is good. Really really good.

I must be slipping with my ability to figure out what happened, because once again, I was taken by complete surprise with the ending of this book.

Do you like courtroom dramas? Pick up this book, you will not be disappointed.

[lauriegienapp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first started the book and realized it had sharp POV changes, I was concerned, as this is rarely done well. But having finished the book, I say - Well Done!
I enjoyed the story line, I enjoyed the little twists here and there, I enjoyed the writing.

And I'm going to look for more titles by Mr. Landay.

[daftboy1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of 14 year old Jacob Barber who is accused of murdering his school friend. There is a lot of evidence pointing at him, Jacobs Dad Andy is the local District Attorney. Jacob lives with his Dad and Mum Laurie. Andys Dad is a convicted Murderer and its suggested Jacob has the Murder gene. Jacob goes to court and is tried for the murder, then a local Peadophile kills himself and writes a confession. Jacob's case is thrown out not everyone is convinced he is innocent though. The family need to escape they go to a luxury holiday in Jamaica, Jacob meets a young girl who later turns up murdered. No proof of any foul play by Jacob, the family return home then Laurie drives their car with Jacob straight into a Bridge support, he dies she lives, Andy's life is destroyed. Good book this it makes you think. Quite thought provoking.

[tnociti-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Easy and enjoyable.

[dogear360 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Liked the twisted ending.

[iambookish-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was hyped so much on a few blogs and websites that I wanted to not like it!
This story of district attorney Andy Barber and his son Jacob was riveting from start to finish. Landay laid out the story perfectly, first introducing us to the entire Barber family and then narrowing in on the heart of the story, the arrest of Jacob.
A courtroom drama with terrific characters and a great deal of emotion. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[john_warner-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What would you do if you have an adolescent son who has recently been accused of stabbing a student who bullied him? Would you feel any different if you discovered that your son possesses a genetic flaw known as the "murder gene", a biological propensity toward violence shared by her husband and his father? These are the issues that Laurie Barber and her assistant district attorney husband, Andy, wrestle with when their reclusive son, Jacob, brags about a recent hunting knife purchase with a blade similar to the stab wounds found on the recently deceased class bully. The presence of Jacob's bloodied finger print on the descendant's vest only appears to substantiate his guilt. The author reveals the disintegration of a family as they seek to defend their son albeit with doubts about his innocence. The plot explores the premise of whether our behavior is prescribed our genes or whether the genetics be minimized by a nurturing environment.

[dawnlovesbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

i hate it when u get to the end of a book and still don't know who done it

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing bu not my kind of book.

[johnwbeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a reading group choice for me and a very good one. A page turner [ideal for sitting on a boat crusing around the Croation islands], but one which made you think about the issues it raises; mainly the battle between nature and nurture. Told entirely from the viewpoint of Jacob's father, in two time streams, it is very well plotted, with a couple of unexpected twists in the last fifty pages. It is a legal thriller, more in the vein of Scott Turow than John Grisham. I am about to add Landay's previous books to my "to read" shelf!

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book will leave you guessing. Even at the end you are not absolutely sure if this 14 year old boy actually killed his class mate.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rather scary to read as a parent! Landay does a good job of character development as well as showing what the stress of a situation like this can do to a family.

[tamarack804-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. Kept me going till the very end. Brilliant!!!!!

[catfantastic_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A legal thriller - not a normal pick for me, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found Defending Jacob suspenseful, intriguing and dramatic. The narrator, Andy Barber, was a district attorney, until his fourteen-year-old son, Jacob, was indicted for murder. Jacob's classmate, Ben Rifkin, was found dead along a trail on their route to school, and the evidence seems to point to Jacob being guilty, with even his best friend testifying against him. Andy is unable to doubt his son's innocence even for a second, but his wife Laurie becomes more shaken and unsettled as the trial progresses, especially when she learns that her husband has been keeping a violent family history secret from her for decades. The novel raises difficult questions about parents and children, I imagine it would be painful for a parent to read. There was a twist ending which, while not entirely unexpected, was still chilling to read. A powerful read.

[Carolyn Talbot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you're a person annoyed when you guess the plot of a mystery, when an "unexpected twist" actually isn't--you'll appreciate the way this one barrels along, keeping you invested right up until the end. If you don't have a child, I'm not sure you'll be as riveted as I was, but if you do, this will likely be a thought provoking (sometimes disturbing) ride-along. This is the only title by this author I've tried, and I'll be looking at what else he has on Scribd--especially if read by the same narrator. Enjoy!

[nagasravika.bodapati · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very twisted and mind bending. One of the best court room brawl books out there !!

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From a true-life legal case to a dramatically fictional one. Defending Jacob is a book with lots of buzz surrounding it, both here on LT and out in the "real" world. After reading it, I understand why. It is far from a formulaic legal thriller, featuring a premise that I don't think I've ever seen before: A prosecuting attorney is thrown into turmoil when his teenage son's classmate is murdered and his son becomes a suspect.This is a legal thriller. There are plenty of scenes of lawyers sifting through evidence, interviewing witnesses and plenty of courtroom drama. But it's also a drama about families, as Andy and his wife are forced to ask themselves whether they really know their son at all.I won't say much more about the plot, except that I found the ending to be a truly unexpected twist. There are no easy answers, either in court or in the living room, for the Barbers. And that makes a thrilling book.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book very much. The story is well told from both a legal and a family perspective. Fourteen-year-old Jacob is accused of murdering a classmate. The story is told entirely from his father's (Andy's) perspective, so the reader knows no more than Andy does...which means we are drawing inferences and conclusions as to Jacob's guilt, and as to what our spouse (Jacob's mother, Laurie) is thinking.There are all kinds of issues in this story. How far would you go to protect your child? Does being a good parent mean you believe in the innocence of your child? How does your relationship with your spouse survive if you have different views on his guilt? The other issue raised involved nature vs. nurture with the discussion of a "murder gene" that Jacob has, in theory, inherited from his father and grandfather. So much to think about beyond the gripping "whodunnit" and courtroom drama provided by this book.

[jinjer-641812 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A total slogfest for me. Trial doesn't start until 60% into the book. The dad was a complete jerk. Rolled my eyes at the ending.

HOWEVER! I think the upcoming series (Apple TV ) with Chris Evans could be really good. Looking forward to it.

[snakes6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from Goodreads. I was hooked on the story immediately and it kept my interest to the end. The ending was an interesting twist and surprising, although it did feel a bit rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

[ctkjs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I will admit: this one was a bit long. It was certainly entertaining and kept my attention. But it was long. And in all honesty, I'm not exactly sure where it could be cut down. But it was an interesting story, a scary dilemma. What do you do, how do you act, when your child is the top suspect in a murder? The way the story was presented to the reader was a bit unique (at least from other books I've read). I felt like I was on the jury this time. The story is told from the point of view of one witness and we're left to draw our own conclusions.

[zhoud2005 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The ending is terrific.

[baggman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've found a new author to follow. I loved this book. Would grab the book and read a few pages every chance I got. Best new author since Glllian Flynn. Interesting twist on crime/lawyer novel.