When a teenaged boy is discovered stabbed to death in the woods adjoining the local high school, a wave of shock ripples through the suburban community of Newton, outside of Boston. Assistant district attorney Andy Barber is used to dealing with murder and its after-effects, but with his own son, Jacob, also a student at the school, he too is anxious for a swift arrest and conviction. But as the kids appear to be stonewalling the cops and the investigation stalls, evidence emerges that ties Jacob to the crime - and suddenly Andy faces a very different challenge: preventing his son from being convicted of murder. Together with his wife, Laurie, the family closes ranks in the midst of an increasingly hostile community as Andy prepares for the trial of his life, the one trial he cannot afford to lose. Especially when the emergence of his own dark family secrets threatens to undermine Jacob's defence. And as the drama reaches its climax, Andy and Laurie have to face every parent's toughest questions: how well do you really know your own child, and how far would you go to save them?
Defending Jacob
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Not since the novels of Scott Turow has a crime thriller - any thriller, though this too happens to be a literary legal thriller - shaken me by the throat like this. It's a stunning, shocking, emotionally harrowing ride in which the reader is plunged into a riveting but terrible murder trial and the heartbreaking implosion of a loving family. I had to lie down when I finished it (all too soon) to still my beating heart. ... What sets this apart from many thrillers is Landay's remarkable storytelling which allows him to craft the most sensational twists without forfeiting belief. But it's not just about suspense. Landay has written an unflinching account of the complexities of family life in a changing world (Carla McKay DAILY MAIL 20120217)
Landay clearly derives his premise from Scott Turow's prosecutor-in-the-dock thriller Presumed Innocent, and to say Defending Jacob is almost as good as Turow is high, not faint praise; the handling of Barber's voice is impeccable, the use of interwoven transcripts of his appearance before a grand jury is a distinctive and cunning device. (THE SUNDAY TIMES 20120305)
a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion (NEW YORK TIMES 20120213)
This is a legal thriller worthy of mention in the same breath as Turow's masterpiece. A compelling read (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES 20120317)
Defending Jacob's skill as a psychological thriller is what we aren't told; we view Jacob via a parents eyes. And the books twist provides a chilling conclusion. (STYLIST 20120320)
Word of mouth on a new novel is not always to be trusted but sometimes a new book handsomely fulfils all the expectations. This is such a novel. ... If Turow's Presumed Innocent remains the definitive legal thriller, Defending Jacob is one of the most accomplished to have followed in its wake. A final word of advice. Tackle this quickly before friends start to discuss the shocking ending. (Barry Forshaw DAILY EXPRESS 20120406)
William Landay is being talked about as a new Scott Turow or John Grisham, having been one of Boston's district attorneys. He is at home with both the processes of detection and courtroom scenes ... a taut, tense, well-written thriller. (LITERARY REVIEW 20120402)
an excellent legal thriller ... Defending Jacob gets you by the throat precisely because of the skill with which Landay makes one identify with the increasingly terrified Barber as he attempts to ignore unpalatable facts about Jacob and marshals the evidence in favour of his son. (THE OLDIE 20120702)
Landay's first legal thriller makes Scott Turow and John Grisham seem like amateurs. (Mark Sanderson EVENING STANDARD 20120705)
Landay clearly derives his premise from Scott Turow's prosecutor-in-the-dock thriller Presumed Innocent, and to say Defending Jacob is almost as good as Turow is high, not faint praise; the handling of Barber's voice is impeccable, the use of interwoven transcripts of his appearance before a grand jury is a distinctive and cunning device. (THE SUNDAY TIMES 20120305)
a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion (NEW YORK TIMES 20120213)
This is a legal thriller worthy of mention in the same breath as Turow's masterpiece. A compelling read (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES 20120317)
Defending Jacob's skill as a psychological thriller is what we aren't told; we view Jacob via a parents eyes. And the books twist provides a chilling conclusion. (STYLIST 20120320)
Word of mouth on a new novel is not always to be trusted but sometimes a new book handsomely fulfils all the expectations. This is such a novel. ... If Turow's Presumed Innocent remains the definitive legal thriller, Defending Jacob is one of the most accomplished to have followed in its wake. A final word of advice. Tackle this quickly before friends start to discuss the shocking ending. (Barry Forshaw DAILY EXPRESS 20120406)
William Landay is being talked about as a new Scott Turow or John Grisham, having been one of Boston's district attorneys. He is at home with both the processes of detection and courtroom scenes ... a taut, tense, well-written thriller. (LITERARY REVIEW 20120402)
an excellent legal thriller ... Defending Jacob gets you by the throat precisely because of the skill with which Landay makes one identify with the increasingly terrified Barber as he attempts to ignore unpalatable facts about Jacob and marshals the evidence in favour of his son. (THE OLDIE 20120702)
Landay's first legal thriller makes Scott Turow and John Grisham seem like amateurs. (Mark Sanderson EVENING STANDARD 20120705)
Book Description
PRESUMED INNOCENT meets WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN in the thriller of the year
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By David Ford
Format:Kindle Edition
This book is extremely well written and is very gripping.
But the narrative is very analytical and detailed and because of this the pace can appear rather slow. The storyline is about a fathers defence of his son who is suspected of murdering a fellow school pupil and the history of a "Murder Gene" that runs in the fathers bloodline.
In contrast to the main body of the book the ending is rather sketchy and would have benefitted from more detailed description.
Despite my criticisms of pace this book is a good read and is difficult to put down.
But the narrative is very analytical and detailed and because of this the pace can appear rather slow. The storyline is about a fathers defence of his son who is suspected of murdering a fellow school pupil and the history of a "Murder Gene" that runs in the fathers bloodline.
In contrast to the main body of the book the ending is rather sketchy and would have benefitted from more detailed description.
Despite my criticisms of pace this book is a good read and is difficult to put down.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By ratscat13
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
How far would you go to protect your child? That's the provocative question at the heart of William Landay's gripping new thriller, Defending Jacob. Landay's sympathetic and very unreliable narrator is Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney in suburban Boston faced with a doozy of a dilemma: A 14-year-old boy named Ben Rifkin has been stabbed to 'death in the woods near the local school -- and Andy's son, Jacob, is the one who's been arrested for the crime. Jacob and Ben were eighth-grade classmates, Ben had been bullying Jacob viciously, and Jacob had recently acquired a hunting knife that he'd shown off to his best friend at school. Naturally, Andy and his wife, Laurie, knew none of this. (Jacob's a bit shy, they think, not a social pariah.)
Andy, who is suspended from his job after Jacob is implicated in the crime, knows all too well how the legal process can railroad the innocent with inconvenient facts. So when he finds Jacob's knife before the cops do, he gets rid of it -- acting as a father rather than an officer of the law. But no decision is without consequences.
Like John Grisham and Scott Turow, Landay is a lawyer with a solid grasp of how to use courtroom scenes to advance his jigsaw-puzzle story. Also like Grisham and Turow, his prose can be workmanlike and his dialogue pedestrian (Jacob and his peers sound like no teens you've ever met). But with a grabby premise and careful plotting, he keeps you turning the pages through the shocking gut-punch of an ending.
Andy, who is suspended from his job after Jacob is implicated in the crime, knows all too well how the legal process can railroad the innocent with inconvenient facts. So when he finds Jacob's knife before the cops do, he gets rid of it -- acting as a father rather than an officer of the law. But no decision is without consequences.
Like John Grisham and Scott Turow, Landay is a lawyer with a solid grasp of how to use courtroom scenes to advance his jigsaw-puzzle story. Also like Grisham and Turow, his prose can be workmanlike and his dialogue pedestrian (Jacob and his peers sound like no teens you've ever met). But with a grabby premise and careful plotting, he keeps you turning the pages through the shocking gut-punch of an ending.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Brett H
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Defending Jacob is an absorbing book. A crime has been committed - the brutal murder of a young boy - followed by the investigation and then the court case and the aftermath. However, there are numerous additional dimensions to this story which make it quite an emotional roller coaster for the reader.
Andy Barber, the assistant DA, initially investigates the killing, but suspicion quickly falls on his own son, Jacob, who attended the same school as the dead boy. Barber tells the story from his own perspective and remains unwavering in his belief that his son is innocent, whatever the evidence. Unsurprisingly tensions are high within the Barber household and there are enormous strains in the relationship between Andy, his wife Laurie and Jacob.
The law in Massachusetts is that 14 year olds are tried for murder as adults, so Jacob is on the receiving end of a judicial system which does not pull any punches. It becomes clear that whatever the eventual outcome, things will never be the same again as the family, and in particular Jacob, will always be viewed with suspicion in the community and additionally the court case is financially ruinous. Unsavory aspects of Andy's family background surface which can potentially damage Jacob's case and which cause additional familial tensions.
There is huge shift in the story at the climax and the Grand Jury narrative, which is interspersed throughout the story then makes perfect sense. The author develops his characters very effectively and in particular we get under Andy's skin and understand his hopes and fears and come to appreciate that his blind faith in his son could end very badly. Jacob too is a complex character who gives little away about himself even to his family and there are strong suggestions that perhaps there may be more to his problems than just those of a normal, moody adolescent.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I read through quickly and would recommend it to others. It is complex and works on many levels. It is an excellent legal thriller, the exploration of the inter personal relationships between the main characters adds a whole dimension and there is a great twist in the tail.
Andy Barber, the assistant DA, initially investigates the killing, but suspicion quickly falls on his own son, Jacob, who attended the same school as the dead boy. Barber tells the story from his own perspective and remains unwavering in his belief that his son is innocent, whatever the evidence. Unsurprisingly tensions are high within the Barber household and there are enormous strains in the relationship between Andy, his wife Laurie and Jacob.
The law in Massachusetts is that 14 year olds are tried for murder as adults, so Jacob is on the receiving end of a judicial system which does not pull any punches. It becomes clear that whatever the eventual outcome, things will never be the same again as the family, and in particular Jacob, will always be viewed with suspicion in the community and additionally the court case is financially ruinous. Unsavory aspects of Andy's family background surface which can potentially damage Jacob's case and which cause additional familial tensions.
There is huge shift in the story at the climax and the Grand Jury narrative, which is interspersed throughout the story then makes perfect sense. The author develops his characters very effectively and in particular we get under Andy's skin and understand his hopes and fears and come to appreciate that his blind faith in his son could end very badly. Jacob too is a complex character who gives little away about himself even to his family and there are strong suggestions that perhaps there may be more to his problems than just those of a normal, moody adolescent.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I read through quickly and would recommend it to others. It is complex and works on many levels. It is an excellent legal thriller, the exploration of the inter personal relationships between the main characters adds a whole dimension and there is a great twist in the tail.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Defending Jacob - book
A good story, the way it was told (from the witness chair during a trial) was quite different and a story well told.
Published 16 days ago by P. A. Purvis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great legal thriller
I loved this book. There is loads to think about from the teenage murder, through the trial (and the accompanying insights from the perspective of the ADA), the psychological... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Tulabelle
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting psychological courtroom thriller; good in places, but...
This novel is based around the murder of a schoolboy, of which the district attorney's son, Jacob Barber, becomes accused. Read more
Published 26 days ago by John M
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good read.
This is a multi-layered story : a courtroom drama; a reflection on parental devotion to a child - which is the better parent? Read more
Published 27 days ago by peripheral
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly good
5 stars.so good.twists and turns and truth of parenthood which means you can never truly see your own child ad they are in the world
Published 1 month ago by F montgomerie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Did he? Didn't he? Well-crafted story and characters
Excellent. Really enjoyed this. Spent the book going - did he? didn't he?
Great narrator who turned out to be unreliable - the dad refusing to see his son in anything other... Read more
Great narrator who turned out to be unreliable - the dad refusing to see his son in anything other... Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. J. Noyes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant book!
This is a really brilliant book. It's so well written and so moving and thought provoking on many levels.
I would recommend it to men, women, young and old to read. Read more
I would recommend it to men, women, young and old to read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andi
1.0 out of 5 stars
AAAARGH!!!
I have like, given up, like on this book, like halfway through y'know? I'm not saying anything, like, y'know, but the dialogue with like the teenagers like totally like annoyed me,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely above the average
I really enjoyed this novel. The plot concerns a father who is a DA whose son is accused of the murder of a classmate, and takes you through the course of the son's trial... Read more
Published 2 months ago by lmhh
4.0 out of 5 stars
A page turner with an interesting twist
This is an very interesting book with a very interesting premise. Once started it is hard to put down. However, it is very disturbing. A good read
Published 3 months ago by barbara
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