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Review
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 )
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 )
a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion (NEW YORK TIMES )
This is a legal thriller worthy of mention in the same breath as Turow's masterpiece. A compelling read (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES )
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 )
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 )
a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion (NEW YORK TIMES )
This is a legal thriller worthy of mention in the same breath as Turow's masterpiece. A compelling read (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES )
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 )
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
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
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.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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
Genuinely terrible
Bought this on the back of the reviews it has received. Really wish I hadn't.
Thoroughly tedious, various plot holes, characters who are beyond dislikeable, and dialogue... Read more
Thoroughly tedious, various plot holes, characters who are beyond dislikeable, and dialogue... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Number 6
So many questions so few clear answers
This book was most enjoyable to read and really informative. The reader gets clear insight into the American Criminal Justice System. Read more
Published 4 days ago by mizfreckles
A true page-turner
Clear characterisation, a twisting and turning plot and lots of suspense make this a worthwhile read. Disturbing at times, I felt a sense of urgency to finish it at a sitting.
Published 11 days ago by bookworm8
Very good read
I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a court room drama. No leagalese making it difficult to understand with the lawyer being on the 'other side', so to speak. Read more
Published 14 days ago by LesleyM
Gripping
Publisher: Orion Books
ISBN 978-1-4091-1537-3
When the DAs son is accused of murder nothing in their family is going to be easy. Read more
ISBN 978-1-4091-1537-3
When the DAs son is accused of murder nothing in their family is going to be easy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by adele
Gripping - couldn't put it down!
This was a great read! From the start I loved the author's writing style and from the start it had me hooked. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Milne
John Grisham meets 'We need to talk about Kevin'
Part thriller part courtcase; 'Defending Jacob' tells the story of assistant district attorney; Andy Barber's fight to defend his son from a murder conviction. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Penny B
Excellent
I have not read any thing else from this author but I would really like to recommend this very clever and thought provoking court room drama. Read more
Published 1 month ago by CSM
Solid but predictable
This novel has been unwisely compared to the great "Presumed Innocent" by Scott Turow. Presumed Innocent. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. D. Budd
Great Read
Great premise albeit gets a little bogged down in the middle unti the trial gets going. But once the pace gets going it's a difficult book to put down and there is a clever twist... Read more
Published 2 months ago by NJ
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