Defending Jacob

A Novel

By: William Landay

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A legal thriller that’s comparable to classics such as Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent . . . tragic and shocking.”—Associated Press

NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED ORIGINAL STREAMING SERIES • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • Boston Globe • Kansas City Star

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.

©2012 William Landay (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Landay has proven himself to be an extraordinary writer, and Defending Jacob is an amazing novel. Do yourself a favor and read it. It’s that good.” (Nicholas Sparks, #1 New York Times best-selling author)

“Harrowing . . . This searing narrative proves the ancient Greek tragedians were right: the worst punishment is not death but living with what you—knowingly or unknowingly—have done.” ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“[Landay] reaches a new level of excellence with this riveting, knock-your-socks-off legal thriller. With its masterfully crafted characterizations and dialogue, emotional depth, and frightening implications, the novel rivals the best of Scott Turow and John Grisham. Don’t miss it.” ( Booklist, starred review)

It was just okay for me.

Would you try another book from William Landay and/or Grover Gardner?

Sure

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Didn't really care for the ending.

What three words best describe Grover Gardner’s performance?

I don't think I should base his performance on this book.

Was Defending Jacob worth the listening time?

Kind of

Great book and well told.

Interesting, attention-grabbing story told in succinct language which results in a very listenable narrative. The narrator did a fine job. The novel kept my interest. Highly recommended.

Excellent!

Couldn't wait to get back in the vehicle to listen to this. It was written extremely well, and I enjoyed the narrator. Will try another one of those authors books.

Compelling...Thought Provoking

Where does Defending Jacob rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audiobook ranks among one of the best. We started listening to this story driving to our vacation destination. We found ourselves searching for free time to finish the story!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Favorite character was the mom. I could relate...almost.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never heard Grover Gardner before. However, I absolutely loved his reading. His performance was perfect. He made you feel the emotion of the characters in the book even MORE so than the excellent way Mr. Landay portrayed them with his words.

Who was the most memorable character of Defending Jacob and why?

Most memorable was the mom.

Any additional comments?

Thoroughly loved this book. My husband and I listened to it on our way, as well as during, our recent vacation. The perfect description of all the details made you feel and see everything about this book. Great story with several twists. The narration was terrific and not over the top. One of my favorite audiobooks to date. We still talk about this book over a month later. Really gets in your head! Well worth the read.

So thought provoking!

This book gave me insights into law I’ve never had before and challenged my thoughts on parenthood, mental illness and sacrifice... I couldn’t stop listening once I started!

wow. I had no idea

I would like it so much. the author did a great job! I won't give anything away except to say that it isn't what you think it is.

Wow!

This book blew me away! There are many twists and turns and nothing is predictable. It is thought provoking and so entirely enthralling. I highly recommend!

Presumed Innocent did it much better

I liked the courtroom scenes but the domestic scenes were nothing special at all. Typical parent teenage interactions that are kind of dull. Cutting out about a third would have improved the pace. If you want to read (or listen) to a similar book that is more to my liking, check out Presumed Innocent.

Excellent book

A good story. Memorable characters. The story did not follow a predictable pattern. It was the story of a family... never predictable.

Once I got over the tease it was good

So here's the thing I am a HUGE David Rosenfeld fan. The main Character's name is Andy and he's a lawyer and his wife (who he adores) name is Lori and they lived in a suburb of Boston (ok so its not NJ) and Grover Gardner is reading. I got all excited that I had burned a David Rosenfeld book and was waiting to laugh ..I waited and waited until the story line took me but I couldn't get past all the parallels.
This was heart wrenchingly sad and a good book . I just wish that someone else had read it and the characters names were not Andy and Lori. I couldn't get totally past that .