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)

Huh?

Um...not sure what to think here. The book sort of just...ended. I really wish the author would have gone just a little further so that we could explore the mom's feelings. After all, that's what this book is very much about...parental feelings. We didn't get into Jacob's feelings much at all.
I have definite ideas about what happened overall (whodoneit) but it would have been more rewarding to get to the end and have some closure in general. Why did this person do this, etc. Instead, I felt completely let down at the end! Really, that was it?? We are taking the mysterious mood a bit far here.
I honestly felt like the book was just a bit of a waste of time. Characters were certainly interesting, but I couldn't relate to a single one, and I tried really hard to. I wouldn't have acted as any of the characters did. There wasn't any "good" part to the story, leaving one feeling uplifted...other than a father's love for his child, which in any case, was skewed.
The only "lesson" in the story was perhaps to take care of your kid, care about them, including discipline. Genetics aside, people can be trained differently, and this child was rather spoiled and raised very casually, in my opinion. The dad...seriously by excusing every action of your child do you feel like you are doing your child any good? Because of this, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. Even the positive of the father's love was messed up.

How far will you go to protect your child?

There are a lot of issues that are covered in this story, especially how far this father will go to protect his son. Sometimes I liked the father and sometimes I didn't. I wondered why he did not question his son more to get to the truth of the situation.

I felt sorry for the mother. I know that she loved her son but was more suspicious of him than her husband.

It was a pretty good story, except for the long trial part. The ending was quite a surprise!

The narrator, Grover Gardner, was only o.k.

Great Storyline

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

I really loved the book. Didn't want it to end where it did!! It would have gotten a 5 except for ending!

Interesting story, too many details

I struggled with the limitless details, yet couldn't quit listening --- would have liked a different outcome.

Twists and turns in a clever tale

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

Defending Jacob is one of the books I will recommend to others. It was a compelling and unusual story.

What did you like best about this story?

The unexpected plot twists kept my interest and even though foreshadowing kept me thinking ahead, I was still not entirely prepared for the ending. That ending, and a few other places in the book, required a full suspension of my reality filter. Even though some parts lacked believability, it was still a great tale.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

He is always entertaining, and has just enough variety in his characters to make them believably distinct.

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

THe dad -- because I could relate to him.

Any additional comments?

Worth your time to read this one!

Loved loved loved

Would you listen to Defending Jacob again? Why?

No. It's just not my style. I never re-read or re-listen to a book.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the science and psychology. Obviously, I haven't kept up with it because I had never heard of the gene they were referring to, so I looked it up. Very interesting.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Absolutely wonderful! I have since listened to Mr. Gardner read and he has become my favorite reader!

If you could rename Defending Jacob, what would you call it?

For the Love of Our Children

Any additional comments?

I must say that the end of this book caught me off guard, I never suspected for a moment. It brought tears to my eyes. This book was wonderful and I think it would make a spectacular movie!

Classic Legal Thriller in the Grisham Tradition

In the classic legal thriller tradition of John Grisham or Scott Turow, this book also proved to be an admirable companion to We Need to Talk About Kevin. Thrown in for good measure was some interesting science on behavioral genetics, specifically the gene encoding the neurotransmitter-metabolizing enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA). If the defendant inherited the "murder gene, " could that be a plausible defense to murder? But wait - the defendant didn't do it so why even go there!? William Landay writes from his experience as a prosecutor and crafts a very enjoyable tale that is destined to be on the big screen. The ending was not what I expected but maybe that's a good thing since I thought I had the whole book worked out in my head at about the three-quarters point.

Drags on and on

Excellent narration, possibly even a tad too slow for my taste. But the story drags on, very drawn out.

Outstanding book!!!

This book was excellent and definitely exceeded my expectations with its style and twists and turns!!! Great storyline and fantastic narration! Loved it!

Couldn't turn it off

If you could sum up Defending Jacob in three words, what would they be?

Still don't know

Who was your favorite character and why?

Andy, mostly because he's the one you get to really know. His total devotion to his son and unwaivering confidence in his innocence was admirable.

What aspect of Grover Gardner’s performance would you have changed?

He wasn't the most engrossing performer I've heard. There are some performers that become the book and bring it to life. There are some that sound like any average joe reading a book out loud. Mr. Gardner definitely is closer to the former than the latter, but I really prefer narrators who can "act" every character in the book. His peformance was definitely strong enough that I got hooked, so that's really what is important.

If you could take any character from Defending Jacob out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Ugh... none of them. Maybe Father O'Malley, or whatever his name was, but only because I had a mental image of him as Mike from Breaking Bad. I didn't really relate to any of the characters in this book. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy hearing their story.

Any additional comments?

At the end of the story, I still don't know if Jacob was innocent or guilty.