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)

Great book!! Creepy Good!!

I loved this book! The story line is easy to identify with. Anybody would defend their child. This one rocks you as a parent, thinking the unimaginable could happen to your own child. Suspenseful. Looking forward to more books from William Landay!

What a treat!

I consider an audio book to be excellent when I look forward to my commute or -- god, forbid -- sometimes even have an incentive to go on my daily walk, just so I can continue listening. This was one of those books where I couldn't wait for each new chapter to unfold. Landay was impeccable about courtroom procedure and dialogue -- one of my pet peeves, as a lawyer addicted to legal thrillers. Grover Gardner did an excellent job of switching between the various voices -- really added to the listening pleasure. This book kept me guessing right up until the end. I sometimes don't care for books that switch back and forth between past and present, but this one did it effortlessly. Highly recommend!

Excellent book about a difficult subject

The author did an excellent job in writing on this very painful subject matter. The narrator was also excellent. I'm sure it will be a book that will hang with me a long time. Twists and turns you don't see coming. It ended, leaving me wondering what happened to this couple. A very good book but also sad.

Disappointing

I love courtroom dramas, and this sounded promising. I did read through to the end, so it wasn’t all bad.

My foremost problem was with the main character, Jacob’s father, who seemed pretty obtuse. When his son is arrested for murder, he willfully refuses to consider any evidence against him. He’s biased, he knows he’s biased, and yet he appears to believe that his denial should be enough evidence for anyone. In the absence of a reliable narrator (and I’m not referring to Grover Gardner) it’s hard to connect with any of the characters.

Some of the dialog was quite tedious. Threads were dropped. There was actually minimal exploration of genetic predisposition to violence, and what happened to the kid that claimed the child molester confessed to the murder? Why didn’t the father turn that information over to an investigator?

By the end of the book, none of the characters felt real. The big reveal is less a genuine shocker than a conspicuous effort to be a shocker; a contrivance.

As always, Grover Gardner does a great job.

compelling story

I was taken in by the struggle of the parents throughout the story. the plot made me wonder what I my self would do in their situation. Great story about the parent cold relationship and the faith and doubt that exists in every relationship.

it's good

it's a court room drama, a great listen but a little dark. tough for parents . I couldn't stop listening.

oh the irony of the ending

Loved it. what an incredible story. not the usual type of story. wow -the irony of the ending.

average story until the disappointing ending

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

yes

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

his voice is easy to listen to, inflections and intensity are excellent, maintaining different "voices" for each character is only average

Could you see Defending Jacob being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

Superb

Any additional comments?

Every now and then you get lucky. You happen to stumble upon that book that it is at the pinnacle of it's genre. "Defending Job" is one of those very few, truly exceptional books.

The story is told through mostly through flashbacks or reverse memory and it gets your interest almost immediately, and then fills in things gradually. It is cleverly written in this way, but it is also structured in terms of giving you enough, in an honest way, to think you "know" or have a pretty good idea of what's coming, but then it takes that notion away from you at the end of the story; again in an honest manner. So many 'thrillers' or 'mysteries' cannot pull this off. Either they are easy to figure out about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through the book or it turns out that you you don't guess the ending, but its owing to some trivial aspect mentioned way back that was inserted in there to give the writer a way out. That's not the case with "Defending Jacob."

Grover Gardner is one of the best narrators, and what he does with "Defending Job" is no exception to his craft. He has a knack of making you 'like' or even have empathy for some of the characters, and that skill is not lost in his narration of this book.

This is one of the very best books I've listened to, and it's a credit to Audible for bringing it forth.

Great Listen

Very good story. Felt like I was listening to someone recounting a true story. Had to remind myself more than once that it was a novel. Highly recommend!