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)

Flawless

One of the books of the year. Landay does a fabulous job of getting inside the characters and allowing us to see their perspective, to understand how they feel, even if we don't agree with them. The plot is tightly woven, with lots of surprises and twists throughout. I was stunned by the ending and would highly recommend this book.

Oh - didn't see THAT coming!

Week written and well told crime drama/ suspense.
A crime story involving a family - a FAMILY story involving a crime. Well done!

Maybe a vacation book…

It took a while to get into this book. The beginning feels slow. The author is sometimes descriptive which makes time pass slowly.
The middle section of the book was quite interesting. It slowly unveiled facts relevant to the story.
The ending was probably the redeeming feature for this book despite the rushed feel. The last few chapters pack a lot of story in a short space giving it a tacked-on feeling. It gave closure to the story and tied up all the loose ends.
Defending Jacob is interesting and introduces thought-provoking dilemmas. It is not a riveting story.

Stunning Ending!

Would you listen to Defending Jacob again? Why?

I would NOT listen to this novel again. Why? It is truly one of the most disturbing books I've ever read. Would I recommend it? You bet!

What other book might you compare Defending Jacob to and why?

This book reminded me of Presumed Innocent. An ending I didn't see coming. Shocking!

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

At first I didn't like the narrator. I almost stopped listening. Don't stop! It's a disturbing book with disturbing characters and he brings them alive.

Any additional comments?

A movie is being made of this book next year. I hope they do it justice.

Realistic and gripping book

I could hardly put this book down. The storyline and the narrator were superb. The writer practically brings you inside the heads of the characters to the point where I could relate to them and even picture myself thinking and reacting as the mother Lori did. The narrator portrayed each character in just the right manner to make them come alive. Im so looking forward to the next book written by Landay and narrated by Gardner!

Well-written, but this book wasn't for me

Defending Jacob is about a boy charged with murder. To be accurate, it's about the father of a boy charged with murder, and, to a lesser extent, about the mother. The writing is compelling. The emotions are described extremely well. The book doesn't really get boring at any time. The courtroom scenes are average, in my opinion, but they are not the focus of the book. The characters are well-developed.

Grover Gardner is very good.

So why didn't I like it? It's really about my shallow nature. I prefer a book that's 90% happy. I can settle for 75%, even (gasp!) 50%. This book has happy moments for about 1% of its duration. The rest is pain, suffering, misery, stress, worry, even tragedy. Some of the reviewers have written about this aspect of the book, and I wish I had read their reviews before I started this one. Midway through the book I began fast-forwarding the narration. I would have abandoned the book, but I kept hoping for some happiness to creep in. It was a relief when the book was finally over.

My ideal book is one in which the bad guys do something, and the good guys are on the back foot for a short while, and then the good guys keep defeating the bad guys at every step for the rest of the book. How satisfying!

Like I said, I'm very shallow.

Riveting

I couldn't stop listening. The narration was excellent. As a mom the story is heartbreaking. It really makes you dig deep down.

I must be a wimp.

"Disturbing." That's the only way I could describe this book to the friend who recommended it to me. About a third of the way through, I told her I wasn't sure I could finish listening, I found the subject matter so difficult to endure. And honestly, it wasn't the brutality of the murder, or the fact that a child was the suspect. It was the description of mental illness that could fly so far under the radar, a parent might not recognize it. But Landay had me hooked. While I imagined several endings, what the author conjured up was NOT one of the possibilities. The narrator, Gardner, was very good. I have to end this so I can look up other books he's read.

Circle of Life

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Absolutely. The character development was thorough enough to carry me through the two novels without losing track of some many involved in Jacob's case. The narrative was well thought through without giving up the ending and there were several "twist" to create moments of reflection.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Defending Jacob?

The irony of the vacation's purpose to resurrect the family as the Phoenix from the Ashes, ended up providing "freedom" to the most unthinkable person, Jacob, when he died. The irony was so strong towards the end of the book, it reminded how life really is...

Which scene was your favorite?

When Jacob's dad enters Derek's home and questions him.

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

I wouldn't it. It's a perfect title.

Any additional comments?

I loved the book and this is the first book I've listened to by William Lunday.

Great

Great story. The audio was a little drab to listen to at first since I am used to speeding up the tracks. If you listen any faster than 1.25 it jumbles too many words. Great ending. Nice to read with your ears!