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)

Solid Thriller, OK Narration, But ...

Engaging beach read: reels you in and strings you along steadily, though I found myself a bit impatient by the very end. The novel aspires to be 'more' than an average "crime novel," by the author's own admission, but it's not much more: part of what grabbed me early on is how it seems to (quite deliberately) channel Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, one of my old favorites, but it ends up closer to a Harlan Coben family thriller, which is all right, too.

The writing is breezy and accessible -- first person narration, with a wise-cracking protagonist -- so you can listen while running errands and not worry about missing any poetry.

Grover Gardner is a classic audiobook narrator, and he always reads well, crisply and clearly and steadily. My main issue with him here -- I don't think I'm spoiling anything -- is that the narrator needs to convey a deep, simmering pool of anger that keeps threatening to bubble to the surface, and Gardner doesn't seem to have that ability. He's even-keeled, at times just flat. As I dug in, thinking of Presumed Innocent, I kept wishing for Edward Herrmann, or someone who could convey a bit more emotion.

Enjoyed listening - could not stop!

What just happened? Who is on trial, and who is really guilty? I think we know, but there are a lot of side characters . . . and who would ever believe a 14 year old boy could actually do this?

Powerful story!

I absolutely loved this book and looked forward to listening at every opportunity! The plot explores parental love mixing with professional and personal ethics, presenting a serious challenge to the reader, “what would you do if you were in this position?”

Compelling Story

What made the experience of listening to Defending Jacob the most enjoyable?

The readers were excellent conduits for this compelling story. A heart-wrenching story of family,love and hard times.

Extremely moving story

Would you listen to Defending Jacob again? Why?

Yes I feel this story could happen to anyone, and it creates good discussions. It keeps you on the edge of the sit.

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

Realty

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Cry

Thought provoking book

This book was a good story. The beginning of it seemed slow but once it picked up I was sucked in anxious to hear how it ended. As the book reads, I kept thinking about my own sons, wondering how I would feel in the same situation. The book was very thought provoking as you wonder how your marriage would survive, how to support your family. The book has a couple surprise twist that I was not expecting, making me want to keep listening wanting more. I would listen to it again.

Terrible Story

A huge disappointment. Feel like I just lost a chunk of my life. Too depressing.

This one rings all the bells!

Wow....What an amazing book. This story is so rich and complex, but did not feel forced at all. The characters are realistic and endearing, and I found myself becoming attached to them quickly. I simply could not put this book down! Very intelligent writing that kept me guessing until the end. Even the last section of the book, after the major reveal, was so amazing! There was another shoe to drop, but I had no idea which shoe it would be! Very exciting and thrilling. Grover Gardner is a fantastic narrator and added a lot to the book. Enjoy!

Mother's Love

This was a great book. It teaches of betrayal, denial, addictions and afflictions. Andy was in total denial about his entire family gene and condition that he did not allow himself to help his son when he had a chance to do so. One would think his wife was a little crazy but in actuality even in her fear, she was willing to face her fear in an effort to help her son Jacob. I believe even in Jacob's death, she felt she was helping him and saving him from entering a lifeof doom like his great great grandpa, great grandpa, grandpa. Very good reading.

Beyond Before and After

I wondered as I started to listen to Defending Jacob if it was the basis for the Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson movie Before and After. In both, parents find out their son is believed to have killed another teenager, in both they react differently as the son goes on trial. In both, the son is named Jacob. Then Facebook comes into play in the book, so clearly this novel was written many years after the movie.

Almost exactly when I realized that the two stories have nothing to do with each other, I also realized that author William Landay was going in several different directions, all of them far more interesting than the mediocre movie. Family ties, both social and genetic, pitting loyalty versus responsibility, take center stage as two courtroom dramas play out in parallel, Jacob's murder trial being recounted as testimony in an unidentified later proceeding.

There are many hooks that keep you guessing. Did Jacob really do it or is his father's prime suspect the killer? Will Jacob be convicted either way? What is that future trial all about? Did the father finally succumb to an inherited disposition for violence? The answers are wholly unexpected. That is usually a problem in a whodunit, but it works perfectly here, since this is not really a whodunit or even a courtroom drama, even though those conventions dominate the story.

All in all, adding nice layers of complexity to the traditional forms of police procedural and courtroom drama, Defending Jacob works on several levels. Definitely a worthy listen, even though Grover Gardner's narration is at times too growly and at other times too whiny (good overall nevertheless despite those moments of irritation).