Thursday, October 17, 2013

Book Review: Defending Jacob by William Landay



Title: Defending Jacob
Author: William Landay
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Edition: Nook book, 384 pages
Author's Website: www.williamlanday.com

Summary from Goodreads:

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, 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.


Alleluia's Review
 

At last, a page-turner! There was something about this book. The author was very sneaky in giving you just enough to let you know SOMETHING was going to happen and you had to keep reading. When, in the first part of the book, the author writes that Laurie (the mother) defended Jacob even in the end - you knew SOMETHING. I didn't expect the ending, but I knew SOMETHING was going to happen. That, even when it seemed over, it wasn't over. The book was exciting and the characters got to me. My favorite character was Andy, the Dad. He was such a rock and so loyal to his family. Even though I probably should have connected with Laurie (the Mom), I didn't. She seemed very fragile to me. I don't enjoy detective fiction, but this seemed different. This was about a family with such unusual trials. It may be obvious to some, but I'm still not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt who was the guilty party. This was a great book! 


I read the Nook book edition. You can get it here.

1 comment:

  1. I didn't double check to see how you're doing with the Monthly Mix-up Mania challenge, I just wanted to let you know that I finally fixed the links! ~ Happy Reading, Gina

    (this looks like a tough one!)

    ReplyDelete