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Defending Jacob: A Novel, by William Landay
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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
Entertainment Weekly • The Boston Globe • Kansas City Star
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“A legal thriller that’s comparable to classics such as Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent . . . Tragic and shocking, Defending Jacob is sure to generate buzz.”—Associated Press
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
Praise for Defending Jacob
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“Ingenious . . . Nothing is predictable. All bets are off.”—The New York Times
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“Stunning . . . a novel that comes to you out of the blue and manages to keep you reading feverishly until the whole thing is completed.”—The Huffington Post
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“Gripping, emotional murder saga . . . The shocking ending will have readers pulling up their bedcovers to ward off the haunting chill.”—People
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“The hype is justified. . . . Exceptionally serious, suspenseful, engrossing.”—The Washington Post
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“Even with unexpected twists and turns, the two narratives interlock like the teeth of a zipper, building to a tough and unflinching finale. This novel has major motion picture written all over it.”—The Boston Globe
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“Yes, this book came out in January. No, we are not done talking about it.”—Entertainment Weekly
- Sales Rank: #136553 in Books
- Brand: Delacorte Press
- Published on: 2012-01-31
- Released on: 2012-01-31
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.51" h x 1.44" w x 6.46" l, 1.44 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 432 pages
Features
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2012: A fast, compelling, and compulsively readable courtroom drama, Defending Jacob tells the story of a district attorney’s son who is accused of killing a classmate. As the father attempts to prove his son’s innocence, Landay explores uncomfortable territory: can a tendency toward violence be inherited? Is the capacity for murder a genetic disposition? The author, a former district attorney, gets the taut nuances just right, capturing the subtleties of a trial in a packed courtroom, where a small rustle or murmur can signify a lot. In the end Landay pulls off a clever plot device that doesn’t reveal itself until the final pages. --Neal Thompson
Featured Guest Review: Chevy Stevens on Defending Jacob
Chevy Stevens grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Still Missing and Never Knowing.
From the first few pages of Defending Jacob, I knew this book was special. More than an exciting courtroom drama that combines the best elements of a legal and psychological thriller, it also delves into the heart of a family, and will rip yours out in the process.
When a young boy is found brutally murdered in the woods in a peaceful New England town, his body hastily covered with leaves, the community is shaken to its core. No one more so than Andy Barber, a well-respected assistant district attorney whose fourteen-year-old son, Jacob, went to school with the boy. Sure, Jacob is a typical moody teenager, hiding in his room all day with his headphones and lap top, but Andy loves him more than anything in this world--and would do anything to protect him.
While Andy's wife, Laurie, struggles with the possibility that there's a killer on the loose and their own son could be next, Andy's determined to find the culprit and bring him to justice. He immerses himself in a maelstrom of angry parents demanding answers, police hell-bent on making an arrest, and the complicated lives of teenagers, with their own secrets, and reasons for keeping them.
When, in a stunning turn of events, Jacob is arrested for the crime, both Andy and Laurie are stalwart in their defense of their son: there's no way their child could've committed this terrible act. As more shocking facts are revealed and lies uncovered, Andy is pushed to the edge and his twenty-year marriage tested. Beautiful Laura, his college sweetheart and love of his life, begins to fade in front of his eyes, crumbling under the pressure of the trial, the public accusations, and the weight of her own doubts--in her son and her husband. When truths about Andy's past comes to surface, he must chose between the life he thought he'd left behind, and the father he wants to be.
Defending Jacob raises the question: how far would you go to protect your family? But it also leaves you wondering if anyone could answer that question, and whether we really know what we're capable of when push comes to shove.
Let's pray we never have to find out. Featured Guest Review: Phillip Margolin on Defending Jacob
Phillip Margolin has been a Peace Corps Volunteer, a school teacher, and is the author of 15 New York Times bestsellers. He spent a quarter century as a criminal defense attorney during which he handled thirty homicide cases, including twelve death penalty cases, and argued at the United States Supreme Court. He is a co-founder of Chess for Success, a non-profit that uses chess to teach elementary school children study skills. His latest novel, Capitol Murder will be released in April, 2012.
One perk of being a bestselling author is that you are sent advance reading copies (ARCs) of books by first time authors, or published authors whose editors believe have written a breakout novel. The ARC is sent by the writer's editor in hopes that you will write a "blurb," which is a sentence or two praising the book that can be used in advertisements. The books I blurb range from fun reads to very good reads. Then there is the rare book that knocks my socks off. William Landay's Defending Jacob is one of these gems. It is a legal thriller, but so are To Kill a Mocking Bird, Snow Falling on Cedars and Anatomy of a Murder. Defending Jacob, like these classics, separates itself from the pack because it is also a searing work of literary fiction.
At the heart of Landay's exceptional novel is a parent's worst nightmare. Assistant district attorney Andy Barber, his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob, are living an idyllic existence in a middle class Massachusetts suburb until one of Jacob's classmates is stabbed to death in the picturesque park where the locals jog, walk their dogs and picnic. It soon becomes clear that Jacob is the prime suspect and the Barbers have to confront the possibility that the child they have doted from birth may be a sociopathic killer.
Andy takes a forced leave of absence from his job and helps defend the son he loves from a charge he cannot believe is true. Is he engaging in self-deception? How far will he go to protect his family? Laurie wonders if something she did as a parent has created a monster and her guilt destroys her. And then there is Jacob. Is he a typical angst filled teenager or a psychopathic monster? Landay skillfully keeps the reader guessing about Jacob's culpability and true nature up to the shocking final chapters.
What makes Defending Jacob special is the way Landay gives the reader the twists, turns and surprises found in the best legal thrillers while making its centerpiece the tragedy faced by a normal family who are thrust into a nightmare.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* A 14-year-old boy is stabbed to death in the park near his middle school in an upper-class Boston suburb, and Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber takes the case, despite the fact that his son, Jacob, was a classmate of the victim. But when the bloody fingerprint on the victim’s clothes turns out to be Jacob’s, Barber is off the case and out of his office, devoting himself solely to defending his son. Even Barber’s never-before-disclosed heritage as the son and grandson of violent men who killed becomes potential courtroom fodder, raising the question of a “murder gene.” Within the structure of a grand jury hearing a year after the murder, Landay gradually increases apprehension. As if peeling the layers of an onion, he raises personal and painful ethical issues pertaining to a parent’s responsibilities to a child, to a family, and to society at large. Landay’s two previous novels (Mission Flats, 2003; The Strangler, 2007) were award winners, but he reaches a new level of excellence in 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. --Michele Leber
Review
Praise for Defending Jacob
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“William Landay makes bold use of his genuine storytelling gift, his amazing ability to craft believable dialogue, and, above all, his extraordinary understanding of what it means to be a husband and father to present us with an unforgettable tale of an ordinary marriage and family in crisis. On the surface this novel reads like a first-rate thriller, but at its heart it’s a love story.� It’s the story of a man who adores his wife and child, but more than that, it’s a novel that describes the fine edge between love and madness, and the lies we sometimes tell ourselves. 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
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“Defending Jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful—capturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life.”—Lee Child
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“Powerful . . . leaves you gasping breathlessly at each shocking revelation.”—Lisa Gardner
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“A page-turning, stomach-clenching exploration of family.”—Chevy Stevens
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“A stunning novel that will be compared to classic courtroom thrillers like Presumed Innocent and Anatomy of a Murder.”—Phillip Margolin
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“So well-written, every character so movingly and convincingly drawn, the plot so utterly enthralling . . . Defending Jacob is absolutely stellar, first-rate fiction—human, sensitive, and gripping in the extreme.”—Lisa Unger
“More than a terrific legal thrill ride, Defending Jacob is an unflinching appraisal of the darkest, most poignant consequences of the love that binds, and blinds, families. It’s one of those rare books that call for contemplation and insight along with every breathtaking surprise.”—Stephen White
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“Landay spins a tale of such complexity and emotion that you don’t even realize you’re spiraling deep into his world until he spits you out at his shocking, shattering conclusion.”—Carla Buckley
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“Sensational . . . one of the best books of the year.”—John Lutz
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“A novel like this comes along maybe once a decade . . . a tour de force, a full-blooded legal thriller about a murder trial and the way it shatters a family. With its relentless suspense, its mesmerizing prose, and a shocking twist at the end, it’s every bit as good as Scott Turow’s great Presumed Innocent. But it’s also something more: an indelible domestic drama that calls to mind Ordinary People and We Need to Talk About Kevin. A spellbinding and unforgettable literary crime novel.”—Joseph Finder
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�“Powerful, disturbing, complex, and gripping, Defending Jacob is impossible to put down. William Landay is a stunning talent.”—Carla Neggers
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“Riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searing.”—Linwood Barclay
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“Brilliantly conceived . . . combines a harrowing family drama with riveting courtroom scenes that make readers feel they are actually witnessing the trial unfold.”—Stephen Frey
“A carefully plotted and precisely written thriller about a family put to the ultimate test . . .�Defending Jacob�is bound to enthrall.”—Thomas H. Cook
“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)
“Gripping, emotional murder saga….The shocking ending will have readers pulling up their bedcovers to ward off the haunting chill.”� —People Magazine (three of four stars)
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“Landay has written a legal thriller that’s comparable to classics such as Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent….Tragic and shocking, Defending Jacob is sure to generate buzz.”� —Associated Press
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“Do you like a mystery with a good twist at the end?� How about one with the literary equivalent of skating’s triple axel?....Hang on for that shocking and yet believable ending—with a triple twist you won’t see coming.”� —Portland Oregonian
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“Like John Grisham and Scott Turow, Landay is a lawyer with a solid grasp of how to use courtroom scenes to advance his jigsaw-puzzle story….with a grabby premise and careful plotting, he keeps you turning the pages through the shocking gut-punch of an ending.”� —Entertainment Weekly
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“[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)
“Not since the novels of Scott Turow has a crime thriller—and thriller, though this too happens to be a literary legal thriller—shaken me by the throat like this.� It’s a stunning, shocking, emotionally harrowing ride in which the reader is plunged into a riveting but terrible murder trial and the heartbreaking implosion of a loving family.”� —Daily Mail
“Even with unexpected twists and turns, the two narratives interlock like the teeth of a zipper, building to a tough and unflinching finale.� This novel has major motion picture written all over it.”� —The Boston Globe
“Landay turns out to be creating a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion…nothing is predictable.� All bets are off.”� —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Defending Jacob is a novel that comes to you out of the blue and manages to keep you reading feverishly until the whole thing is completed….Landay has written a stunning novel and it is one that should draw attention to the possibilities it raises.� In the next few weeks, Defending Jacob is the novel most readers are going to be discussing.”� —Huffington Post
“The hype is justified…exceptionally serious, suspenseful, engrossing.”� —The Washington Post
Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent premise, plodding pace.
By SanNic44
There are already nearly 1,500 reviews for this book, but I'll post mine as well because I found this book to be many things, both good and not so good. In the first place, the premise is truly shocking and fascinating. A 14-year-old is accused of murder in the same jurisdiction as his district attorney father. Okay, let the fireworks fly! And they do. In no time, the father is put on leave and he promptly begins to defend his son at all cost, from hiring a great defense attorney to tracking down a suspect on his own. In the mean time, the boy's mother is more suspicious. More fireworks, this time the family drama kind as mother and father battle over what to believe vis a vis their son. Is he a good kid who makes some bad choices? Or, is he a bad kid who inherited a ruptured set of DNA from the father's family that is peppered with murderers? Enter cops, a psychiatrist, and even the grandfather still in prison for murder. These elements the author weaves together quite well as we venture down the path witnessing good and evil through the eyes of a man who proves to be an unreliable narrator. In fact, the book is told in the first person with plenty of courtroom transcripts. Because the reader is forced to bounce back and forth in the timeline without specific knowledge of when some testimony is given in different venues, the shocking ending is cleverly revealed. The trouble is, the reader spends a little too much time with the narrator, getting repetitive, dragging through a courtroom with retelling of various well-known parts of the story. The book could easily be 50 pages shorter without losing any impact. Still, I stuck with it with some satisfaction. In particular, the questions asked are the kind that don't always have answers. And if there are answers they are not the ones we like to face. There is good and evil in this world, and some of it may (or may not) be in the family.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Exceptional literary crime novel
By S. Warfield
William Landay has written an excellent but dark literary crime novel about the stabbing death of a 14-year-old boy in an affluent suburb of Boston. Ben Rifkin was found stabbed to death in a park where people jogged and students walked to school through the leafy grounds. Ben was known as a bully at school and one of his victims was the son of the assistant district attorney, Andy Barber. Andy and his wife Laurie and their teenage son, Jacob, had always lived happy lives together as a family unit, with Laurie overseeing the care of her family with much love and diligence. Andy was a bit more relaxed about it all, but he loved Jacob and had dreams for his only child.
The life of the Barber family is shattered by bits and pieces when what little evidence found at the crime scene points to Jacob as the killer. Jacob denies that he had anything to do with it, but because of a dark secret that Andy has kept from Laurie that he finally discloses, Laurie begins to doubt her son's honesty. One of the themes that "Defending Jacob" tackles is the idea of an inherited tendency for violent behavior such as the "murder gene." Nature and nurture play their separate parts, but is violence and murder in the DNA of Jacob?
Andy Barber must take leave of his ADA position while his son's trial before a grand jury is going on and he assigns himself as one of the defense lawyers. The prosecuting attorney is trying to be the lofty lawyer that he isn't, and is met with more objections than he can count. Before the end of Jacob's trial, a twist in the story occurs, but the biggest twist of all is at the end of the book.
"Defending Jacob" is narrated by the father, Andy Barber, and transcripts of parts of the trial have his voice, also. He tells the story looking on as more suspicions about his son and even evidence turn up, and he watches his wife Laurie become a shell of herself as she was before. Laurie becomes distant, suspicious of Jacob and loses so much weight that she never gains back. She is also angry that Andy refuses to see the flaws in Jacob that she sees. Slowly this once loving and close family is broken down over the course of the story and the ending has a shocking twist.
The characters in this book are people who could live next door, and who are worthy of the reader's care and concern. A lot is learned about them and their own families of origin as the book progresses. Since the author was an assistant district attorney before he starting writing full-time, the legal aspects of the story are compelling and accurate. Mr. Landay knows what he is writing about.
Even when things are going better for the Barber family, there is a dark feeling that hovers just above that doesn't leave when the book is put down. It is intrinsic throughout the story and makes it seem more like reality. In an interview with the author at the back of the book, he says he wanted this story to be one of those "what if" situations, and he met that goal with "Defending Jacob." The interview gives some information and insight into the author's writing, and there is also a list of questions for a study guide.
I found this to be quite a page-turner and not ever dull or slow. The court scenes were especially interesting and informative. The end will hit you like a brick wall.
Highly recommended for readers who like legal thrillers and mysteries and also literary fiction.
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Tried too hard with the ending
By Disneykathie
This book had so much potential, but fell flat. I loved the premise of the story but only continued reading the story because I wanted to know if Jacob did this awful act or not. The characters were not fully developed; I didn't get to know Jacob. The trial ended as I suspected it would, but the events which happened afterwards were a HUGE disappointment. I do not know now so many people rated this book with such high praise. I was a little angry that I had wasted my time reading this book.
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