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)

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!

Enjoyable Story with Interesting Twist

This book lived in my Wish List for awhile until I finally picked up. The story and characters were gripping and I wanted to keep listening. Interesting twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Mr. Gardner sounded angry throughout most of the book. Wasn't sure if that was on purpose. He could have softened some characters a bit. But overall, I'd say it's definitely worth the read if you like courtroom stories.

Don't stop till the end

What did you love best about Defending Jacob?

The plot was adult and I loved the ending.

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

Better than a John Grisham ending.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No but I work for living

This one will linger in your head for a long time

If you have parented a teenager, this one is going to shake you to your core. How often have you said or thought....My kid would never do that?

So...there is a murder of a middle school boy. And now....suddenly and, ot course wrongly...the evidence points to your son. Your normal, nice enough, bright Jacob. Oh, and you are the town's Assistant District Attorney. And your wife is a good friend of the murder victim's mother. There are no easy answers as evidence continues to mount.

The ending is both heart-breaking and inevitable. And you will be left wondering how you would have handled it. Like I said, this one will stay with you for a long time.

The narrator was just right. He sounded like a Dad.

Outstanding Listen

When I first started listening, I found the voice of the narrator somewhat distracting. After listening for awhile, I found him perfect for the voice of the father. The story was fascinating throughout, leading us through many possibilities of what was done by whom. The court process, along with various twist and turns kept me interested throughout. The ending was a bombshell for me. In my opinion, a great book.

attention getting

wasn't expecting this supposed to be so good. how my attention and look forward to walking and listening

Both interesting and realistic

Throughout the story, the reader is enthralled by the question... Is the narrator reliable? Is he a father whose love is blinding him to the fact that his kid is a killer? Or is he wright in is adamant belief that the killer is really the child molester? Right down to the shocking end I wondered. I like that the author used realistic details like language that is commonly used in the legal community, and, though briefly, he makes the point of how difficult it can be financially to even just mount a defense case. I love that he made light of this commonly glazed over aspect of our broken legal system. I enjoyed this book, and am glad I decided to add it to my collection.

Entertaining story and great narration

"Defending Jacob" was a very entertaining legal thriller/drama; it was mostly predictable but had a few twists. Grover Gardner made it a great performance (as he usually does).

Interesting story, well told

I enjoyed this book. No intense rollercoaster ride, but a steady boil. Well woven, well told, well read.