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)

Dark territories, but a well crafted story

Andy Barber is a great character and he is brought to life by this performance.

It's so good

THE ENDING IS THE BEST PART. It's actually really captivating all the way through the entire book. Holds your attention and surprises you at every turn.

Great start, but a little disappointing

Where does Defending Jacob rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Defending Jacob was pretty good, it was every parents nightmare in small suburbia, especially for a D A. It had a great beginning but I felt the end was rushed and left a bit too much for the imagination.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Loved the way the story developed in the beginning and you felt right like you could identify with the father since it was written from his perspective. Pretty creepy if you think about some of the points in the story. It should awaken parents today with teenagers and a bit younger. Wake up parents watch your kids and they need to be monitored on the internet no matter how much you trust them.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Grover Gardner did a great job narrating. You could settle in with him very quickly and there was no doubt or questioning of who the characters were when he was reading. Well done. (not as good as lou diamond phillips.. but who is that good)

If you could take any character from Defending Jacob out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The grand father.. It would be a very interesting conversation no doubt.

Any additional comments?

Its worth the read.

Better than Grisham

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

I love John Grisham, but I've always been disappointed in how he finishes his books. Landay has that figured out.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Gardner reads extremely well, but occasionally I had trouble determining which character was speaking because he did not vary his voice as the characters changed.

Entertaining and thought provoking

I just finished and OMG! NOT what I was expecting at all. Some of the plot twists I saw coming, but not until the last moment and I still enjoyed them.
As a mom of a 14 year old boy, I was intrigued by the story line. I also rode the waves of guilty-not-guilty. Great way to escape!

so so story

interesting plot. story not too convincing. not interesting enough to watch the movie any time soon.

Defending Jacob Truly enjoyed!

I enjoyed this Audio Book. I could not wait for the few next episodes on Apple TV so I listened to it here on Amazon Audible. The ending....OH MY! Great book.

Not Bad

I didn't love the narrator's voice. I was interested to find out what happened but wasn't necessarily captivated. So, so ending.

Well Worth Reading

I liked this book a lot; in fact, I had to pull myself away from it in order to get some work done.

JOB

Loved the book; though I will admit that I thought the Apple TV series was even better—though—different. Both are amazing though. I’d recommend.