Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob William Landay

Adult New Fiction Landay




Imagine your teenage son has just been accused of murder. You have a happy family, a powerful job as a District Attorney, and your family is beloved in the community. Now it’s all gone. That is what happens to Andy Barber when his 14 year old son, Jacob, is accused of murdering a classmate.

This novel reads like a cross between John Grisham and Jodi Picoult. The setting is primarily in the courtroom where Jacob is being tried but the now unemployed Andy is our narrator and his instincts to protect his family are central to the story. He refuses to believe that Jacob could do such a thing while his wife, Laurie, isn’t so sure. The evidence does seem compelling. And then there is the “murder gene.” Nope, I’m not going to tell you about that one. You’ll have to read the story to find out.

The book is as compelling a read as any I’ve experienced. And the ending! Well, when I finished the book, I uttered a single expletive and sat there feeling utterly spent. What a book.