Book Review-Defending Jacob

I keep a list of books I want to read on Goodreads.  It is a very handy way to keep track of the books you want to read but can't right away.  When I'm not sure what to read next I peruse my goodreads list to see if there is anything on it that I'm in the mood for.  I was recently on vacation and finished the book I was reading in the airport on my way to my destination.  What to do?  Well, I had my ipad with me, so I checked my goodreads list and then went to our Overdrive site to see if there were any of my "want to read" titles available.  Defending Jacob was in, so I downloaded it and was happily reading again. Defending Jacob is about an assistant DA, Andy Barber, in a small town outside of Boston.  Life is suddenly shaken when a middle school boy in their son's class is brutally murdered.  Andy takes the case and is frustrated by the lack of evidence.  When the DA and police start to interview the kids at the school they get the feeling they are being stonewalled.  Andy suggests to one girl that she could give them information anonymously.  That evening he gets an email suggesting that the look at Facebook.  He finds that the kids are either accusing his son or trying to defend him.  One boy even states that he saw Jacob with a knife.  Andy searches Jake's room and finds a knife.   The story is told from Andy's point of view, which alternates with his testimony to a grand jury (why he is testifying is not revealed for quite a while.)   Is Jake innocent?  The book delves into how parents view their children, marriage under stress, how communities come together, or fall apart, how the criminal justice system works.  It is a fascinating story.  I had trouble putting the book down.  It is well written and tightly plotted.

Defending Jacob By Landay, William 2012-01 - Delacorte Press 9780385344227 Check Our Catalog Awards: Thriller Awards (2013) Andy Barber has been an ADA in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than 20 years. He is respected in his community and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But after a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His 14-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "Entertainment Weekly - The Boston Globe - Kansas City Star" "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 "NEW YORK TIMES "BESTSELLER Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Mas …More

Other books by the same author.

Mission Flats By Landay, William 2004-10 - Dell Publishing Company 9780440237396 Check Our Catalog Former D.A. William Landay explodes onto the suspense scene with an electrifying novel about the true price of crime and the hidden corners of the criminal justice system. Only an insider could so vividly capture Boston's gritty underworld of cops and criminals. And only a natural storyteller could weave this mesmerizing tale of murder and memory, a story about the hold of time past over time pres …More

The Strangler By Landay, William 2012-06 - Bantam 9780345539465 Check Our Catalog The infamous serial murder case that gripped an entire nation explodes to life in this shocking crime thriller from a former district attorney whose award-winning debut "Mission Flats" had critics praising him as "the new Grisham" ("Kirkus," starred review)., Before the "New York Time"s bestselling success of "Defending Jacob, " William Landay wrote this widely acclaimed second novel of crime and suspense, which was named a Favorite Crime Novel of the Year by the "Los Angeles Times" and several other newspapers. Boston, 1963. Meet the charming, brawling Daley brothers. Joe is a cop whose gambling habits have dragged him down into the city's underw …More

Complimentary Reads

Before and After By Brown, Rosellen 1992-09 - Farrar Straus Giroux 9780374109998 Check Our Catalog Rosellen Brown's long-awaited novel is the extraordinary story of a family's struggle to survive the throes of tragedy. Set in the small town of Hyland, the backdrop for Brown's Tender Mercies, Before and After centers on Carolyn and Ben Reiser and their two children, Judith and Jacob, who have moved to New England for the comforts of rural life. Carolyn is a pediatrician who devotes her time and …More

Danny's Mom By Wolf, Elaine 2012-11 - Arcade Publishing 9781611456943 Check Our Catalog Beth Maller returns to her job as a high school guidance counselor shortly after her teenage son, Danny, is killed in a car accident. Now back at work, Beth rails against the everyday injustices she had previously overlooked. She becomes a major player in the moral battles being waged at Meadow Brook High, where bullying is the norm. …More

The Keeper By Lescroart, John 2014-05 - Atria Books 9781476709185 Check Our Catalog From "New York Times" bestselling author John Lescroart, a riveting novel featuring Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky on the hunt for clues about a woman who has gone missing. From" New York Times "bestselling author John Lescroart, a riveting novel featuring Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky on the hunt for clues about a woman who has gone missing. On the evening before Thanksgiving, Hal Chase, a guard in the San Francisco County Jail, drives to the airport to pick up his step-brother for the weekend. When they return, Hal's wife, Katie, has disappeared without a clue. …More

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