As the novel opens, Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber
is assigned to investigate a shocking crime in the wealthy Boston suburb where
he and his family live. A fourteen-year old boy has been brutally murdered, and
the community wants the horrifying case solved quickly. The boy was a classmate
of Andy’s son, Jacob, but they weren’t close, so Andy sees no conflict of
interest in his role…until his own son is accused of the murder, and Andy is
taken off the case.
It all seems surreal to Andy, as he suddenly finds himself
in the role of helpless parent instead of powerful prosecutor. He and his wife
believe in their son’s innocence, and Andy does all he can to help in his
defense. From there, the novel follows the boy’s case and is in turns a
courtroom thriller, murder mystery, and every parent’s worst nightmare.
The reader goes on a rollercoaster ride with Andy and his
wife. New evidence comes to light, and you wonder whether Jacob might actually
be the killer. Then, in another scene, you see him as a scared little boy and
think it must be a set-up. Landay takes you back and forth again and again, as
the story continues, until you don’t know what to think. The courtroom verdict
is not the ending; Andy is brought up on charges of obstruction of justice
(this is actually how the book opens), as the family’s saga continues. The
final ending is a shock that I never saw coming.
Besides being a compelling and fast-paced suspense novel, Defending
Jacob is also a thought-provoking book. As
a parent, it is impossible to read this story and not think, “What would I
do?” It’s an unthinkable situation for any parent, and Andy and his wife each
react differently. All in all, it’s a very disturbing, thoughtful novel that kept
me reading long past bedtime.
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