I'd been hearing that this was a good book and a kind of genre-crosser (a mix of family concerns and courtroom drama/legal thriller), and I finally got around to reading it last month.
I thought the praise was well-deserved. This book reminded me very much of Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, and it emphasized the family aspect more. I've heard that it's a popular book club book, and I think the combination of real suspense and family concerns makes for a book that is likely to be enjoyed by many and will offer plenty to talk about.
Andy Barber is a prosecutor, a twenty-year veteran. He and his wife are happily married and they have a teenage son named Jacob.
A classmate of his son's is killed in the park next to Jacob's school. At first, Andy views the murder as routine and his first thought is to consider local pedophiles. Things start to get a little strange when, after Jacob's classmates are interviewed by police and prosecutors, Andy's boss decides to take him off the case.
It shortly becomes clear why Andy has been removed from the case when Jacob is charged with the murder.
Andy enters a world of bifurcated perception as he sees every event through two lenses: as a lawyer and prosecutor with a profound knowledge of the legal system's limitations and how to work them, and as a father who longs to protect his son.
Janet Maslin in the New York Times described Defending Jacob this way: "Mr. Landay turns out to be creating a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion." Andy Barber's conflicted feelings about his predicament lead him to reevaluated his entire life. I enjoyed the "parry and thrust" of courtroom tactics, and I found the insider's view very interesting. I'd recommend it both as a suspenseful, entertaining read and as a good selection for a book group.
I thought the praise was well-deserved. This book reminded me very much of Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, and it emphasized the family aspect more. I've heard that it's a popular book club book, and I think the combination of real suspense and family concerns makes for a book that is likely to be enjoyed by many and will offer plenty to talk about.
Andy Barber is a prosecutor, a twenty-year veteran. He and his wife are happily married and they have a teenage son named Jacob.
A classmate of his son's is killed in the park next to Jacob's school. At first, Andy views the murder as routine and his first thought is to consider local pedophiles. Things start to get a little strange when, after Jacob's classmates are interviewed by police and prosecutors, Andy's boss decides to take him off the case.
It shortly becomes clear why Andy has been removed from the case when Jacob is charged with the murder.
Andy enters a world of bifurcated perception as he sees every event through two lenses: as a lawyer and prosecutor with a profound knowledge of the legal system's limitations and how to work them, and as a father who longs to protect his son.
Janet Maslin in the New York Times described Defending Jacob this way: "Mr. Landay turns out to be creating a clever blend of legal thriller and issue-oriented family implosion." Andy Barber's conflicted feelings about his predicament lead him to reevaluated his entire life. I enjoyed the "parry and thrust" of courtroom tactics, and I found the insider's view very interesting. I'd recommend it both as a suspenseful, entertaining read and as a good selection for a book group.
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