Amazon.com Review
**Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2012**: A fast, compelling, and compulsively readable courtroom drama, Defending Jacob tells the story of a district attorneys son who is accused of killing a classmate. As the father attempts to prove his sons innocence, Landay explores uncomfortable territory: can a tendency toward violence be inherited? Is the capacity for murder a genetic disposition? The author, a former district attorney, gets the taut nuances just right, capturing the subtleties of a trial in a packed courtroom, where a small rustle or murmur can signify a lot. In the end Landay pulls off a clever plot device that doesnt reveal itself until the final pages. --*Neal Thompson*
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Featured Guest Review: Chevy Stevens on *Defending Jacob*
**Chevy Stevens grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels *Still Missing* and *Never Knowing. ***
From the first few pages of *Defending Jacob,* I knew this book was special. More than an exciting courtroom drama that combines the best elements of a legal and psychological thriller, it also delves into the heart of a family, and will rip yours out in the process.
When a young boy is found brutally murdered in the woods in a peaceful New England town, his body hastily covered with leaves, the community is shaken to its core. No one more so than Andy Barber, a well-respected assistant district attorney whose fourteen-year-old son, Jacob, went to school with the boy. Sure, Jacob is a typical moody teenager, hiding in his room all day with his headphones and lap top, but Andy loves him more than anything in this world--and would do anything to protect him.
While Andy[HTML_REMOVED]s wife, Laurie, struggles with the possibility that there[HTML_REMOVED]s a killer on the loose and their own son could be next, Andy[HTML_REMOVED]s determined to find the culprit and bring him to justice. He immerses himself in a maelstrom of angry parents demanding answers, police hell-bent on making an arrest, and the complicated lives of teenagers, with their own secrets, and reasons for keeping them.
When, in a stunning turn of events, Jacob is arrested for the crime, both Andy and Laurie are stalwart in their defense of their son: there[HTML_REMOVED]s no way their child could[HTML_REMOVED]ve committed this terrible act. As more shocking facts are revealed and lies uncovered, Andy is pushed to the edge and his twenty-year marriage tested. Beautiful Laura, his college sweetheart and love of his life, begins to fade in front of his eyes, crumbling under the pressure of the trial, the public accusations, and the weight of her own doubts--in her son and her husband. When truths about Andy[HTML_REMOVED]s past comes to surface, he must chose between the life he thought he[HTML_REMOVED]d left behind, and the father he wants to be.
*Defending Jacob* raises the question: how far would you go to protect your family? But it also leaves you wondering if anyone could answer that question, and whether we really know what we[HTML_REMOVED]re capable of when push comes to shove.
Let[HTML_REMOVED]s pray we never have to find out.
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Featured Guest Review: Phillip Margolin on *Defending Jacob*
**Phillip Margolin has been a Peace Corps Volunteer, a school teacher, and is the author of 15 *New York Times* bestsellers. He spent a quarter century as a criminal defense attorney during which he handled thirty homicide cases, including twelve death penalty cases, and argued at the United States Supreme Court. He is a co-founder of Chess for Success, a non-profit that uses chess to teach elementary school children study skills. His latest novel, *Capitol Murder* will be released in April, 2012.**
One perk of being a bestselling author is that you are sent advance reading copies (ARCs) of books by first time authors, or published authors whose editors believe have written a breakout novel. The ARC is sent by the writer[HTML_REMOVED]s editor in hopes that you will write a "blurb," which is a sentence or two praising the book that can be used in advertisements. The books I blurb range from fun reads to very good reads. Then there is the rare book that knocks my socks off. William Landay[HTML_REMOVED]s *Defending Jacob* is one of these gems. It is a legal thriller, but so are *To Kill a Mocking Bird*, *Snow Falling on Cedars* and *Anatomy of a Murder*. *Defending Jacob*, like these classics, separates itself from the pack because it is also a searing work of literary fiction.
At the heart of Landay[HTML_REMOVED]s exceptional novel is a parent[HTML_REMOVED]s worst nightmare. Assistant district attorney Andy Barber, his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob, are living an idyllic existence in a middle class Massachusetts suburb until one of Jacob[HTML_REMOVED]s classmates is stabbed to death in the picturesque park where the locals jog, walk their dogs and picnic. It soon becomes clear that Jacob is the prime suspect and the Barbers have to confront the possibility that the child they have doted from birth may be a sociopathic killer.
Andy takes a forced leave of absence from his job and helps defend the son he loves from a charge he cannot believe is true. Is he engaging in self-deception? How far will he go to protect his family? Laurie wonders if something she did as a parent has created a monster and her guilt destroys her. And then there is Jacob. Is he a typical angst filled teenager or a psychopathic monster? Landay skillfully keeps the reader guessing about Jacob[HTML_REMOVED]s culpability and true nature up to the shocking final chapters.
What makes *Defending Jacob* special is the way Landay gives the reader the twists, turns and surprises found in the best legal thrillers while making its centerpiece the tragedy faced by a normal family who are thrust into a nightmare.
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Review
**Advance praise for *Defending Jacob***
William Landay makes bold use of his genuine storytelling gift, his amazing ability to craft believable dialogue, and, above all, his extraordinary understanding of what it means to be a husband and father to present us with an unforgettable tale of an ordinary marriage and family in crisis. On the surface this novel reads like a first-rate thriller, but at its heart its a love story. Its the story of a man who adores his wife and child, but more than that, its a novel that describes the fine edge between love and madness, and the lies we sometimes tell ourselves. Landay has proven himself to be an extraordinary writer, and *Defending Jacob* is an amazing novel. Do yourself a favor and read it. Its that good.Nicholas Sparks
*Defending Jacob* is smart, sophisticated, and suspensefulcapturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life.Lee Child
Powerful . . . leaves you gasping breathlessly at each shocking revelation.Lisa Gardner
A page-turning, stomach-clenching exploration of family.Chevy Stevens
A stunning novel that will be compared to classic courtroom thrillers like* Presumed Innocent* and* Anatomy of a Murder*.Phillip Margolin
So well-written, every character so movingly and convincingly drawn, the plot so utterly enthralling . . . *Defending Jacob* is absolutely stellar, first-rate fictionhuman, sensitive, and gripping in the extreme.Lisa Unger
More than a terrific legal thrill ride, *Defending Jacob *is an unflinching appraisal of the darkest, most poignant consequences of the love that binds, and blinds, families. Its one of those rare books that call for contemplation and insight along with every breathtaking surprise.Stephen White
Landay spins a tale of such complexity and emotion that you dont even realize youre spiraling deep into his world until he spits you out at his shocking, shattering conclusion.Carla Buckley
Sensational . . . one of the best books of the year.John Lutz
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A novel like this comes along maybe once a decade . . . a tour de force, a full-blooded legal thriller about a murder trial and the way it shatters a family. With its relentless suspense, its mesmerizing prose, and a shocking twist at the end, its every bit as good as Scott Turows great *Presumed Innocent*. But its also something more: an indelible domestic drama that calls to mind *Ordinary People* and *We Need to Talk About Kevin*. A spellbinding and unforgettable literary crime novel.Joseph Finder
Powerful, disturbing, complex, and gripping,* Defending Jacob* is impossible to put down. William Landay is a stunning talent.Carla Neggers
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Riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searing.Linwood Barclay
Brilliantly conceived . . . combines a harrowing family drama with riveting courtroom scenes that make readers feel they are actually witnessing the trial unfold.Stephen Frey
A carefully plotted and precisely written thriller about a family put to the ultimate test . . .*Defending Jacob*is bound to enthrall.Thomas H. Cook
Harrowing . . . This searing narrative proves the ancient Greek tragedians were right: the worst punishment is not death but living with what youknowingly or unknowinglyhave 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. Dont miss it. *Booklist* (starred review)
Landay does the seemingly impossible by coming up with a new wrinkle in the crowded subgenre of courtroom thrillers.its inevitable that hell be compared to Scott Turow, but this novel succeeds on its own merits. *Kirkus Reviews
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