Defending Jacob by William Landay

Defending Jacob by William Landay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Defending Jacob takes place in a courtroom with a lawyer, Neal Logiudice, questioning a witness, Andy Barber, a former assistant district attorney. Barber's answers transition smoothly into the events that have led to his appearance on the stand. As a result, the plot has real time tension in both the present and the past. There were some cases where it was clear that Barber could not have revealed every detail of the story I was reading, but overall the technique worked well.

William Landay also writes excellent dialogue, filled with tension that creates a fast pace. That was another technique that helped me love this book.

Jacob Barber is the son of Andy and Laurie Barber. One of the students in Jacob's school has been found dead in a local park. When Jacob is accused of the murder, his mother and father have very different reactions. This is the strength of the book. It is less about the killing than it is about the trauma parents go through when their child is in trouble.

There are multiple plot twists in the story, which make it exciting and even a bit addicting. I was up at 2:00 AM one night, trying to reach a place where I could put the book down.

I recommend Defending Jacob to anyone who likes psychological thrillers.

Steve Lindahl – author of Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul


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