Kadomi reviewed Defending Jacob by William Landay
Review of 'Defending Jacob' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
3.5 stars for me. This courtroom and family drama turned out a lot differently than I was initially expecting. The story is told from first person perspective, through the eyes of Andrew Barber, the First Assistant of the District Attorney of his county. He's the father of a teenage boy, Jacob. When a boy from Jacob's school is found murdered in a park, he initially starts investigating, until he gets yanked off the case because evidence has been found that makes Andrew's son Jacob appear guilty. Jacob gets tried, and Andy continues to defend his son, as their family life unravels as consequence.
The majority of the story is about Jacob's trial. However, Andrew is not a character one takes a shine to, and much less Jacob, who is a rather disturbed boy. I never found myself siding with or even liking any of the characters. And yet, you want …
3.5 stars for me. This courtroom and family drama turned out a lot differently than I was initially expecting. The story is told from first person perspective, through the eyes of Andrew Barber, the First Assistant of the District Attorney of his county. He's the father of a teenage boy, Jacob. When a boy from Jacob's school is found murdered in a park, he initially starts investigating, until he gets yanked off the case because evidence has been found that makes Andrew's son Jacob appear guilty. Jacob gets tried, and Andy continues to defend his son, as their family life unravels as consequence.
The majority of the story is about Jacob's trial. However, Andrew is not a character one takes a shine to, and much less Jacob, who is a rather disturbed boy. I never found myself siding with or even liking any of the characters. And yet, you want to know, and I kept turning pages because I wanted to know if we ever find out who committed this murder.
In the last 5% of the book, there's a major twist that I did not see coming, and I am not sure that it leaves me satisfied with how the story wraps up. It would have made much more of an impact, if I'd ever liked Andrew, who up until the end does shady things to protect his son.
If you like legal drama in the courtroom or law shows, this might be down your alley, though mostly, it's a family drama, all things considered. I liked it well enough, I suppose.