"Defending Jacob" by William Landay

Oh WOW I thought after reading Defending Jacob by William Landay!  Abdy Barber is a D.A. But he is on the case of his life when his son is charged with first degree murder!!  This book could have been taken out of the real news headlines.  That being said, this book is flat out awesome!  It kept me riveted from page one!  The absolute best part, when you think it is over, it is only just getting started with a fantastic ending!  This is a double WOW for sure—you have to read this!
(Gerard's review)

Defending Jacob by William Landay, a former District Attorney, is a gripping read that combines a parents struggles to protect their son, Jacob, and the quest for truth in a murder of their son’s 14-yr.-old classmate.  They are actually afraid of the truth because they think Jacob may be the murderer, but do not want to admit it—not even to each other.  To complicate things further, the father is the assistant District Attorney who is on the case, until he is replaced because the District Attorney believes he is too close to the case and may have a conflict of interest.  Between the family drama and the court drama, this book is hard to put down.  When Jacob is arrested, the mother feels guilty and second guesses their parenting skills while the father chooses to protect his son and defend him to the end no matter what.  Even though the kid is on trial, the parents lose most of their friends too.  The story is told in first person from the father’s point of view which helps the reader understand his thinking and gives insight into the struggles he faces.  The ending is shocking and I did not see that coming! 

I liked this contemporary murder suspense very much because of the way it was written.  I was never certain as I read if Jacob was really the killer or not, which is what the dad felt.  At first, I thought he wasn’t and as the evidence piled up, I thought he was.  I’m not telling you if I was right or wrong because you really need to read it and see for yourself.  This book is thought-provoking because as you see a well-respected, man of integrity tamper with evidence and obstruct justice to protect his son, you can’t help but wonder what you would do in that situation.  This is a great read that I highly recommend to both adults and teens! (Karen's review)

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