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Defending Jacob

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Defending Jacob

By: William Landay
Narrated by: Eric Meyers
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About this listen

Andy Barber's job is to put killers behind bars. So when a boy from his son Jacob's school is found stabbed to death, Andy is doubly determined to find and prosecute the perpetrator. Until a crucial piece of evidence turns up linking Jacob to the murder. In the face of every parent's worst nightmare, Andy and his wife Laurie will do anything to defend their child. Because, deep down, they know him better than anyone. Don't they?

©2012 William Landay (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Thriller Law Exciting Scary Murder

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All stars
Most relevant  

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend it highly, but not when one is in the mood for a light read. This is a story narrated by a father and District Attourney that finds himself on the other side of the barricade defending Jacob, his teenage son who is accused of murdering a classmate.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Defending Jacob?

The ending is somehow unresolved but heartbreaiking and memorable,

What about Eric Meyers’s performance did you like?

He was perfect in conveying the attitude of the narrating protagonist, who tries to remain calm while his world slowly but inexorably disintegrates

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are several moments in the story where your heart really aches for the protagonist,
I found it particularly moving when he "discovers" the cruel teenagers' internet world, and what they say to and about his son, or when by chance they meet the family of the murdered boy.

Heartwrenching, doomed and simply perfect

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But long winded about 3/4 to long not the best I’ve read, not the best.

Was ok

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I wasn't hooked by this story but it was a decent one and kept me occupied for 15 hours.
I have one mild complaint. We never get a definitive answer to the main question. And that niggled me, coming away from the story.

A reasonably good story

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

The ending is abrupt and leaves many unanswered questions, not least why was the main character in front of a grand jury?

Would you be willing to try another book from William Landay? Why or why not?

Probably wouldn't try another, this was an interesting listen on a long car journey but slow progress on plot made it hard going

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Performance was ok just never keen on men imitating women as they usually just sound pathetic

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Possibly

Introspective court room drama

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I enjoyed this book, a tale of a murder of a teenager in an American town, and the involvement of the father of the boy accused of the crime. It was maybe a bit overlong for the amount of story, and the ending let it down a bit, but overall it is worth a listen.

Unfolding legal drama

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Well written, well performed. Really good book imo. Some really clever moments- moving straight onto the next book.

Great presentation

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Finished it very quickly because the story is very gripping. The narrator is excellent! I read the book in preparation to watch the Apple TV+ adaptation. I remember I was trying to explain realism in prose fiction to one of my students, I should have referenced the tension and drama in this text. Because the book opens with a degree of normalcy and then it abruptly descends into chaos. And what an end! If I had to pick my top three characters I'd say Andy Barber #3, Laurie Barber #2, and Jonathan the defence lawyer #1.
Although I have learnt in the TV adaptation they turned my number one into a woman :/ I already like it a lot less. Why would you do that?

The Suspense

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I was hooked from the start. a great book which is well read. the characters are so well written that I sometimes forgot it was a work of fiction. it is desperately sad and at times chilling

gripping novel

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Written in a similar vein to "We need to talk about Kevin". You have this feeling of doom from the outset and actually partly dread the reveal as you know it's going to be bad.

This is the first time I've got so into a book, I'll put off other housework to listen to it! It's not a simple case of did the son commit a murder, it's the impact it has on the family and the past the father has to face for the first time.

A great listen, you'll enjoy it.

We need to talk about Jacob

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I really couldn't put this book down, I just had to know how the story unfolded. Some aspects of how it was written was frustrating with odd queries / inaccuracies (eg how did police have the boy's fingerprints? ) but overall, the plot was carefully crafted abd well told by the narrator.

A gripping tale, well told

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