Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Written by an attorney who lives in Newton, MA and went to law school in Boston :)
I've never really read anything quite like this book. Yes, I've read plenty of crime novels, just not any from the view of the suspect's family. It brought up lots of different questions about what I would do if I was in a similar situation. I literally said "oh my god" at certain points of this book. Excellent read. I highly recommend it.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
fast-paced
The main character in this book is Andy Barber. He is the ADA in a small town, and after a brutal murder of a student, his 14-year-old son, Jacob, is accused of the crime. We watch how this family in good standing are suddenly the town pariahs. Andy’s marriage is suffering because his wife, Laurie, had doubts about her son’s innocence. And we see a 14-year-old kid who gives no indication of whether he did this heinous crime or not. Interspersed between some of the scenes are snippets of Andy and the ADA going over testimony for a grand jury that you think has to do with the case.
We never do find out if Jacob actually did it. Andy’s father, a convicted murderer, had the local pedophile framed and ‘commit suicide’ regarding the murder. But then, while on vacation, a girl that Jacob had been hanging out with goes missing and ends up washed up on the beach after 7 weeks. Laurie’s doubts creep in so much that we find out the testimony Andy has been telling us involved his wife purposefully causing a car accident that resulted in her killing Jacob.
As a mother of a socially awkward 14-year-old boy, this story hurt my heart so much. I hope I would have the same conviction Andy did in believing his son not capable of murder. I can’t imagine I could ever feel the need to rid the world of my child even if I knew he was guilty. This story isn’t just a murder trial, it’s a trial of how much a family can endure when something unspeakable happens to them. Can they move on or will there always be lingering doubts? Can your love for your child endure anything?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The plot twist was INSANE & (surprisingly) well executed. However, this book felt like it dragged on, was more wordy than it needed to be & I often found myself bored. I could not grow to like any of the characters or feel any connection with them
Wow. This book got under my skin in the best (and worst) way. Defending Jacob is one of those legal thrillers that makes you stop and think, “What would I do if this were my family?”
Andy Barber is a longtime district attorney, respected in the courtroom and living a good life at home with his wife and teenage son. Then a boy is found murdered in their quiet suburb, and Andy’s whole world flips upside down—because the accused is his own son, Jacob.
From there, it’s a rollercoaster. Andy is convinced Jacob is innocent—because of course, what parent wouldn’t be? But the evidence keeps stacking up, Laurie starts to crack under the pressure, and you can feel the walls closing in on their family. The mix of courtroom drama, family tension, and that nagging question—how well do you really know your child?—makes this book impossible to put down.
If you like your thrillers twisty, emotional, and a little bit haunting, this one’s for you. Just be prepared: it’ll leave you asking yourself how far you’d go to protect your kid.
This book plunges readers into the gripping dilemma faced by Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber when his own son, Jacob, is accused of murder. As Andy tirelessly fights to prove Jacob's innocence, the novel explores the harrowing depths of parental love and the unsettling uncertainties that arise when faced with the truth.