I realized the other night that I haven’t yet written a review for a work of fiction, so I’ll do a short review of a crime novel I read a few weeks ago. Defending Jacob by William Landay was a quick read- I got through it in two days. Now, I should say that I don’t frequently read crime/mystery novels; while I love police procedural t.v. dramas (I’m looking at you, Law and Order,) actual crime novels aren’t of particular interest to me, so feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt if you’re an avid crime reader.
I found Defending Jacob on a Buzzfeed list of books you won’t be able to stop talking about, and while I don’t think it’s that good of a book, I’d still recommend it if you want something to read this weekend.
The book is about ADA Andy Barber’s career and family after his son was accused of murder. Andy questions whether his son is capable of murdering his classmate, while facing his own family history and coping with being dismissed from his job as assistant district attorney. I found most of the characters to be sympathetic, and the premise of the book is interesting enough that I couldn’t stop reading. I wasn’t blown away by the ending, though- it felt underdeveloped and there was enough foreshadowing throughout the novel that it wasn’t a complete surprise. Other than that, I thought Defending Jacob was a good read- it wasn’t filled with legal jargon and it had the overarching question of how far would a parent go to protect their child.
If you like mysteries and crime novels, is there a particular book you’d recommend for me?
Publication Info
William Landay. Defending Jacob. Delacorte Press, 2012.
ISBN: 0385344228
421 pages
