Defending Jacob, by William Landay (2012)
Defending Jacob is a courtroom drama that centers around 14-year-old Jacob Barber who has been accused of murdering a classmate who bullied him. The reader sees the story unfold through the eyes of Andrew Barber, Jacob’s father.
Andrew Barber is the First Assistant District Attorney in Boston. As such, he was the first attorney called to the scene of the crime. Andy, as he is known, works with the police on the initial investigation. Has the First Assistant, he has the option to take case himself, or pass it on to another ADA. He initially takes the case, and he focuses in on a suspect who is a known pedophile.
Suspicion, however, soon turns towards Jacob. One of Jacob’s friend’s posts an incriminating statement of Facebook suggesting that “everyone” knows that Jacob committed the crime and he owned a knife, much like murder weapon. Later Jacob’s fingerprint is found on the victim’s clothing. Circumstantial evidence seems to pile up against Jacob. Andy must be recused from the case and his former protégée, Neal Logiudice, takes over.
Jacob’s defense attorney must prepare for all possible defenses. He looks into the family’s past for inherited violence. For several generations, the men in Andy’s family have exhibited extreme acts of violence. Andy never knew his father, Bloody Billy, who is serving a life sentence in prison. Andy never shared this fact with his wife, but now he must. This revelation blindsides Laurie, Andy’s wife, and she begins to question whether her son, Jacob, might actually be predisposed to violence and could have committed this brutal murder.
I enjoyed the courtroom scenes. They were very true to life in a criminal trial. The novel fell apart at the end with several events coming together that didn’t make sense.
Spoiler Alert: Andy finally visited his father in prison and his father later arranges, unbeknownst to Andy, to have a hitman “protect” Jacob. The hitman ultimately tracks down the pedophile, has him draft a confession, then hangs him. Thus, Jacob, is a free man as the case against him is dismissed. The family then goes on vacation, where Jacob meets a young girl named Hope. The two connect, but when she goes missing, Laurie suspects her son might have something to do with her disappearance. The novel ends with Laurie driving her car over a cliff and Jacob is killed.
Read: December 23, 2021
3 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment