Sunday, April 22, 2012

DEFENDING JACOB

Author:  William Landay
Genre:  Thriller, Standalone
Published:  2012
Personal Rating:  4.25/5 (very good +)
Format:  Audiobook
Yearly Count:  37


The 14-year-old son of an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts is charged with the killing of a fellow student.

This was really very good, but not good enough to make it to my "Best Reads of 2012" list.  Had I been surprised at the ending or liked it more, I think it would have had a better chance of making it.

The narrator of this audio edition was terrific, and I was engrossed in the story from the minute I started listening.  It's a legal thriller, so there's courtroom drama in which I thoroughly enjoyed.  There was also some unbelievable moments or even just hard-to-believe moments/dialog, but I was able to suspend disbelief and keep my mind focused on the storyline.  I'll definitely be looking up this author's backlist! 

16 comments:

  1. A good friend of mine read this when it first came out and has been talking about it ever since. Every time I see her she asks me if I've read it.

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    1. Bermudaonion ~ Sounds like my friend and me! Every time I'm in contact with her I ask if she has started The Homecoming of Samuel Lake! Have you read that one? :)

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  2. Second nod for the audio book!! I will have to use my credit next month and get this on audible.com!!

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    1. Staci ~ Yay! I think you'll enjoy it.

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  3. Moving this to the top of my audio reserve list at my library!!!

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    1. Les ~ That's where I got mine from! :)

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  4. Anonymous10:19 PM

    Joy, I think that you and I are in agreement on this book. Really compelling, but with some annoyances. Didn't like the ending. Knew why it had to end that way, but still...

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    1. Kay ~ From what you said above, we are definitely in agreement! :) I will come by your blog to (re)read your review.

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  5. I loved the audio version as well. How about that ending??? WOW

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    1. Diane ~ I didn't like the ending, and it didn't surprise me at all, so unfortunately, it wasn't a wow for me. :( The ending is a big reason why I didn't think it qualified as an "excellent" book.

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  6. I just finished reading this on Saturday night and I really enjoyed it too. Who narrated the audiobook? I was surprised by the ending. I could tell something had happened but it wasn't what I was expecting.

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    1. Fern Chasida ~ Welcome! :) The narrator was Grover Gardner. I wish I liked the ending, but it didn't work out that way for me. I did, however, still think it was a very good book. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  7. I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this one! I do agree that not being surprised by an ending can make all the difference. Not big on courtroom drama, though...

    Who's the narrator?

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    1. Trish ~ Oh boo on not liking courtroom drama. There is quite a bit of Lawyer said . . . Defendant said . . . Not the whole book, but it's interspersed throughout. You might not be too thrilled with that. :(

      Grover Gardner is the narrator.

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  8. Every review I read for this one makes me want to read it more, including yours!

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    1. Stacybuckeye ~ LOL I'm glad that pointing out the negatives hasn't dissuaded you! I write my thoughts right after I finish the book and obviously here I was defending my position (to myself) why I wouldn't give it a 4.5. :)

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