I seldom read
courtroom dramas, they seem rather boring
and full of legalese. I like books with few but well developed characters. I do not know why I read Defending Jacob but am
glad I did. Character development was
basic and while we know little about anyone in the book and what we do know
does not make the people likeable. A teenager is stabbed and killed in an affluent suburb and the only evidence is a thumb print. Soon the print is traced to the local DA’s son Jacob and he is arrested and put on trial for murder. The trial proceeds and the author keeps us guessing if the teenager is guilty of murdering his classmate. While Jacob is socially dysfunctional that does not make him a murderer. After his arrest the police are convinced they have the right suspect so they do no more investigating. A bizzare happening and a written confession helps Jacob beat the rap and the family decides to take a celebratory vacation to get away from the town where the whole family has achieved pariah status—They go off to the Caribbean where it would seem all are having a great vacation when a young woman that has befriended Jacob disappears. No more. This book has a surprise ending----Good read.
~Maggie
Request Defending Jacob from the Bangor Public Library
