Defending Jacob by William Landay
I love legal thrillers, especially if they have great courtroom drama, because I found the exchange could be so witty (though I hope I'd never have to set foot into a courtroom, unless I am just there as an audience out of curiosity, or as a juror).
I see this book on several bloggers' Top 10 list, so I just had to read it. It did not disappoint, though at over 400 pages, some parts just seemed a bit slow. (Nowadays, anything over 300 pages seem a bit long!)
The courtroom dialog was just okay in this book, but I liked how the story was told in two formats (first person and court excerpts), despite me not really liking any characters.
There was a good twist in the end, though it wasn't a WOW/mind-blowing/WTF twist like The Sixth Sense. It did, however, make me think what I'd do if I was Jacob's parents. Now that I have a child, a story like this takes on a different dimension. Suddenly these what-ifs become more real. Like, it could totally be a reality. Before, it could be someone else's problems. It is a scary thought, and I hope I never have to face these issues.
4 Stars.
Note - The book was borrowed from the library.
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This is on my TBR list to read this year also, it seemed to be on all the Mystery lovers top list.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy books told from muliple characters.
Being a mom definitely puts a new spin on those stories.
I probably shouldn't have said different perspectives (probably shouldn't written reviews when I was half asleep... but I wanted to get them done before I fell behind again!) - it was done in alternate formats I should say - between first person, and court excerpts.
DeleteI think I enjoyed this one a little more than you did, and I wasn't shocked by the ending, either.
ReplyDelete4 stars are actually a high score for me! I hardly ever give out 5, or 4.5 even!
DeleteI read this book in two long sittings, and savored every page. Critically, one could point to some of the technical flaws, but personally, I greedily devoured every passage and capitulated to the subtle narrative.
ReplyDeleteMarlene Detierro (Tony Lama Boot)