William Landay

Defending Jacob is a suspenseful thriller about doubts, parenting, and murder. Where does the buck stop? Should parents be held accountable for what their children do? When a fourteen-year-old, Ben Rifkin, is found dead, a fellow high school student, Jacob Barber, is accused of stabbing him to death. But is a child capable of such violence? Are there other factors at play? Andy and Laurie Barber, the parents, can barely navigate what comes next. The author takes us through the investigation, the trial, and a shocking conclusion in this edge-of-your-murder mystery. I highly recommend this one; you won’t be disappointed.… (lisätietoja)

Alex, Jeff and Miranda are siblings. Jeff’s best childhood friend is Phil; however, as adults, they drifted apart. In 1975, Miranda arrives home from school and immediately senses something different in the house. It’s too quiet. Her mom, Jane, is nowhere to be found and never returns.
This is told from the four separate points of view labeled Books 1 through 4. Each of these is about a quarter of the book.
Book 1 – recounts Phil’s version of how his book came to be. He was having writer’s block when he encountered his old childhood friend, Jeff. Jeff suggests that Phil write a book about Jane’s disappearance, which remains unsolved. The detective that worked the case believed that Jane’s husband, Dan, (Jeff’s dad) killed her but there is no body.
Book 2 is Jane’s version of events…or is it Jane?
Book 3 is Jeff’s point of view. He, Miranda and their Aunt Kate file a civil suit against Dan.
Book 4 is Dan’s point of view. He is now suffering from dementia but is willing to speak with Phil now about Jane’s disappearance. Phil is hoping to get a confession from Dan, even though Dan has maintained his innocence since Jane disappeared.
This was a slow-burn for me and actually sat unread in my Kindle for a long time before I picked it back up. I also was not a fan of the author not using quotation marks when characters were having conversations, it was strange.… (lisätietoja)