Defending Jacob by William Landay

     Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
     Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He's his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own - between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he's tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Defending Jacob by William Landay has been compared to Presumed Innocent, one of my favorite legal mysteries.  I can see why and I'll admit that I picked up this book partly based on that comparison, along with several reviews that urged me to do so.  The story is very readable, compelling - yes, unputdownable.  It takes you on a twisty turny journey and to places you might not be comfortable with.  Many questions - big moral questions - come to mind.  What would you do to protect your child?  How much does any parent know about their teenager?  And even, how well can any of us really, really fathom the thought processes of our closest family members?

And then, there's the ending.  Shocking.  Jaw dropping, I guess.  I....hated....it.  Looking back on it after a few hours, I still hate it, but understand it a bit more.  One thing I will say is that I'll be thinking about the story for a long time - the questions raised - the moral dilemmas.  I'd like to think I'd know what to do in such a horrible situation, but I'm not sure anyone could know exactly.  I can recommend this one as an absorbing legal mystery.  I just wish I liked the ending better.  Sigh.  It begs to be discussed and would make a great book club selection.