<b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY</b><br> <b><i>Entertainment Weekly • The Boston Globe • Kansas City Star</i></b><br> <br> “A legal thriller that’s comparable to classics such as Scott Turow’s <i>Presumed Innocent</i> . . . Tragic and shocking,<i> Defending Jacob</i> is sure to generate buzz.”—Associated Press<br> <b> </b><br> <b><i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER</b><br><br>Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life: his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob.<br><br>Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy’s own son—shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob.<br><br>Andy believes in Jacob’s innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors’ contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy’s family.<br><br>It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense.<br><br>How far would <i>you</i> go?<br><br><b>Praise for <i>Defending Jacob</i></b><br> <b><i> </i></b><br> “Ingenious . . . Nothing is predictable. All bets are off.”—<i>The New York Times</i><br> <br> “Stunning . . . a novel that comes to you out of the blue and manages to keep you reading feverishly until the whole thing is completed.”—The Huffington Post<br> <br> “Gripping, emotional murder saga . . . The shocking ending will have readers pulling up their bedcovers to ward off the haunting chill.”—<i>People</i><br> <br> “The hype is justified. . . . Exceptionally serious, suspenseful, engrossing.”—<i>The Washington Post</i><br> <br> “Even with unexpected twists and turns, the two narratives interlock like the teeth of a zipper, building to a tough and unflinching finale. This novel has major motion picture written all over it.”—<i>The Boston Globe</i><br> <br> “Yes, this book came out in January. No, we are not done talking about it.”—<i>Entertainment Weekly</i>