Defending Jacob by William Landay

For all of you Law and Order junkies out there, this book is for you.  From the very first page, I was all in.  In this old-fashioned legal thriller,  Andy Barber is the first assistant to the district attorney in a suburb of Boston.  Accustomed to locking up the bad guys, he finds himself in the position of defending Jacob, his fourteen year old son who has been accused of murder.  The author, William Landay, however, adds in a few twists and things are not as straight forward as the reader might like.  Interspersed amid the story of Jacob, is the grand jury testimony between Andy and his old mentee/current nemesis, new number one assistant to the district attorney.  Until the last page, the reader isn't entirely sure what the grand jury is investigating.  Juxtaposed with these two mysteries, is also the story of a family history, the role it plays in the current family, and the dynamics of two parents raising a 'less-than-normal' son.  As the story unfolds, I was constantly asking myself "Who's the naive one, mom or dad?  Is this kid a normal, angst-y teenage boy or a sociopath?  How does Andy's past play into his present?  And is mom deeper than she appears?"  Throw in a few friendly policemen, a vile grandfather, creepy porn web-site visits, and a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, and this is the 'ultimate' in legal mysteries.  It will not take you long to devour this one.