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William Landay Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

William Landay
Photo: Darlene Devita

William Landay

William Landay Biography

William Landay's latest novel is the New York Times bestseller Defending Jacob. His previous novels are Mission Flats, which won the Dagger Award as best debut crime novel of 2003, and The Strangler, which was an L.A. Times favorite crime novel and was nominated for the Strand Magazine Critics Award as best crime novel of 2007.

William Landay's website

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Interview

In an in-depth interview, lawyer-turned-author William Landay discusses his courtroom thriller, Defending Jacob.

The advance praise for your book has been tremendous, from authors as varied as Nicholas Sparks and Lee Child. What is it about Defending Jacob that is resonating with so many different kinds of readers?
The response has been tremendous, it's true. It's been very flattering and I'm grateful for it. I think there are a couple of things going on.

First, the story touches on ordinary, universal emotions about family and children. It raises a whole slew of questions that will feel awfully familiar to every parent and every family: Why do children behave as they do? How much is "hardwired" in their nature, how much is shaped by nurture? Why do good families sometimes produce bad children, or at least flawed children? What should parents do when a child begins to show signs of trouble? How far should you go in defending your child? Of course most parents will never be faced with the life-or-death stakes the Barbers confront in Defending Jacob, but I think all parents will see traces of their own hopes and anxieties in Laurie and Andy Barber.

I have two kids myself, boys who are seven and ten years old as I write this, so I understand how vulnerable our children make us, emotionally. We all want good things for our children. We ...

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Books by this Author

Books by William Landay at BookBrowse
Defending Jacob jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for William Landay but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Steve Cavanagh

    Steve Cavanagh

    Steve Cavanagh is an Irish author from Belfast and at the age eighteen he studied law by mistake. He is now the international award-winning author of the Eddie Flynn novels. His debut novel, The Defense, was nominated for the... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Defending Jacob

    Try:
    The Plea
    by Steve Cavanagh

  • Nathan Filer

    Nathan Filer

    Nathan Filer is a writer and a mental health nurse. He has worked as a researcher at the academic unit of psychiatry at the University of Bristol and on in-patient psychiatric wards. Filer graduated from the prestigious Bath ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Defending Jacob

    Try:
    The Shock of The Fall
    by Nathan Filer

We recommend 13 similar authors


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