The Innocent One
The gripping, must-read thriller from the Richard & Judy Book Club bestselling author
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Could the child once accused of murder really be innocent?
'So good . . . Ballantyne makes it look easy' NEW YORK TIMES
'Beautifully told' DAILY MAIL
'Thought-provoking and unsettling' ALEX GRAY
'A breathless thriller' WOMAN'S OWN
'Had me turning the pages late into the night' C. J. COOPER
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Innocent
Ten years ago, Sebastian Croll was found not guilty of murdering his playmate.
Criminal solicitor Daniel Hunter defended the eleven-year-old in a trial that gripped the nation, but the past is unearthed when Daniel gets a call from his old client.
Or guilty?
Sebastian's university professor has been brutally murdered and everyone who knew her is in the frame.
As Daniel steps in to represent Sebastian for the second time, rumour of his client's identity spreads like wildfire.
The media swarm. Threats begin to arrive. And the question on everyone's lips:
Could the child once accused of murder really be innocent?
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What everyone is saying about Lisa Ballantyne's thrillers:
'Gripping' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'Sophisticated, suspenseful' LEE CHILD
'Tense' SUNDAY TIMES
'Unsettling and compulsive' ROSAMUND LUPTON
'Moving' GUARDIAN
'Emotionally intense' RICHARD AND JUDY BOOKCLUB
'Grips like a vice' DAILY MAIL
'Thought-provoking' GILLY MACMILLAN
'Tense' RACHEL ABBOTT
'A page-turner' DAILY EXPRESS
'I couldn't get this book out of my head' JENNY COLGAN
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Edgar finalist Ballantyne's The Guilty One (2013), solicitor Daniel Hunter successfully defended 11-year-old Sebastian Croll against a charge of murdering an eight-year-old friend. Ten years later, in this enjoyable if by-the-numbers sequel, the police want to question Sebastian after his Cambridge classics tutor, Frances Owen, is found murdered in her office. Daniel allays Sebastian's fears, saying his trial as a child should be expunged and the police are doing routine questioning. When Sebastian's past is leaked to the media, dangerous protests follow, forcing him to leave Cambridge. Meanwhile, Daniel, who still grapples with having grown up in foster care, contends with his wife wanting a separation, his seven-year-old son acting out at school, and his legal investigator turning up leads on the mystery of who his father was. As the police turn more attention to Sebastian, Daniel is backed into a legal corner that threatens his whole family. Good pacing and nice balancing of story lines help make up for some implausible character actions (Daniel's son explains his actions in ways that even adults would struggle with) and a foregone conclusion. This works well enough as a standard British crime drama.
