The Innocent One

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________InnocentTen 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?________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