The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
Goodreads: An eight-year-old boy is found dead in a playground . . . and his eleven-year-old neighbor is accused of the crime. Leading the defense is London solicitor Daniel Hunter, a champion of lost causes.
A damaged boy from a troubled home, Daniel's young client, Sebastian, reminds Daniel of his own turbulent childhood--and of Minnie, the devoted woman whose love saved him. But one terrible act of betrayal irrevocably shattered their bond.
As past and present collide, Daniel is faced with disturbing questions. Will his sympathy for Sebastian and his own memories blind him to the truth? What happened in the park--and who, ultimately, is to blame for a little boy's death? Rethinking everything he's ever believed, Daniel begins to understand what it means to be wrong . . . and to be the guilty one.
Kritters Thoughts: From the beginning, the reader is swept into a story where
one little boy is dead at a playground and another little boy is presumed
guilty of his murder. At the same time,
a story about one of the solicitors, Daniel, is being told as he moved into
different foster homes and eventually into Minnie’s home where he finally finds
his match. With contrasting chapters,
the reader sees two young boys’ stories and how a rough childhood can greatly
impact how they will face the world on an everyday basis.
I adored having both the stories going on at the same time
and finding the similarities between the boys and how Daniel’s past completely
affected how he was approaching the accused boy. There were moments where I almost wished for
more of Sebastian’s family history and a few more details to show how he became
the boy he was and how that could have gotten him into the situation he was
in.
My one concern for this book was the pace of the trial. As the evidence is shared throughout the
book, I thought the pace of the trial was a little slow and could have picked
up a little bit. Thankfully at the same
time that Sebastian’s story was slowing, Daniel’s in the past was picking up
pace and really hit a great stride. I
ended up loving his story so much more than the main story of the book.
Overall, I thought this book was different from a few other
trial books that I have read where the accused is the only story going on;
having Daniel’s story made this book even meater!
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Ebook 2013 Challenge: 11 out of 50
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Tuesday, March 19th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, March 20th: Excellent Library
Thursday, March 21st: she treads softly
Monday, March 25th: JulzReads
Tuesday, March 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, March 27th: Book Journey
Monday, April 1st: Bloggin’ Bout Books
Tuesday, April 2nd: Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Wednesday, April 3rd: Speaking of Books
Thursday, April 4th: Lectus
Monday, April 8th: A Bookworm’s World
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, inspiration came from moving into a new town and happening upon the power plant after dark. I had no idea it was near my house, and when I saw it, it was so creepy that I had to return nightly for two weeks and just start at it. I let it sink into my soul, and then I went on tours of the building - - and Traces of Kara was born. This is the darkest, most suspenseful novel I have written to date.
