The Innocent One

August 29, 2022
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. Agent: Sophie Lambert, C&W Literary Agency (U.K.).

November 1, 2022
In Ballantyne's follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Guilty One (2012), 10 years have passed since criminal solicitor Daniel Hunter defended 11-year-old Sebastian Croll, called the Angel Killer. After having been accused of brutally murdering his eight-year-old friend, Sebastian was ultimately found innocent. Unfortunately, the murder was never solved, but Daniel has always suspected that his client was culpable. When a Cambridge professor is murdered, Sebastian is questioned as a suspect and again seeks Daniel's legal representation. At the same time, Daniel is struggling with his own darkness. In this character-driven, domestic crime novel, Daniel must deal with his own difficult upbringing in order to save his failing marriage and become a loving father to his son, Billy. When his safety is compromised, he begins to doubt Sebastian's innocence once again. Daniel must separate himself from identifying with Sebastian's upbringing and forgive those who rejected him to heal his own failing relationships. Through juxtaposing the choices of two emotionally disturbed boys, Ballantyne sensitively explores themes of rejection, abuse, and forgiveness.

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