Debut novelist Lisa Ballantyne writes like a practiced, polished veteran of the craft in The Guilty One. Daniel Hunter, a troubled youth who found his saving grace in an eccentric widow named Minnie, has grown up to become a successful solicitor, taking on the defense of Sebastian Croll, the 11-year-old "Angel Killer" accused of brutally murdering his eight-year-old neighbor. Daniel, seeing his younger self in Sebastian, is determined to keep him from a life of imprisonment; guilty or innocent, Daniel believes no child Seb's age can benefit from the London penal system. It will only destroy mind, body and spirit.
Meanwhile, Daniel receives news that Minnie, his adoptive mother, has died, and he reacts with mixed and confusing feelings. By alternating between the progression of Seb's trial and Daniel's youth, Ballantyne slowly unveils the mystery of Daniel and Minnie's estrangement over the last 15 years.
A story of redemption and regret, The Guilty One shows how prisons aren't always made of steel bars--and freedom isn't always what we perceive it to be. Readers will be as captivated by Ballantyne's unparalleled characters as they are by the intense, psychological plot. This haunting, heart wrenching psychological thriller is a highly emotional, addictive reading experience that will appeal to readers of all genres. With a debut this explosive, it's hard to imagine what Ballantyne's encore will bring. --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts