This is the first book I've read by Erin Kinsley, but I'm sure this won't be the last. This wasn't a fast paced read, perhaps not even what you could call a standard police investigation style thriller, although an investigation did feature. This was more of a domestic noir, a look into the private lives of the victim and their loved ones and the impact of the ultimately vicious attack has on the lives of all of those around them., It is a very complex tale which causes shockwaves amongst the community, as much because of the identity of the victim as anything else but it is clear from the beginning that it is a story that has very deep and twisted roots and it is going to take a lot of digging to finally unearth the truth.

The first part of the novel is very much spent in setting up the story, establishing the key players in the eventual investigation. It allows us to have a sense of the people we are going to spend time with and the author does a brilliant job in setting up the victim as a likable and popular man before slowly revealing a series of situations and secrets which start to undermine his reputation. The emotional turmoil that this causes in his wife, Izzy, feels authentic, and her suspicion and fears prevent her from acting in what you might consider to be a more logical way. The dynamic between Izzy and her in-laws plays out perfectly, in a way that will resonate with many readers I am sure, and the extra burden of having a young daughter who doesn't understand what is happening will certainly tug at the heart strings.

I have to be honest and say that I had worked out who the attacker was quite early on in the story, and the clues are all there for those of us who are emotionally removed from the action. There is enough doubt cast throughout the book, both about the victim and the dubious nature of some of those who inhabit his world, as well as some of the secrets he has been keeping from his wife that will make you think twice. For me, this book was as much about the emotional journey of the characters, the devastating impact of what comes to pass on those who are close to what happens, as it was a bout the whodunnit, an almost secondary concern given the nature of the story. But I really did enjoy the author's style of writing, emotional and evocative, something that completely engaged me without need to use gratuitous shocks to keep my attention on the page.

The is a well written book, the twists and turns kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed this book.

A well written thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages.
I found it a bit confusing at times and I couldn't connect to any of the characters, which did spoil my enjoyment but that's probably more my problem than a reflection of the writing. I would certainly read more by this author.

I really like this book and the way it is written. Although it is a mystery it is not completely centred on the investigation of the police. The author shows the story unfolding through a lot of the characters.

It was so easy to get into this book and I spent the whole time thinking ‘Was it you? as I suspected everyone.

The story revolves Tristan, a celebrity who is attacked at a wedding. He seems to have the perfect life, a beautiful wife and daughter, who could want him dead?

I do hope this gets picked up for a drama as it would transfer so well to television.

TV personality, Tristan Hart appeared to have it all - good looks, beautiful wife and daughter, fame and the perfect marriage so it sent shockwaves through the community when he was found murdered at a friends wedding.

His wife receives a letter about another property and that starts her digging into her husbands past and the secrets all start tumbling out. The police are also finding out that Tristan may not have been the person everybody thought he was.

The story is told from the perspective of the wife, the police and their friends as the twists and turns unfold. Its a steady paced storyline and not particularly gripping but still a great read.

Once again, Erin has written a compelling crime mystery book. I was a big fan of Found last year so I had high expectations. It didnt disappoint. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Innocent is one of those books that seems written for TV. I can picture it now as a Sunday night drama. The location is perfect for that – a picturesque village – as are the cast of characters. There are plenty of seemingly perfect people whose lives are much more messy than they first appear.

This includes the victim himself, a handsome TV presenter who women find irresistible but who only has eyes for his wife. Or does he? She isn’t so sure, especially when she starts to dig into his past, uncovering secrets he would rather stay buried. The police are digging too, coming to some of the same conclusions as his wife.

One of the great things about Innocent is that nothing is as it seems. Which means – as a reader – I really had no idea just who was telling the truth or where that truth was leading. It meant turning the pages was really easy. I wanted to know what happened. Kudos to Erin Kinsley for that.

What wasn’t as great for me – and this is a personal preference for the type of books I read – is that it was a bit too gentle. Call me gruesome but there weren’t enough murders, or enough life-and-death situations to really get my pulse racing.

This doesn’t mean it was a bad book, just not one that was a 100% for me. For those who like a little less blood and guts, I think this will be a hit. Enjoy!

Innocent centres around the murder of local celebrity at a wedding. There are many different suspects and many secrets that are uncovered throughout the investigation. This is my first time reading Kinsley but it won't be my last!

The prose makes this book a page turner. Although we go from person to person and sometimes in the same chapter but I actually really like this. It was great that we knew what each lead was doing at the same time so if one went into the kitchen to speak to a child and the other in the lounge with the police we knew how each conversation went, which we don't often get in novels.

Although I had guessed the killer from the second chapter and the reason why (i think i have a twisted mind) , it was still great following the investigation and finding out the justifications for each of the secrets uncovered because even i had no idea what the reasons for those were.

Not only did we follow the police we followed the wife, her friend and her husband. I just really enjoyed it.
I must say I thought all the police were men until I the narration said her/she and I realised my programmed mind made big assumptions based on surnames. The book had a little comedy element from one of the male police officers he was so funny.


If I write much more I will end up with a review full of spoilers. I recommend this book for any crime lovers , this to me is a crime book at its best. 4 stars and only because im obsessed with crime so have read a few 5 stars this book was almost there I think I'd I hadn't guessed the killer I would of easily given it 5 stars.


Thank you to Netgalley, Kinsley and the publisher for the digital advance copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinion

Unfortunately I didn’t particularly enjoy this book. I thought there were far too many characters which instead of enriching the story just made it cluttered so none of them held my interest. There are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings so it’s not a hard read but just failed to convince me on a thriller level.

With thanks to Headline and Netgalley for the ARC.

Tristan Hart, a tv celebrity, was attending a wedding with his wife and daughter.
He is found lying on the ground having been hit with a champagne bottle.


Full review to follow.

Firstly, I’d like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was an enjoyable murder mystery. It is the investigation into the murder of a TV Celebrity, Tristan Hart, who with his wife, Izzy, and daughter, Fiona, appeared to live the most perfect life in a small village.

As the story unfolds Tristan appeared to have a secret life away from his family, and the untangling of this secret life, and the investigation of the murder itself makes for an very worthwhile read.

Really enjoyed it.

An exciting storyline very well written.

Tristan and Izzie and their little daughter Flora, are attending a wedding in the small village of Sterndale. Tristan is a successful TV personality who tries to keep a low profile. He is well-liked by everyone because he does not act like a celebrity but at the same time, often agrees to help out where his celebrity status can help a good cause. An example of this is when a serving soldier at the wedding asks him to record a message for his friends serving in Iraq. Everyone is therefore stunned when Tristan is found unconscious by the swimming pool having been hit over the head by a champagne bottle. He subsequently dies, and the police now have to investigate a murder.

Tristan and Izzie seem to have an idyllic marriage, but as Tristan’s previous life comes under the spotlight, the reader begins to think that maybe he isn’t as innocent as the title of the book suggests. Izzy discovers a mobile with a list of women’s names on them and a house in the process of being built funded by Tristan. Has he been unfaithful to her, is she the person who attacked him in a jealous rage?

I have read many books with a similar plot to this, but the difference with this book and the main reason that I found it so good is, although, obviously the police are involved in solving the murder, we see things from various other people’s point of view. At the same time, everyone seems to have a potential reason for killing Tristan. We discover that Tristan has been married before and has an estranged son. His best friend, Aidan, has been given a £25000 loan by Tristan but he now wants the money back. A relative of his first wife has turned up for the wedding and is seen having a threatening conversation with Tristan.

Everyone seems to have their own secrets and potential reasons for wishing harm to
Tristan, was he really innocent or was his death brought on by his own actions?

When all is finally revealed, I was taken by surprise by the actual culprit and thoroughly enjoyed trying to work this out for myself albeit unsuccessfully!

I read this book in a few days I was so eager to know what happens, and for me, that is always an indication of how good it is. I would recommend this to anyone enjoying a good plot and an excellent read.


Dexter

Elite Book Group received a copy of the book to review

Despite the similarities of showing a human side to a serious crime, I found this a very different style to 'Found'. This was the main positive of the book for me as I don't like it when books by the same author are too predictable, This was a great story with characters who were easy to engage with and I think it would make a great tv drama.

Really enjoyed this well-written, gripping thriller that demonstrates how what you see on the surface isn't what you may think and then some. Lots of twists and turns and red herrings, plenty of details and well-drawn characters, this is good stuff and I will look for more by Erin Kinsley.

This was a very enjoyable murder mystery. The description of a small village and the community was believable and there were lots of twists. Recommended.

I loved Erin Kinseys first book Found and couldnt wait to read this one, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC through netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and raced through it staying up into the night to finish it, Tritan, Isobel and their daughter are a famous family and the story centres around what happens to Tristan at a wedding they attend.

I would highly reccomend this book to others

A good easy whodunnit. A typical family or is it? Story is full of twist and turns to play with your head,. Good mystery with an intriguing ending. Would recommend this book and it would make a great tv programme.

Innocent captures your interest right from the first page, you are drawn in to the loving family of Tristan, Izzy and Flora as they are about to attend a local wedding. At the wedding reception Tristan is attacked and as the police, Izzy, family, friends and the local community try to find out what happened and why secrets are uncovered on all sides. Erin Kinsley creates characters that are easy to relate to and you feel for them as they go through their experiences. You are kept guessing as to who could have carried out the attack and also as to the true character of Tristan.

I was given a copy of Innocent by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, it was An enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing to the end but I didn’t find it as gripping as her other book. Saying that it was a good read .

4 Stars from me

What a fabulous and deeply compelling book! I loved Innocent and found myself absolutely gripped by the story as it began to unravel.

My opinion on poor Tristan changed so many times and I absolutely loved how Erin Kinsley was able to make me continually review my thoughts surrounding different characters.

I could easily see this being adapted as a mini-series along the lines of Broadchurch or similar, it would break up very well into episodes! Considering the story was based around the murder of a hugely popular family man, I actually found Innocent to be a really nice read!

I thought the wide variety of differing characters was marvellous, this added such depth to the story and made my brain have to work hard to sift through all of the evidence.

My biggest takeaway from this book is that there is an app you can use to get Alexa to record conversations! Is it true I wonder? I gasped at that bit! (I never give spoilers so I can't reveal any more than that.)