I enjoy books by this author but the uneven pace of this one, left me disappointed. The plot is good with local TV host Tristan Hart being left in a coma after being attacked at a wedding. Revelations begin to unfold about his character as new evidence emerges. The pace was a bit slow with too many characters lacking in any substance and, although there were a few twists in the story, overall it just failed to grip me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A really good read.
Had me hooked from the start. I was totally engrossed with this book from beginning to the end.
I engaged with the characters and really felt for the main characters wife.
The author manages to put the reader in the story,you can really feel and sympathise with everything that is happening ,from the police investigation to the different families individual stories to the ultimate heartstopping twist at the end.
Totally gripping!

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

Innocent begins with a celebratory event that turns sinister. A wedding is taking place at Sterndale Hall Hotel and amongst the guests are TV celebrity Tristan Hart and his second wife Izzy, together with their daughter Flora. What should be a happy event with guests dancing the night away, quaffing champagne, has by the end of the evening turned sour with Tristan found by the swimming pool, the victim of a violent attack that leaves him fighting for his life. Whilst good friends Aiden and Laura Ridley provide initial support to Izzy in the aftermath of this shocking event, so many questions are begging to be answered as to who would want to hurt a seemingly good guy. With the scene nicely set, the reader is immediately hooked into wondering why Tristan has been attacked; is it jealousy, does he have any enemies, are there any secrets the man has been hiding that would warrant such an attack? All anyone knows is that in between Tristan handing over a very tired Flora to the nanny Bridget and being found unconscious by the pool, he was seen talking to unknown ‘mysterious’ man.
Guaranteed to shock the residents of this small town to its core, the police search for the culprit becomes all the more imperative as the crime turns into one of murder.

So far, so good. I thought the premise was going to shape up into a very promising storyline with plenty of suspects and of course red herrings. There is enough intrigue to tempt the reader into the role of amateur armchair sleuth. Is the nanny Bridget to be trusted, or is Tristan maybe having an affair and is the mystery man seen talking to him important in the scheme of things? I felt sufficiently invested in this whodunnit as various guests at the wedding come under the glare of suspicion. Even ex copper Aiden can’t escape the spotlight, a character who would seem an unlikely suspect at first glance.

What I liked most about the police personnel investigating the case was the fact they are all such regular people without the usual backstories of failed marriages or the sense that their job takes precedence over family life that is often found in books of this genre. Muir and Weld and Golding and Gooch come across as colleagues who all work well together with no rivalries or disputes or power games going on in the background. They all have something to offer in terms of the hunt for the killer with Golding, a meticulous plodder who is rather too fond of fast food and Amber Gooch a very keen, likeable new addition to the team.

This is a storyline that warns against the errors of making assumptions and jumping to conclusions. It’s all too easy for us to see what we want to see, believe what we want to in order to fit our own narrative and this is definitely true of Izzy’s character. She has to question whether she can trust those closest to her, especially when she inadvertently discovers things about her husband that he’s deliberately kept hidden. Obviously none of us can ever truly know the workings of a loved one’s mind so is she right to be suspicious of information she’s unexpectedly stumbled upon? Where exactly will this new evidence lead her?

Whilst there is intrigue and a handful of possible individuals with motives for murder I felt some characters used to muddy the waters were almost superfluous to the plot whilst others were too obviously red herrings. The intrigue that drew me into the storyline at the beginning slowly waned over the course of the book which accounts for my rating.

The overall feel to this book is genteel, lacking any menacing or threatening undertones and not really what you’d expect from a thriller which is what this book is marketed as. The pace is far too sedate, it almost ambles along which I found disappointing. I never felt there was any sense of urgency to the narrative, not typical of the average thriller and my grey matter wasn’t stretched enough that I couldn’t guess whodunnit. The big reveal just fell flat and left me thinking ‘oh is that it?’ with the reasons for Tristan’s murder not dramatic enough for my liking, more underwhelming than anything. That’s not to say I didn’t find the reading experience enjoyable as it’s a very straightforward read, just on this occasion the premise didn’t live up to my initial expectations. As this is the second novel written by this author I would like to read her debut Found so I can make some comparisons.
As always I’m appreciative of the opportunity to have read this ARC courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley.

Innocent by Erin Kinsley is a fabulous psychological crime thriller that had me questioning and hunting for clues from the start.
Small town life is not always as idyllic as it appears. Following an assault, lives begin to unravel and the reader must sort out the truth from the lies.
We all make judgements but just how correct are they?
The characters were well drawn. There were some very kind hearts to counter balance those driven by power and greed.
Innocent had a well thought out and executed plotline. It was a cracking read. Once again I failed to predict the perpetrator – see if you can work it out.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

At a lavish summer wedding, a local celebrity is found lying on the ground having been hit with a champagne bottle. Tristan Hart, a local celebrity, was attending the wedding with his wife and daughter. Who would want to harm Tristan and put his life in danger?

The story is told from several points of view but that lets us know the characters and their link to the victim. There's lots of clues and hints dropped for the reader to hold their own investigation. As the investigation begins, Tristians backstory is revealed. As the story unravels, secrets are revealed. The pace flowed along smoothly. I did guess who the culprit was but that never stops my enjoyment of a good book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Headline and the author Erin Kinsley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. .

An enjoyable whodunnit and unravelling of dark secrets. I liked the police procedural elements, but it was fairly obvious early on who the perpetrator was although I struggled with the motive and found the main characters quite two dimensional
Thank you to netgalley and headline for an advance copy of this book

I’d like to thank Headline and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Innocent’ by Erin Kinsley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Izzy and her celebrity husband Tristan are guests at a wedding held in the market town of Sterndale. During the evening Tristan is found lying unconscious by the pool after having been hit over the head with a champagne bottle. Izzy stays by his side willing him to recover consciousness and is devastated to discover that the husband she thought told her everything has in fact been keeping secrets. As officers of West Mercia police look for a motive they come up with a list of suspects and the rumours spread by the townsfolk of Sterndale quickly wreak havoc on the lives of those they interview.

The story describes not only the police investigation into who’d want to harm Tristan but also delves into the lives of Izzy and Tristan’s friends and those who attended the wedding. From a slow beginning the plot of ‘Innocent’ picks up pace until it becomes unputdownable. This intricately-woven thriller contains drama, tension, suspense and twists and turns, until all too soon we reach the gripping and unexpected conclusion. This novel is compulsive reading and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

A murder mystery (not a thriller) where the victim does not die immediately of his wounds which allows the author to develop the plot and the characters. We find out the secrets held by some and the unknown connections between them before the offender is revealed to be an unlikely choice of many.
A good read and while some may say the characters need more development how long do you want the book?
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this chance to write an unbiased review.

A wedding gone wrong, a murder and who done it! Another thrilling page turner from a brilliant author. I very much enjoyed this book, it kept me guessing right up till the end. Just the right amount of twists!

A wedding celebration turns into a murder whodunit. As the characters are introduced to us along with their alibis and reasons they could be involved it becomes more representation of privilege and financial security by dropping in high end brand names and ways. This seemed more like a Joanna Trollope style story than a thriller.
The character Isabelle made me very uncomfortable and angry at such a wimpy woman And of course her darling Tristsan turns out to be an angel after all!!!

I really enjoyed The Innocent, it was a refreshing change to the normal who done it novels, and it was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing right to the end, which always makes for a good read. I look forward to reading more from Erin Kinsley

I guessed whodunnit early on, but still enjoyed this. The ending was quite abrupt but the story line had played out, so I suppose there was no where else to go. I will try more Erin Kinsley

A well written, page turner of a book. A tale of murder at a glamorous wedding, and the secrets that are subsequently revealed. This book is a good, entertaining, summer read, however, the writing is a little archaic at times; one character is described as giving 'black' looks, and another as a 'female' doctor. This dated language somewhat spoiled the book for, however, a good idea for a story..

I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days, it would have been one day but I had to force myself to put it down and finally get some sleep.
The story just flowed and secrets were revealed that kept you both engaged and guessing, one of those books where you just keep on turning the pages. I had a suspicion of 'whodunnit' but that in no way detracted from my enjoyment.
The main characters were believable, likeable and easy to identify with. A bonus is that all loose end were tied up by the end of the book, a pet hate of mine is when things are left hanging.
I would definitely recommend this book to and would be happy to read more from the author.
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in return for an honest review.

I liked the premise of this book when I read the blurb.
The story is written from different character perspectives giving a good insight into each and how they fit in the story.
It was a bit of a slow burn to start and I was expecting a bit more tension towards the end, but still a good read.

A very enjoyable read and one not to be missed
For most of the book I tried to determine why give it the title 'Innocent' but by the end I was definitely in agreement with the choice.
The revelation of what actually happened was a surprise to me and was an excellent twist. The author has led you down several paths that could have led to the attack.
I couldn't give the book 5 stars as the characters were a little but two-dimensional for me and it was hard to get to grips with feelings for police, family or possible culprits.
Nevertheless a very good book

I had read her last novel and enjoyed it very much so was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint and is one of the best books I have read this year. A definite 5 star read. Great premise. Good characters. Plenty of suspense to keep me enthralled. Look forward to her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I read this over two days, I was totally absorbed.
The story is told both from the families' point of view but also from the police viewpoint as they work through the procedures of a crime without apparent motive or suspects
The characters are well written, the final reveal a complete surprise and leaves the reader thinking about the outcome. I will be going to find Kinsley's previous novel to read.

Izzy and her husband, TV personality Tristan Hart attend a wedding. His daughter is tired out so he takes her to the baby sitter to go home but he does not return to his wife. A search finds him seriously injured by the venue swimming pool. Who did it and why?
Secrets begin to unfold and Izzy wonders if she knew her husband. Tragically he dies and cannot give her the answers she needs. Will the person responsible for his death be found?
An excellent read that grips you throughout. Twists, turns, secrets and love. Characters you are about, enjoy for yourself.

A really beautiful story, in a beautiful setting. A good murder mystery story. I would recommend for fans of Jane Harper. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.