This book wasn't what I expected but I did enjoy it even though it took me a bit to get into the storyline. It was well written but for me, personally, it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Little Brown Book B.G. for this ARC copy.

The Guilty One is one of those books that has stuck with me ever since I read it so it was a joy to see that Lisa Ballantyne has written this sequel, of sorts.
Danny is a character who has evolved greatly over the last decade, but is also stuck in the past and still sees elements of himself reflected in Sebastian.
Yet again, we confront the themes of nature vs nurture, and explore that darkness that lies within even the best of people. It was interesting looking at how a person's darkest fears are perceived by those who love them and raises questions about whether traumatised people are protecting themselves or others.
A thrilling, thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable book with a truly satisfactory ending.

Ten years ago criminal solicitor Daniel Hunter defended 11 year old Sebastian Croll,the nation was gripped by the trial.Sebastian was found NOT GUILTY
Now a university professor has been brutally murdered everybody she's knew are suspects.
Sebastian needs Daniels help yet again as he was one of the professors students.
He was innocent once
Is he guilty now?
The sequel to The Guilty One
I was really looking forward to reading this follow up book and I wasn't dissapointed a fast paced book with a good storyline it had me guessing till the end.
Highly recommended
Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

When a Cambridge academic is murdered, one of the suspects is Sebastian, a student who was previously charged with murdering a fellow child ten years ago. He contacts Daniel, the lawyer who represented him in the past to represent him in the present inquiry. I expected the book to be a is-he-guilty-or-innocent legal thriller, but it wasn't really set up that way. The direction of the murder inquiry is clear and the reader knows where it is going. The book was more focused on Daniel's life. In addition to representing Sebastian, he is struggling with his marriage and coming to grips with his childhood past in the foster care system, as well as other things going on in his job and at his firm. Even though the book wasn't what I expected, I did enjoy it.

This is the sequel to The Guilty One which was published in 2012 but can be read as a standalone.

Ten years have passed, but everyone remembers the Angel Killer. Sebastian Croll was just eleven years old when accused of murdering his playmate. Criminal solicitor Daniel Hunter helped prove Sebastian's innocence in a trial that gripped the nation, and now the past is being unearthed when he gets a call from his old client.

This is a well written and compelling, tense domestic/crime novel with well drawn and complex characters.

Tense, Emotional, Gripping…
The brutal murder of a University professor prompts a full scale investigation and dredges up memories of the past in this gripping sequel to ‘The Guilty One’. Sebastian is undoubtedly in the frame as the investigation picks up pace and his former lawyer steps up to the mark once again. Tense, emotional and gripping - this is an immersive and compelling read.

This is the follow up to ‘The Guilty One’ which I loved and have been eagerly waiting for since. I really enjoy the authors writing and this proved to be another excellent read.

Ten years years ago eleven year old Sebastian was accused of murdering his friend. Criminal solicitor Daniel Hunter helped prove Sebastian’s innocence in a trial that was followed by everyone. Now Sebastian’s university professor has been brutally murdered and there are no shortages of suspects. Sebastian approaches Daniel and asks him to represent him once again but once his past becomes common knowledge the fingers start pointing in his direction.

Daniel must once again clear Sebastian’s name but tensions are running high and people start to wonder if Sebastian is guilty after all.

This was another excellent read but not quite as good as ‘The Guilty One’.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It quickly became apparent that this book is a sequel to another by Lisa Bannatyne. A lawyer is contacted by a student caught up in the murder of an academic in Cambridge. The student was previously accused as a child of killing another boy so is immediately a suspect. Meanwhile the lawyer’s marriage is falling apart and he is struggling to hold it together as his dark past seems constantly to intrude on his ability to cope with things today.

A very swift read that holds your attention as it raced to a dramatic conclusion. I will read more by this author.

I requested this book as I’d previously read The Guilty One and enjoyed that.
This book didn’t disappoint. It was extremely well written with a well paced story. The characters have depth and are relatable, there’s enough going on here to carry the story through.
Would recommend.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

The premise of this book - a criminal solicitor contacted by the now grown boy he defended in a murder case ten years ago when a university lecturer is murdered - appealed to me. The book is a quick moving easy read.
I have to say the book didn't go where I expected it to: without spoilers here, we are left in no doubt about certain aspects I anticipated would be the crux of the story.
There is a lot going on in the book - the protagonist trying to discover his past while trying to save his marriage, a secondary case he takes on pro bono, his colleagues (including a PI in the firm who may or may not be a love interest and appears to have inexhaustible contacts and information from the police force as to their investigations) as well as the accused and his character/ motives.
While a book doesn't need to have twists/ turns, I did find this one was set up in a way that I expected them (contradictory as that may sound), but there was no doubt about what would transpire and who would be responsible- the book makes it clear very early on and continues to remove any doubt throughout, Ultimately, I was expecting a legal thriller rather than the domestic crime this became. There are a lot of strands going on in this book, and I'm sure it will appeal to many readers and particularly fans of family focused dramas.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group Uk for the ARC in return for an honest review.
This was a very easy read, I flew through it and it held my interest throughout.
Daniel is a criminal lawyer and a young man that he previously defended a decade ago has come back into his life. As an eleven year old child, Sebastian was accused of murdering his eight year old neighbour Ben. He got off and now he is embroiled in another murder, that of his tutor.
There's not much evidence against Sebastian, so the story drifts to other things, like Daniels personal life, his troubling relationships with both his wife Rene and son Billy and his life as a child in foster care and beyond. I really did like Daniel and he is what interested me most, I wanted him to be happy and I really disliked Rene for the way she was treating him.

Sebastian popped up now and again and other mishaps befell Daniel and his family, that where obviously connected to him. Sebastian was a complex character, he appears nice enough, charming even. But underneath it there's this chilling part of him. Did he really kill little Ben, has he killed his tutor and are they the only ones!

I took this on holiday and really struggled with it despite being excited by the plot. It lacked authenticity and mystery. It was not for me..

Daniel, a lawyer, is contacted by a former client who he successfully represented as a child in a notorious murder case. Now an adult, Sebastian is connected to another murder - of his university professor - and wants Daniel to represent him. But is Sebastian really as innocent as he claims? Certainly, the ever-judgmental public don't think so, when they get wind of his identity.

This was a good read, if perhaps a bit lacking in mystery - I felt there were no real surprises, after a while. We see almost everything through Daniel's eyes and I liked his character, struggling to make peace with a difficult childhood to try and achieve a successful family life with his barrister wife and young son. Generally, that's not going too well for him over the course of this book.

I don't think this is my favourite book by this author - as I said, it felt a bit lacking in intrigue and mystery - but I enjoyed it very much nevertheless.

Fast paced, twisty and unpredictable that kept me guessing all the way througha nd sitting on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down it was gripping.

This was quite the easy read, and when I say that, it's never negative.
I sat down for a few hours and flew through the book, and it entertained me.

I liked the main character Daniel, and would happily read any more books he was in.
Enjoyable.

I had a couple of niggles about this book, the main one being. how a DV victim would be treated by the family court, I also struggled with the ex girlfriend storyline and how no charges were brought for the assault on Daniel and his family.