The Innocent One

Critics Review

• Beautifully told, with the talented Ballantyne’s typical clarity, it weaves a subtle web

  Daily Mail

• Fingernail-on-a-chalkboard sentences are what make The Innocent One so good . . . Fashioning memorable suspense out of a well-known case is incredibly difficult, but Ballantyne makes it look easy

  New York Times

• A breathless thriller

  Woman's Own

• A combination of psychological and legal thriller, this is both tense and intense, gripping and moving

  Morning Star

• A wonderfully creepy crime thriller

  Yours

• A character-driven, domestic crime novel. Through juxtaposing the choices of two emotionally disturbed boys, Ballantyne sensitively explores themes of rejection, abuse, and forgiveness

  Booklist

• Thought provoking and unsettling

  Alex Gray, the Sunday Times bestselling author of the DSI Lorimer series

• A skilful mixture of creepy crime thriller and gripping domestic drama, the Innocent One had me turning the pages late into the night.

  C. J. Cooper, bestselling author of The Book Club

• A suspenseful, compelling read with a sting in the tail that will leave you gasping. Lisa Ballantyne knows her stuff. An author to be reckoned with

  T. F. Muir, author of the DCI Andy Gilchrist series

• A crackling good read – exactly the kind of novel that readers have come to expect from one of the most talented psychological suspense authors working today. With a gripping, twisty plot, conflicted and relatable characters, ever-rising tension, and an ending that’s as thrilling as it is satisfying, I loved this book!‘

  Karen Dionne, No. 1 internationally bestselling author of The Marsh King's Daughter

• Such a wonderfully layered novel, part emotionally charged, nerve-jangling thriller, and part tender, intelligent family drama. I couldn’t put it down. Brilliant.

  Saskia Sarginson, bestselling author of The Twins

• Praise for Lisa Ballantyne’s previous novels:

• A gripping and emotionally charged story. Just brilliant

  Clare Mackintosh

• Sophisticated, suspenseful, unsettling

  Lee Child

• Moving, insightful

  Guardian

• Thought-provoking, brave and challenging, this book is an unsettling and compulsive read

  Rosamund Lupton

• Grips like a vice

  Daily Mail

• Tense

  Sunday Times

• Thought-provoking and clever

  Gilly Macmillan

• One of the most readable, emotionally intense novels of the year

  Richard and Judy Book Club

• Thought-provoking

  Woman & Home

• A tense and shocking thriller that has the added treat of Lisa Ballantyne’s deft prose. I loved it

  Renee Knight

• Gripping, tense and moving

  Claire McGowan

• Moving and suspenseful; richly detailed, yet with the eerie simplicity of a parable

  Joyce Carol Oates

• A page-turner with real emotional depth

  Daily Express

• A compelling and emotional read with convincing characters that stayed in my head. Lisa Ballantyne deals with a difficult and controversial subject in a sensitive and thoughtful way

  Jenny Quintana