The Guilty One

Lisa Ballantyne

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER!

'One of the most readable, emotionally intense novels of the year' Richard and Judy

Daniel Hunter has spent years defending lost causes as a solicitor in London. But his life changes when he is introduced to Sebastian, an eleven-year-old accused of murdering an innocent young boy.

As he plunges into the muddy depths of Sebastian's troubled home life, Daniel thinks back to his own childhood in foster care - and to Minnie, the woman whose love saved him, until she, too, betrayed him so badly that he cut her out of his life.

But what crime did Minnie commit that made Daniel disregard her for fifteen years? And will Daniel's identification with a child on trial for murder make him question everything he ever believed in?

A Richard & Judy Book Club favourite and international phenomenon. Deeply psychological and suspenseful, The Guilty One is both a legal thriller and a human story of love and redemption.

*PRE-ORDER LISA BALLANTYNE'S NEW NOVEL, THE INNOCENT ONE, NOW*

'Moving, insightful' Guardian

'A page-turner with real emotional depth' Daily Express

'Thought-provoking, brave, challenging, compulsive' Rosamund Lupton

'An absorbing psychological debut' Company

'Sophisticated, suspenseful, unsettling' Lee Child

'Grips like a vice' Daily Mail

'One of the best debuts I've ever encountered. An outstanding work of fiction' Daily Record

'Will touch your heart, even as it leaves you unsettled' Hallie Ephron

'I couldn't get this book out of my head. It kept me up all night and guessing the whole way through. I loved it' Jenny Colgan