A review by nonna7
The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne

5.0

Is there anything more horrifying than children killing other children? This is especially true when the killer is a pint sized eleven year old from a "good" family. Daniel Hunter, his solicitor, is handling the accused killer, Sebastian, while wrestling with his own guilt. Shortly after he takes the case, he learns that his adopted mother had died. He had cut ties with her shortly after starting university after she did something that he found to be unforgivable. Despite that she has never stopped loving him or trying to reach him on his birthdays and Christmas. Now she's dead, he starts remembering and begins to understand why she did what she did. Meanwhile, there's Sebastian who has promised that he did NOT kill the 8 yr old neighbor boy. Daniel's story unfolds alternately between chapters about Sebastian's unfolding defense. One reviewer found it to be "grim" because of the subject matter and the fact that none of the characters, with the exception of Minnie, Daniel's estranged adoptive mother were very likeable. That's one viewpoint. Having read other British crime novels in which the foster/social worker/adoption process has been explained, I understood why the reviewer may have found Daniel unlikeable. He's a victim just as his client Sebastian is. There are no easy answers when it comes to the love of parents and children no matter how bad or good either or both parties are. Ms. Ballantyne is a writer I'll be watching. I really enjoyed this book.