Innocent by Erin Kinsley

30 Jul Innocent by Erin Kinsley

Posted at 09:33 in Crime by Karen Byrom 0 Comments

Perfect father, perfect husband, perfect life?
*****

Tristan Hart’s presenting skills and intrepid news reporting have made him a television superstar with an army of devoted followers. At home, he’s a loving husband and father, good friend and perfect neighbour. So who would want to bash him over the head with a champagne bottle at a local wedding, leaving him for dead?

As the police begin to put together the clues, a picture emerges of a man with a past, a man with enemies, one who was possibly being blackmailed. Is Tristan really a blameless victim?

As he languishes in a coma, his wife Izzy, too, begins to discover things about her husband she would rather not know.

Meanwhile their local community is a hotbed of gossip as the scandal of what has happened to Tristan gathers pace. He and Izzy’s best friends, Aidan and Laura, who were also at the wedding, struggle to come to terms with the tragedy – but they’ve their own challenges to face in the disturbing behaviour of their surly teenage daughter Gemma.

Meanwhile the police investigation gathers pace and more suspects are added to their list. Could the assailant be one of Tristan’s friends or neighbours, a crazed fan or someone closer to home?

Tristan might be able to tell them what happened – but what if he never recovers?

This was a gripping read! The opening scene leading to the assault on Tristan is beautifully set, anchoring all the main characters – victim, family, friends and suspects – in the immediate present of the summery wedding day, bringing them to life and giving the reader plenty food for thought. The narrative then moves ever swiftly on, examining the actions and motives of the protagonists from their own and from the police’s point of view.

I particularly like the way every character, however small a part they have to play in the overall drama, has their own back story – so we learn about DS Weld’s chain-smoking Nanny Peg, local gossip Phyllida’s problematic marriage, wide boy Dave Garner’s shady past. This meticulous attention to detail paints a vivid picture of the community in which we’re immersed, adding colour – and sometimes even humour – to the mystery of just what happened to Tristan.

A dramatic crime, a host of suspects and a crisp, concise police investigation leads to a very satisfying story in which you’ll be questioning everyone’s innocence.

Innocent by Erin Kinsley (Headline) is available now in ebook format and will be published in paperback on August 20, RRP £8.99