This was not the riveting thriller I was expecting to read unfortunately. It does not live up to its five star hype. It is slow, ponderous and superficial, with little in the way of characterisation. So much small town gossip and thoughtless speculation does not make a murder mystery, it all comes across as very flippant in the face of such a serious crime, resulting in the loss of a much loved husband and father. Poor Tristan and Izzy, with friends and neighbours like those, they did not need enemies!
Descriptions of reporters, detectives, police and villagers are all formulaic and stereotypical with nothing original in their characterisation. Sadly this book is not for me.
My thanks to the publisher and a Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Erin Kinsley has come up with another addictive read with Innocent, her second book

We have the TV Personality Tristan Hart, his beautiful wife Izzy and young daughter Flora. They have a well-ordered life complete with Nanny. They attend a wedding held at a hotel in their small town, and Tristan is found with serious injuries next to the swimming pool.

For a small town setting there is a fair number of suspects and the police have their hands full as the secrets keep emerging.

The characters were brilliantly drawn and the book quickly became a page turner if for nothing else than to find out what else was hiding in the shadows.

This is almost a chatty styled police procedural and so I felt more immersed in the story than perhaps I do with one that uses plenty of police jargon as Erin Kinsley truly manages to take a personal look and yet not tip over into the more unrealistic approach of an outsider to the police running the investigation.

As a result this book had a fresh and personal feel that means it fully deserves the five stars I award it.

Tristan and Izzy Alison Richardson a glamorous and admired couple. He is a well known TV personality and she is stunningly beautiful. Flora at 5 old completes years their happy family. Things go horribly wrong though when the family attends a local wedding and Tristan is discovered with horrific head injuries. Izzy is devastated, she has never had cause to question the strength of their relationship but as the enquiries progress facts start to emerge that leaves her questioning her idyllic lifestyle.
I really enjoyed this murder mystery, a well crafted and engaging story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very good story and ws exceptionally well written. The plot moved along briskly and the twists and turns were surprising and kept me guessing right until the end. I would strongly recommend this book.

Erin Kinsley weaves a character driven compelling crime mystery that immerses the reader in the small town of Sterndale, where everyone knows everyone, and gossip and judgements are rife. It's a town that finds itself caught in the centre of a media storm when the well known celebrity and TV host, Tristran Hart, is seriously assaulted by the side of a swimming pool during wedding celebrations at Sterndale Hall Hotel. An assault that is upgraded to a murder inquiry for the West Mercia police when he dies, an investigation led by DI Gavin Muir and his team that includes DS Kirstie Weld and DS Nate Golding. On the surface, Tristan is a popular, well liked and generous man, with a seemingly perfect life, married to and in love with the stunning Isobel, aka Izzy, his second wife, with a 3 year old daughter, Flora, who could possibly want to harm him?

The author plunges us into the lives of various locals, their friends and families, such as ex-police officer, Aidan Ridley, his wife, Laura, and their children, Gemma and Josh, close friends of the Harts, with Laura doing all that she can to support Izzy in the aftermath of the deadly assault. Izzy is shell shocked and deeply worried, as her days begin to revolve around being at the hospital bedside of an unresponsive Tristran, in a coma in Intensive Care, sharing the vigil with his distressed parents, Steph and Eamon. She struggles to take care of young Flora, relying on reliable young goth nanny, Bridget. Izzy has always been confident in the love Tris and she had for each other, but her confidence becomes increasingly frayed as she discovers Tristran's second phone, and reads an architect's letter that suggests he had another life, his apparent deceptions have her questioning whether she ever knew him at all. A myriad of town secrets are revealed as the police delve into Tristran's troubling personal history in their search for the truth.

Kinsley writes a twisted murder mystery, immersing the reader in small town life and its locals, where little is as it seems, whilst slowly building up the tension and suspense levels. She gives us a murder victim with a suspicious past life that he has kept a closely guarded secret, married previously to Dolly, with whom he had a son, Bailey, that he has been estranged from for years, and a agent who had protected him from numerous scandals. I thought this was a great crime read, it held my attention throughout with ease, ensnaring my interest and curiosity in the small town community and its characters that had me turning the pages as fast as possible. I look forward to what Erin Kinsley writes next! Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

This isn’t my usual genre but I really enjoyed this pacey whodunnit. Believable characters, lots of red herrings and a satisfying ending - Innocent has it all.

I loved this novel. The plotting was superb though I did suspect who the perpetrator was the moment this person received attention. Even so, it was none the less filled with twists and turns satisfactory in a novel of this genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the small town atmosphere and thought the police crew was well drawn and they were convincing as they made discoveries. . I can't say too much because it would be too easy to make spoiler revelations. I was very drawn to the two central women Izzy and Laura and thought Izzy's parents in law exceptionally well realised. Innocent reminded me of Barbara Vine novels I have loved. If I felt critical of anything it's that the ending happened very quickly and perhaps was slightly rushed and maybe just a tad pat. Even so, Innocent is a great read and I shall read this author again.

A summer’s day, a village wedding, the usual social interactions. Then one of the guests, a well-known local celebrity is viciously attacked. Well-liked, blissfully married and generous, the police struggle to uncover a motive for the crime.
Told in the present tense from the perspectives of several different characters, the story unfolds as each one deals with their reactions and feelings to the tragedy that has befallen one of them, and secrets and deceptions are uncovered and brought sharply into focus. A combination of police procedural, rural domestic drama and mystery, this is a carefully crafted, totally absorbing and thoroughly entertaining novel.
The only reason I will not be buying this for our library is that our oldest readers are eleven; however, I will be recommending it at my book club and to fellow adult readers.

This thriller concerns a famous UK TV star and the aftermath of an assault on him at a friend's wedding.
I have not read any other book by Erin Kinsley so I did not know what to expect. I read the book easily, as it flowed along with short chapters and with a simple writing style. Overall, I found it enjoyable and the surprise twist at the end of the book was unexpected. However, I thought the eventual perpetrator was telegraphed way too early and the other options thrown up were red herrings that didn't really convince me. I would have preferred more suspense to be maintained until nearer the end.

I also thought that the various police characters were not particularly well developed. They just seemed to be names with brief descriptors and did not have full identities, which was a shame. Perhaps the author should have focused on just two key detectives and expanded on their characters a little more. It could also be argued that all the characters were not particularly well developed, but were sort of one dimensional versions of tropes, such as the celebrity tv star, the elderly couple gossiping in the town cafe, the troubled teen, the disabled ex policeman. However, overall it was an easy read with an interesting take on a crime that develops seriousness throughout the progress of the book. It would be a good holiday read, if we ever get over Covid19 and can have a relaxing holiday somewhere.

The formatting of the Kindle version was odd at times and I noticed a couple of typos that could do with another edit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At a lavish wedding in the village or Sterndale a local celebrity is found slumped on the ground having been hit with a champagne bottle. But who did it? There is a raft of potential perpetrators, but the police are struggling to find any real evidence. I really liked the quality of the writing, and there are many great characters. This will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

The perfect crime thriller.
Lots of twists and turns and plenty of interesting characters.
A must read for sure!

Tristan Hart, his wife Izzy and young daughter Flora attend a wedding at Sterndale Hall Hotel. Later that night and shortly after their nanny Bridget collects a very tired Flora, Tristan is attacked and left with life threatening injuries. Who has attacked the popular TV host? The story is told from several perspectives.

The novel has a good premise and plot as revelations about Tristan are made throughout which makes you reevaluate him as each new piece of evidence emerges which is interesting. The ending is good and unexpected too. However, I find the pace slow and monotone and although there are a lot of twists and turns, because of the pace they are not especially exciting. There are a lot of characters too which means that they lack substance and depth. The most developed character is Laura who is Izzys friend and some of the others are superfluous and add very little to the storyline. The unfolding drama jumps about too as there are so many points of view it can become confusing and halts the flow of the story.

Overall, it’s by no means a bad book as there are some good elements to it but the uneven pacing prevents it from becoming a riveting read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Headline Press for the ARC.

Excellently written crime thriller full of loads of twists and turns that were quite unexpected. This is an author to look out for. The author brought in emotions and family elements to make this a must read.

Tris Hart/Savage,a well-known TV presenter, and his beautiful wife, Izzy, have a marriage that looks to the world to be ideal. Their life is one of comfort in their beautiful home, and they have a lovely three-year old daughter, Flora.

But from the opening page, where readers are reminded that casual moments with loved ones might be the last moments you share together, the reader is aware that all might not be as it seems, and that a death could be in the offing.

The death is that of Tris, which takes the reader by surprise as it had seemed as if he would be one of the central characters in the story. However, at a wedding reception at Sterndale Hall, a wedding to which Izzy and Tris had been slightly surprised to be invited, Tris is found by the swimming pool with a serious injury to his head, and he dies.

While the police, led by Inspectors Gooch, Muir, Golding and Weld, investigate the murder, Izzy struggles to cope with her grief, leaning heavily on the support of her nanny, Bridget. Her grief turns to hollow confusion as she uncovers aspects of Tris’s life about which she hadn’t known. Secrets are discovered, some concerning Tris and also some concerning his friends and acquaintances, all of whom seem to have been involved in activities that could reflect badly upon them.

There are quite a number of characters and I found it difficult at first to keep track of them, especially as the action moved around quite a bit, but gradually the complex of relationships took shape. I felt at the end, though, that fewer characters could have enhanced the novel.

I’m not going to say any more about the story as I don’t want to be guilty of spoilers. There are several twists and turns, and some red herrings, before the final denouement, and readers will find themselves gripped as the book draws towards its conclusion.

Thanks for an advanced copy.
I am afraid that it was a real struggle to finish this and found it was like a midsummer's murder. I did not feel that the characters had a great depth. I am unable to identify with the 5* ratings

A bit different to the usual crime novels I've read recently. I had guessed who had committed the crime quite early on but it didn't really spoil the book for me as there were a number of alternatives for the motive. It's a pacy plot and I liked the teamwork shown between the police.
A new author for me but I'll probably read more.

This was an intriguing mystery. I enjoyed the writing style and the way the story built up. I did find it a little too slow paced for me but ideas a good read over all.

Fabulous story!! I had no idea, well, maybe a little one, a little way into the book, but wasn't absolutely sure, until towards the end, but was still very shocked I was right!! But in the end, it had to be!!
And who would really believe that someone could turn their life around, after being a bit of a rogue in the past??!! But tragedy can still strike, and you're convinced you know who it was, it's obvious, isn't it? Or is it??!!
You go through the heartbreak with all concerned, and then thinking, why are the police being the way they are??!! That's not how I see it, or maybe it is, but I'm not a detective!!
Loved the book, brilliantly written!!

Local tv celebrity Tris and his wife Izzy have a model marriage and a beautiful 3 year old daughter Flora. However during a lavish wedding reception for friends, Tris is found by the swimming pool with a massive head injury. Police begin to investigate this vicious attack which soon turns into a murder investigation as Tris dies from his injury.
An investigation soon has many questions being asked not only of family friends but also the honesty and integrity of Tris himself. It appears not only has he been leading a life of lies but also the possibility of multiple affairs. This book takes many twists and turns, questioning loyalties and hidden secrets.
Absolutely love this book, fast paced and kept me guessing to the very end. A new author for me but look forward to future books.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Headline for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It's well-written with believable dialogue and good characters, seemingly shallow at first but they grow as the story progresses. There are lots of cast-members, all of which have some degree of motive, until the excellent narrative construction teases-out the truth and allows the reader to glimpse the reality of the myriad of assumptions and red-herrings being presented.

Tristan and Izzy Hart, together with their young daughter Flora, are attending a lavish wedding at Sterndale Hall in the small market town on Sterndale. Tristan is a TV celebrity, presenting investigative journalism programmes. They are wealthy and have a live-out Nanny, Bridget, for Flora. After the main celebrations Tristan calls Bridget to take Flora home and meets her in the car park. However, an hour passes and Tris doesn't return. Their friend Aiden goes to find him - and does - at the edge of the swimming pool where he had been violently assaulted. He doesn't recover and a murder enquiry begins.
Following his death, Izzy is devastated, not least of all by finding a hidden second phone with a list of six female names in the contacts. Izzy had always believed they had a happy marriage, that they adored each other, but now the doubts start to creep in.
Many other revelations ensue, especially about Tris's past when Izzy visits his agent. She thought she knew her husband but now she feels he has been a master of deceit. Her world is falling apart. Her friends all seem to be under suspicion.

As the investigation into Tris's murder continues, the secrets from his past are uncovered. Grudges and lies, resentment and jealousy, all weave their way through a sea of red-herrings and surprises in this emotionally-charged, yet heart-wrenching murder/ mystery.