A throroughly enjoyable read! If you are looking for a story that is easy to get into, but difficult to put down then I recommend this.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Head Books and the author, Neil White, for the opportunity to read The Innocent Ones in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
A really good read.
With plenty of action, twists and turns, it keeps you hooked until the end.
Worth a read if you enjoy this genre.

My thanks to Hera Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Innocent Ones’ by Neil White in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the late feedback.

This is the third and final in his series of legal thrillers featuring criminal defence lawyer Dan Grant and investigator Jayne Brett.

When London journalist, Mark Roberts, is found battered to death in a park in the northern town of Highford, the police quickly arrest Nick Connor, a petty thief. His bloody footprints and a stolen wallet link him to the scene though he claims that he found the body and stole the wallet.

Dan Grant is representing Conner, though it appears to be unlikely given the evidence that he will win this case. Then the victim’s mother approaches him saying that Conner is innocent and begging Dan to find the real killer. Dan calls on Jayne, who returns from Manchester, to assist him.

This proves to be a complex case as Mark was working on a book about a series of child murders in Yorkshire in 1997. A man is serving life for these murders, yet something said during an interview set Mark on a path that led to his own murder.

Neil White is himself a solicitor, specialising in criminal law, and brings his legal
expertise to this novel. It is intelligent, fast paced, and tightly written. I found it very difficult to put down and enjoyed it a great deal.

I hope to read the first two in the series and also will look out for future projects by White.

A great read. A reporter found murdered. A cut and dry perpetrator. The defence tram gave no chance. Or do they? Absolutely brilliant read. Well written with good characters. Keeps you guessing.
4/5 on goodreads and Amazon

The Innocent Ones is the third book in the Dan Grant and Jayne Brett series and they just keep on getting better! I love the relationship between Dan and Jayne and loved every minute of this book. Recommended.

Thrilling story, great plot and characters that keep you guessing right til the end. Great for fans of this genre. Really enjoyable.

I have read the other two books in the trilogy and was keen to get this final part. Jayne and Dan are a perfectly matched duo and I was keen to see where the story took them in this final instalment. It starts with the murder of Mark Roberts who was a journalist and Dan Grant is called in to represent a petty thief accused of the murder.

Meanwhile Jayne is living in a new area and is thoroughly miserable, so when Dan calls her for some help she jumps at the chance. This storyline was my favourite of the bunch and has numerous threads all working to one goal which was to correctly identify the killer. What at first seemed a little muddled ended up being extremely complex with many twists and was highly enjoyable.

Pair that up with two cracking characters and you have a fantastic ending to this brilliant trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed this and although a little sad to read the last part of it, it was finished well and it just makes me want to read more of this authors books.

A great story with plenty of unexpected twists and turns, it starts out with two time periods and no clue at first how they relate to each other. This soon becomes obvious though as Dan and Jayne start to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a journalist, Mark Roberts. Dan is representing Nick Connor who is in custody accused of the journalist’s murder, but the victim’s mother is convinced Nick is innocent and the perpetrator is still free. This is the third and final book in the Dan Grant and Jayne Brett story and it provides an absorbing and satisfying end to the series.

What a fantastic conclusion to Jayne and Dan's story.

A collision between a new murder and a cold case, with some great detecting, some nail-biting scenes, some juicy shenanigans, plenty of wit and some excellent legal knowledge thrown in.

I loved every twisty turny page of it!

A really well written legal thriller. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and the tips of your toes eager to find out what's coming next. Just when I had it all figured out another incident is thrown into the mix so expect many twists and turns. It's elements like this that make this a thumping good read.

Another brilliant book by Neil White. I have read a lot of his books and have never been disappointed. Mark a journalist is killed in a park . The police think they have arrested the right person but have they ? Mark’s mum comes to see Dan to tell him that she doesn’t think Nick is the killer and Mark was writing something big which got him killed . Dan and his investigator Jayne start to look into the case. Plenty of twists and turns right up to the end. A must read

A very interesting read . Twists and turns to keep you engrossed. Wondering which way the author is going to take it. Nice and easy to read. Flows well. Enjoyable to read

The Innocent Ones by Neil White is the third and final installment of a trilogy but, to my mind, it is a gripping stand alone read. Although I have not read the first two books of the series, this one pulled me in immediately and was an addictive thriller.

Solicitor Dan Grant is approached by the mother of journalist and murder victim Mark Roberts. She is convinced that the wrong man has been accused of causing the death of her son. Roberts had been investigating the 1997 murders of two young children when he was murdered, a clear warning to let things lie. Enlisting the help of investigator Jayne Brett, it is up to Dan and his sleuthing assistant to dredge up a case two decades old, all while keeping themselves from becoming further casualties of an unknown killer.

This is a fast-paced, intense, and altogether thrilling read, and I was fully engaged throughout. A well-constructed plot, interesting characters, and compelling twists unite to deliver a thoroughly addictive read. I cannot wait to devour the first two books of this trilogy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

This is my first read from Neil White and I started with the last installment of three. ugh!! I was enjoying it so much I almost stopped to purchase the first in the series. Decided I couldn’t wait and finished this one today. Actually was the best choice I could have made as I now have two more to read! Solid procedural with believable characters you root for.

This had some great surprises!

I’m new to this series but it works as a stand alone. I like the dynamic between Dan and Jayne. The writing is solid and the transition between timelines was handled deftly.

The story takes its time laying down the groundwork and playing around with two plot points. Then things start moving with some red herrings, surprises and things start to line up. This made for an exciting read! And the conclusion? I didn’t see that one coming and it was different which was great fun!

I like this story and would read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Hera Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

I hadn’t realised that it is the third novel in a trilogy, but that didn’t at all dent my enthusiasm as it reads perfectly well as a stand-alone. It’s certainly a very good read.

Our protagonists are lawyer Dan Grant and investigator Jayne Brett. When Mark Roberts, a journalist, is brutally murdered in Highford, petty criminal Nick Connor is arrested pretty quickly. There’s a ton of evidence against him and though he protests his innocence, Dan is having a hard time finding a convincing defence.

But when a surprise visitor to his office casts doubt on Connor’s guilt, Dan is intrigued enough to look into Mark Roberts in more detail and to try and find out what he was working on.

In The Innocent Ones, two plot strands dance around each other until they finally intersect and begin to show a more complete picture. Over two time periods, 1977 and the present day, Dan must make the connection between two child murders, for which a man is serving a jail sentence and the bludgeoning to death of our investigative journalist.

Detective Inspector Andrew Porter, now retired, was the policeman who conducted the original investigation into the child killings and he’s doing all he can to make sure everyone understands that they caught the right man.

There is plenty of action and a lot to admire in this tense legal thriller that beautifully deploys a host of writerly tricks to mislead, deceive and misdirect the reader along a serious of seriously twisty paths.

The Innocent Ones is a book that kept catching me by surprise and held my attention well throughout. Dan and Jayne make for well-drawn, believable characters, and their relationship is another nicely played aspect which adds to the authenticity of the book.

Pacy and with well described locations offering a distinct sense of place, this dark and twisty legal thriller has fairly ramps up the tension to give you all you need for a compelling murder mystery.

Verdict: Twisty, dark and surprising, this is a tense legal thriller to keep you guessing.

A legal thriller combined with some courtroom action and an investigation into an old case? Holy cow, where do I sign up? Right here, that’s where! The Dan Grant trilogy has all that awesomeness and then some. This is one of those series that got me incredibly excited right from the start.

I think you could probably get away with treating The Innocent Ones as a stand-alone but quite frankly, I don’t know why you’d want to. Dan and Jayne are such brilliant characters and I really enjoyed going on this journey with them, watching their characters and relationship develop along the way.

In The Innocent Ones, Dan finds himself defending a client of the murder of journalist/writer Nick Roberts. But when Nick’s mother shows up and claims Dan’s client is innocent, the whole case is thrown into turmoil. Dan calls in the help of his former investigator, Jayne, and they soon discover a trail leading to the murders of two young children way back in 1997. But what is the connection? And why is someone trying to stop them from finding out the truth?

Once again, Neil White comes up with the most intricate and intense plot. Danger lurks around every corner and while every step Dan and Jayne take brings them closer to the truth, someone is trying to stop them at every turn. With quite a few twists and turns, I found it impossible to figure out what was what and Neil White kept me guessing until the end. If for one second I thought I would be able to pick up on clues in the chapters set in 1997, I was quickly proven wrong. But they do turn into quite the dark and disturbing storyline.

There’s so much to love about The Innocent Ones and this series in general : the brilliant pace, the fantastic writing, the intriguing characters, the wonderful setting and the delightful combination between lawyer and detective work, which quite frankly is just the best of two worlds for me.

This third and final instalment in the Dan Grant series is as tense, compelling and gripping as its predecessors. Of course I am sad to see this series come to an end, yet the ending also feels extremely fitting. This entire trilogy has been the most fantastic and thrilling ride and I very much look forward to what’s in store next from Neil White.

The Innocent Ones was published by Hera Books on 24th April and is the third book in the Dan Grant and Jayne Brett series written by Neil White. This, however, is the first book in this particular series that I have read (not the first book I've read by this author, mind you) and it works perfectly well as a standalone. I was given an eARC of The Innocent Ones but this has in no way influenced my review.

When I first agreed to take part in this blog tour there were two things I wasn't aware of. Number one; it's the third book in the series but as I mentioned up there ⬆️⬆️, that really wasn't a problem and I enjoyed it as a standalone.  The second thing; I wasn't aware it was a legal-esque type thriller. Which is daft really as I know author Neil White is a qualified lawyer and it goes to prove that I don't always read the blurb too carefully (plus I've read other books by White and they've been more along the lines of a police procedural).  Again, not a problem for me as I LOVE a legal thriller.

I guess what I'm saying is apart from having read and enjoyed a few other books by White many moons ago, I started The Innocent Ones with no preconceived ideas (just my usual high expectations, lol!).  And I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's was surprising, gripping and beautifully dark.  According to the author's notes at the end of the novel this is the third and final book in the series, which is a shame.  At least I can console myself by reading the first two books in the trilogy.

Defence lawyer, Dan Grant, is tasked with defending low-life local scum, Nick Connor.  But instead of Connor's usual petty misdemeanours, this time the charge is murder.  Journalist Mark Roberts was found bludgeoned to death in the local park and left to die in a congealing pool of blood.  Despite some pretty damning evidence to the contrary, Nick claims he's innocent.  It's a big step though, from theft to murder, and Dan is convinced Connor didn't do it.  Helped by the fact Dan is approached by the mother of the victim who says she believes the wrong man is on trial and she wants Dan and his investigator, Jayne, to find the real killer.  It's not long before Dan and Jayne are digging up a cold case from 20 years ago, upsetting the residents of a small Yorkshire town and discovering that not everything is as it first seems...

I loved Dan and Jayne.  What a team!  There's obviously a fair bit of backstory behind Jayne's past which is one of the reasons I want to read the first two books in this trilogy.  Not knowing the ins and outs didn't hamper my enjoyment though - the author provides new readers with a good overview.  I loved the setting too.  I love small town American mysteries and sometimes find their British counterparts can't really compare.  That's not the case with The Innocent Ones.  I loved the claustrophobia of the two towns, the secrets hidden within the small communities.

Would I recommend this book? I most certainly would.  When I was doing 'real life' I was thinking about the plot and characters, wanting to get back to the story and find out what was going to happen next.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Dan and Jayne and I look forward to making a start on the first book in the trilogy soon.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Innocent Ones.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book was excellently written in my opinion, it had me hooked from the very start and I struggled to put it down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next! A lot of effort has gone into researching this project and its paid off, the writing was descriptive, making you feel you are living the story. Its not just a crime story but a good legal thriller too.

Mark Roberts is a journalist and is found battered to death in a park, he is found early in the morning by a jogger. The police investigated and arrested a guy who had been lurking in the park the evening Mark was killed. He wouldn't say why he was there but proclaimed his innocence. Dan took on the case as he was a defence lawyer and believed the guy was not capable of murder as he was a petty thief. The week before the trial, Mark Roberts mum came to see Dan stating she had information that would help clear his client of the murder charge. Once Dan started looking into this, things started to get really interesting and dangerous.....

The Innocent Ones by Neil White is a highly recommended investigative legal thriller.

Dan Grant, a criminal defense lawyer, and Jayne Brett, a private investigator, are teaming up to look into the murder of London journalist Mark Roberts. Dan is representing Nick Connor, a petty thief who has been charged with Roberts' murder. When the victim's mother comes to Dan and claims that Connor is likely innocent because her son would have been investigating a previous criminal case and the real killer would be associated with whatever Mark was investigating.

Trying to find out what Mark was investigating will allow Dan to find the real perpetrator and get his client off the hook, so he calls in Jayne to help uncover what Mark Roberts was looking for, who he was talking to and, most importantly, why. The case leads back to a series of child murders in Yorkshire over twenty years ago and the man who is in prison for them. Apparently Roberts has uncovered some secrets that have led him to believe the convicted man was innocent. The real trouble is that exposing some secrets can be deadly.

This is a very well written legal thriller with plenty of twists, turns, danger, secrets, and surprises. At the start there are two story lines, both of which are compelling. These merge in the second half of the narrative and the tension rises along with the intrigue. This is the third and final book in the series featuring Dan Grant and Jayne Brett. I haven't read the previous two in the series, From the Shadows and The Darkness Around Her, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of The Innocent Ones.

The characters are well developed, especially as this is the third book featuring them. I didn't feel like I was missing much jumping into book three. The two work well together and have a nice chemistry between them. The action starts slowly at first, but there is plenty of back story being shared and inside information given to the reader. There is evil afoot and it becomes more and more palpable as the investigation and story unfold. Then the narrative and action take off with the twists and discoveries.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Hera Books.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/04/the-innocent-ones.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2802003622
https://www.librarything.com/work/23185992/book/168243581
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