The Innocent

Ryan Lock #5

by Sean Black

The fifth novel in the Ryan Lock series of thrillers by Sean Black.
When college basketball coach Malik Shaw goes missing after a family tragedy, it looks like just another retired athlete gone off the rails. But Malik's childhood friend, private security specialist Ty Johnson, quickly begins to suspect that there is more to it.
Chasing the truth, Ty, along with his business partner, Ryan Lock, begin to uncover a sinister conspiracy of silence in a sleepy Minnesota college town.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Ebooks, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

I write the Ryan Lock series of thrillers, which feature ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock and his partner, former Marine, Ty Johnson. The first two books in the series, Lockdown and Deadlock, hit the Official UK Top 50 Bestseller Chart, and the third, Gridlock, has just been released in hardback. They have have also been translated into Dutch, German, and Russian.

I'm a firm believer in hands-on research, also known as 'any excuse to get out of the house', so before I wrote Lockdown, I trained for a month with former members of the Royal Military Police's specialist close protection unit. That turned out to be great preparation for Deadlock, which I researched by spending time inside Pelican Bay Supermax in California (see the TV interview on my author page). I recently completed a desert survival course in Arizona and ventured into the tunnels under Las Vegas, all as preparation for a new standalone thriller I will begin work on once I have completed the fourth Ryan Lock book.

Before I became a full-time novelist, I taught college and wrote television drama. I'm an Oxbridge and Ivy League graduate – try not to hold that against me.

Reviews

[Mike French · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the 3rd Ryan Lock novel I have read and all are 5 stars IMHO! Looking forward to read the rest of series. Best to start at first book in series.

[Book Addict Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often I finish a book and am left wishing that I was better with words, and better at writing how good a book is. Because a book like this deserves a review that does it justice, so I can only try!

I first discovered Sean Black about two years ago when I read the first book in this Ryan Lock series, Lockdown. I read that book in 24 hours and absolutely loved it. Sean writes the sorts of books that once you start them you cannot put them down. In fact Sean is the reason you are reading this review. About a year ago I got an email from Goodreads, 'Sean Black added you as a friend'. I thought 'Yeah, okay...' but it was indeed Sean thanking me for a review of his fantastic book, The Devil's Bounty. It was a great feeling that an author had read and enjoyed one of my reviews and it spurred me on to keep writing them and hopefully sharing them with authors, and so a few months down the line my blog was born.

Anyway back to this book and I read this book, The Innocent in just two sittings. The action just does not let up from the word go, all the cliches of a thriller book apply here: unputdownable, heart-stopping, edge of your seat. Especially towards the end of the book, I could not read quick enough trying to find out how the book was going to end.

A few weeks ago I didn't even know this book existed! I read about it on Twitter and luckily enough Sean kindly sent me a copy. He did however tell me it was different from the other Lock books, I was a bit apprehensive but after just a few chapters I was hooked. The actual opening of the book, and probably the first 35% focuses on Malik. Malik receives a text alerting him to a problem at the college stadium where he is a coach. When he arrives at the college campus he discovers a young boy naked in the showers. A car parked outside takes off, however Malik managed to take a picture on his way in. When speaking with the campus police Malik is told a complete pack of lies regarding the naked boy, evidence from his phone is destroyed and he is offered bribes to keep quiet about what he saw. As the book progresses we see just how far these people will go to keep Malik quiet and I won't ruin it like some other reviewers by telling you what happens!

The writing in this book is just superb. All of Sean's books are highly readable but I just got lost in this book and couldn't read it quick enough. The story was absolutely gripping. From start to finish it really was just an action packed read. After about 50% or so Lock does make an appearance and then goes on to play a major role in the story. After now reading five books featuring Lock and Ty they are two of my favourite fictional duos. You wouldn't think this book was the work of a British writer writing a book set in America, the whole thing felt very authentic and the small Minnesotan town was definitely brought to life. I could go on and on about how fantastic Sean is and how amazing his books are but really the best thing I can say is buy these books, buy them, read them and love them. Sean Black was already one of my favourite authors but this book just places him even closer to the top of the list. I hope we see more from Lock and Ty in the future, even if it's in the form of another short? I just love reading about these two.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are apparently a lot of warped people in this world, what I didn't know is they are all in this novel....

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

brief synopsis:
ty's childhood friend uncovers a case of child sex abuse that upends his life, as well as the whole town's.

setting:
long beach, california
harrisburg, minnesota
new york, new york

named personalities:
tyrone 'ty' johnson - malik's childhood friend
malik 'mr all star' shaw - a former nba player and currently a college basketball team coach
sam - malik's uncle
walker - an lbpd sergeant back in 1999 whom everyone hated
flint - a six-year-old golden retriever
mike browne - one of malik's assistant coaches
keith tromso - an officious overweight asshole; head of campus security
kim shaw - malik's wife
darius - a player on malik's team
landon shaw - malik's athletic son
katy shaw - malik's voracious reader daughter
allan laird - the college chancellor
suzanne - allan's secretary
joe paterno - a penn state coach
patrick ewing - a basketball player
bob lovitz - the director at the time malik was hired
justin bieber - a celebrity with a floppy haircut
jack barnes - a boy whom malik found at the stadium
eve barnes - jack's mother
ryan lock - ty's business partner and friend
kristina makarova - a nine-year-old girl with long curly blonde hair
aubrey becker - the governor's brother
tom becker - the governor
johanssen - a bureau of criminal apprehension detective
gretchen 'pollyanna' becker - aubrey's' wife
eleanor henshall - a neighbor of the shaws
luis salas - a private detective out of minneapolis
joe - a newscaster
sandy - a receptionist
weston reeves - aubrey's gopher
kelly svenson - an officer whom ty mistook for a reporter
dennis lee - a special agent in charge for violent crimes against children
becky coulson - the fbi's legal counsel/media advisor
levon hill - a profiler used by the fbi
raven lane - an adult film star from a previous adventure
jerry sandusky - a penn state predator
carrie - ryan's late fiancee
daniel svenson - kelly's brother

labels:
p86: the pockets on the right side of his jacket were weighted down with coins to conceal the sig sauer 229 holstered on his hip.

narrative:
p200: the alley that ran behind the fast-food restaurant was empty, apart from a few rats foraging for scraps. a cell phone trilled inside on of the restaurant's three dumpsters. the display flashed the word 'lock' on the screen.
finally, the ringing stopped as it defaulted to voicemail. a few minutes later another call came in. still no one answered.
p210: the pre-paid cell phone that lock had given malik sat on a chipped night-stand that was bolted to the wall.

that gaff in the narrative is way out of left field, i think.
otherwise, this one is superb.

[Doug Branscombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that loosely parallels the Penn State / Jerry Sandusky scandal, set in a small D3 college in MN with a former NBA player as the coach who finds a young boy alone in the shower after he receives a cryptic text late one night. When he starts asking questions, he's steered away from the obvious conclusion but he can't leave it alone. Things get violent and complicated.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malik Shaw and Tyrone Johnson were childhood friends from the Long Beach ghetto. Both grew into successful lives, Malik, after a brief career as a pro basketball player, as a coach in a small college in Minnesota and Ty as a partner in a firm that offers protection to the wealthy and celebrated.

Malik, one night, discovers a young boy who had been obviously abused in the locker room and, after reporting it to the campus police and Chancellor begins to investigate the situation. This leads to the execution of his wife and children. Ty is called in and brings his partner, Ryan Lock.

There is lots of action in this well written thriller and it is filled with characters, both good and bad, that will intrigue the reader. Good reading.

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5 stars) the plot dragged on and opportunities to explore social justice and equality were missed. (Malik is black living in a smaller college town and set up for murder after he stumbled into a (white) political figure committing crimes) it became painfully obvious the author couldn't write a black character or the racist / conspiracy or truly capture the level of danger and unfairness Malik would face inside the justice system, even one that didn't have additional setup/corruption. Other books in the series might be okay, but I won't try them.

[Linda Lpp · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this book is creeping me out. Up to 2/3 into the book, and sense from previous Sean Black books there is alot more in store.
As expected....book ended with a catch your breath drama.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a Ryan Lock fan from the very start and have always enjoyed his adventures unfortunately The Innocent just didn't do it for me.

The main reason for this is that Lock takes a back seat and this is more an TY (Locks Partner) adventure, The story is solid the writing is first class as always all the characters are well fleshed out.
One for the fans of Blacks works but not for me.

Not worth your time or money only for fans of TY.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & All Night Books for the ARC.
I happy to see that there was a 5th Ryan Lock book & it didn't disappoint. Sean Black's writing had me totally gripped from the outset & kept me hooked until the very end.

[Rica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive

Propulsive plot. Believable characters. Better-than-average writing.

Kept my interest throughout, and left me wanting more of these guys.

My only quibble was that the switching between British and U.S. usage nearly gave me whiplash. The novel is set in Minnesota, but the punctuation conventions (single quotation marks around dialogue; no period after the abbreviation "Mr") suggest a U.K. publisher.

Fair enough. But although U.S. spelling and usage (for example, "check" instead of "cheque") has been followed in some spots, many passages contain obvious Britishisms ("torch" rather than "flashlight" represents just one example). Sometimes the usage is mixed: "parking lot" (US) and "car park" (UK) appear within the same paragraph. I found this somewhat distracting. Made me wonder whether author Sean Black is, like Lee Child (to whose Jack Teacher series Blacks Ryan Lock books have been compared), a British man who writes about U.S. characters and settings. Or is he an American whose British publisher did an inadequate (and wholly unnecessary) job of "translating" the novel into British English for publication outside the U.S.

Whatever the case, the mish-mash took me out of the story, and caused me to dock a star from this review. Many--maybe even most--readers probably either won't notice or won't be bothered by such inconsistencies, though.

I'll definitely read more in this series.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced thriller, which I enjoyed in the beginning, as I liked the character of Malik. Ultimately, however, the novel was too violent, bloody and gory for me. There were some careless mistakes too by the author. Malik supposedly threw his cellphone in a dumpster, so why did Ty find a mobile phone in Malik's hotel room when Ty came looking for him? Why did one bad guy have a New Hampshire driver's license when he had been living in Minnesota for 25 years, even attended high school in Harrisburg? Why didn't the campus police chief recognize who Karen was, even after all these years? Finally, it suspended disbelief that these two private investigators, Ty and Ry, seem to have so much pull with the FBI. I doubt I will read more in the series.

[Anne O'NEILL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent plot, economic and powerful use of language to convey the depths of depravity and destruction by evil and powerful individuals on the vulnerable and innocent. Riveting to the end. Well worth burning the Midnight Oil for.

Excellent reading. Economic and powerful use of language and plot to convey the depths of depravity and destruction by evil and powerful individuals perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent. Well worth burning the Midnight Oil for. Housework can wait.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond damaged

A suspenseful story about the permanent damage that perverted sexual abuse leaves in the victims. Hiding behind wealth, privilege, and a badge or political office the perverts never expected to be caught, much less punished. Malik's family was destroyed because he had the courage to stand up for the victims and not back down when the chancellor tried to bribe him into silence. As much as this reader hates violence, especially gun violence and vigilanty justice, I must admit to feeling satisfaction at the ending to this story.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read but not the fast paced, action packed rollercoaster ride I was expecting from this series as this tale moves at a much more sedate pace. It's a good third through before Ty ....& later Lock....really make a contribution to the storyline about a conspiracy in a Minnesota college & even then it isn't going to have you on the edge of your seat. For me, it was missing the thrills & spills of the four previous books & the camaraderie between Ty & Lock seemed to be a bit lacking too.

Things end with an epilogue that I found unnecessary & it missed a chance to tie up a couple of loose ends with regards to two of the characters. Instead their fate remains a mystery to me...

Overall, it's a decent read but my least favourite of the series so far.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with Sean Black and the Ryan Lock series. This book has three principal characters, so the action and POV moves around. It's a very good book, understated in view of the violence and subject matter. But it's hard-boiled in the best way. There's a character and plot point that seems contrived but it doesn't take away from the novel's impact and effectiveness.The strength of the bond between the characters is clear and authentic.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a relative newcomer to Sean Black's work and this series of books I have to say that I am really enjoying those that I have read. This particular title (#5 in the series) has for me been, without a shadow of a doubt, the best so far. The subject matter is dealt with well and is sensitively handled. It is some time since the closing chapters of any book have kept me so engrossed and eager to reach the climax. No problems recommending this to others.

[Sotolf Flasskjegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,49 stars, I really did enjoy big parts of this book, it's quality pulp action, and it's entertaining and a breezy read. It has some issues with pacing though, the intro is a bit too long, and it gets really over the top towards the end. That being said, I really did enjoy the book, and I was positively surprised over how well some quite heavy themes were tackled. A quality entertaining book that really is worth your time if you want a thriller.

[Sandra Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read, if you like action, you will love this book.

Two childhood friends. Now grown up, one a coach at a college. The other, working security jobs, for high profile people. The coach, finds a naked child, in the locker room. In turn, the coach starts an investigation. Seems like the pedophilia was an open secret. The coach, lost more than he bargained for, finding out the truth.

[Gustambro · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read, nice way of describing the story via first Ty's friend and then bring the dual into the picture. A bit disappointed though, with Lock that after he figured out who the culprit was, he couldn't have guessed where he would be considering the incident right before where he was shooting a bunch of people with a rifle. A bit amateur but then again even the FBI was rubbish at the whole investigation...

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the story, not the high body count

Sad story about the way child sexual abuse claims so many victims, with too many people not looking hard enough at what they see, and others aiding and abetting by doing nothing. I liked the characters of Ryan and Lock and will most likely read more in the series. There were a few proofreading problems, but nothing major.

[Blair H. Prigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!

A well written story considering the actual events that have occurred in the last few years. The characters were so real. Each character was brought to life so that you were drawn into the story and the pages fly by even faster. I will definitely read more by this author.

[Joe Vitucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm thinking Minnesota gets a bad rap in this book, with most of the cops seemingly not very innocent, and many others looking the other way so as not to be involved. The author pointed out that so many people will do the letter of the law, but nothing else, as done by the head of the college people in this book. I will read more in the Ryan Lock series and other books by Sean Black.

[Gail Mchugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals with pedophilia. This grossly horrific deed stacks right up there with the worst imaginable. My heart went out to Malik. The old adage 'truth is stranger than fiction' is quite frightening when put up against this book. If truth can be worse than this what kind of a world do we live in. On that terrible not I have to say I love Ty Johnson and Ryan Lock.

[Ruben Zamorano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story from beginning to end!

A small midwestern basketball coach gets a late nigh text message that begins this tale. The story that follows is quite believable and timely. This Sean Black book must be recognized for what it is; a call to action against predators of children.

[Stefano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the among the best in the series. It's nice to see Ty getting a more prominent role, but the book desperately lacks some development in the other characters.
The pace was somewhat weird, very quick at times and indulging in basically meaningless details at others. The end seemed quite rushed, as well.

[Debra Mackowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story about sexual predators in a college setting using sports to attract young boys.

Very sickening story yet it sounds real when compared to real life events. Too many predators are out there in real life. Parents need to pay more attention to their children. This story could easily be true. So sad this happens to many boys today.

[Valérie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peut-être un des meilleurs de cette série avec une mise en valeur de Ty c’est fois-ci. C’est son passé qui va le conduire à aider un ami et se retrouver dans une petite ville qui n’a de propre que son apparence.

Argent, pouvoir, perversité et racisme sont les clés de ce récit mené tambour battant.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spent ages for my library to get this as I was desperate to read it only to find out I'd brought it months ago on my Kindle and it did not disappoint. Love the characters and what they stand for can't wait to read the next in the series.

[Robert Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful

I enjoyed this story. It has plenty of twist but written well so you won't get lost. The author has a way of putting you in the role of the main character so that you feel his outrage and sorrow.