The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne

Daniel is a successful attorney in London specializing in defending juveniles. When he meets Sebastian, an eleven-year-old accused of murdering another neighborhood boy, memories of his own traumatic childhood come to the surface, especially since Minnie, the woman who raised him, has just passed away. Daniel feels protective of Sebastian because he sees the path he could have gone down himself if he didn't have Minnie's love and support. This realization leads Daniel to remember how he severed his relationship with Minnie and never saw her again before she died. Daniel's coming-of-age story with Minnie is alternated with that of his present defense of Sebastian.  The reader learns what happened between Daniel and Minnie and wonders along with him whether Sebastian is guilty of the crime he's on trial for. In The Guilty One, Lisa Ballantyne has written a psychological page turner that's emotional and chilling. I really enjoyed it. For people who enjoy psychological novels with a domestic bent.