I really enjoyed reading The Child Who by Simon Lelic and will definitely be looking out for more of Simon’s books!

The book focuses on the ‘aftermath’ of a terrible crime committed by a young boy. The boy is just over the age of criminal responsibility and the question I was constantly asking myself is presumably the question on everyone else’s lips when reading it. Should the boy be tried as an adult? I was also wondering……Was he completely to blame? Should his background be taken into consideration? Is it right for the solicitor to ‘feel sorry’ for the boy? Should I be feeling sorry for him?

I don’t want to go into too much detail here and divulge all the nitty-gritty of the plot so it’s difficult to say much more really. But, if the James Bulger trial and its aftermath had you wondering how ‘children’ who commit crimes should be treated, then I can promise you that ‘The Child Who‘ will have you questioning the legal process in the same way too! It’s a gripping book which to be honest I didn’t want to end as I knew the next book I had lined-up wasn’t going to be so good.

I have just given the book to one of my daughters to read. She happens to be studying Criminology & Criminal Justice so it will be interesting to hear what she has to say.