I have no idea where to begin with my review of this book. I guess I could start by saying, please go in as blind as you can. Not much is as it seems.
We have Anna, an ex-convict, recently released who just wants her life back. We also have Lucy who is besotted with her Uni Prof, now that never ends well. And then there's Marie who is a bit of a recluse, living in the middle of nowhere with a companion.
More than that I can't really say without spoilers. But it is all connected somehow... you just have to read the book, suspend belief, and go with the flow. Sit back and relax, you're in for a bit of a wild, convoluted, interconnected ride, destined to thrill...
And I did, and I was, and it was great! Mostly, with just a few niggles and eye rolls along the way. But a lot of fun too. It's quite character driven too and the three main characters all manage to pull it off quite successfully. Especially given the nature of the complex plot they have to enact. I spent the first part of the book trying to second guess how these women, even IF these women would connect. And then, once it all started to come together, I was bombarded with hit after hit, shock after twist, all perfectly foreshadowed, kicking myself for what I didn't see coming!
And the ending, when it eventually came was sublime...
All in all, another winner from an author already cemented on my watch list, with a rather impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Sadly a DNF for me and I loved the authors previous books
For me parts just did not make sense and i had no idea what was happening,ie the nettle soup etc the parts I did i found hard going
Look forward to the authors next book

An interesting read which I found strange to begin with. I learnt a lot about one person and found myself invested in what was happening to them when suddenly it switched to another and then another and I honestly had no clue what was going on and how it would all come together.

It did all merge together eventually though but I still found myself feeling confused and even more so by the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book, although not my favourite from this author it was still a good read. Characters were well written and storyline was good. Multiple timelines threw me a little and I struggled to get into it properly but that was on me. Thanks for the opportunity.

Three women leading totally separate lives, that is until they collide. Anna has just been released from prison after a sentence for drink driving, Lucy is in love with her university professor and Marie is living on a remote island in Scotland. The story is told from each of their perspectives as it builds up until the three stories entangle each other.

I was originally drawn into this book as I have enjoyed previous books by this author and the blurb sounding interesting. However, I feel with three strands the plot was so disjointed it didn’t make a lot on sense and wasn’t an easy book to get in to. The story was actually really strange and none of the characters were easy to follow or invest in. I was hoping that the ending would redeem this book and the way the three women came together would tie the plot together. Sadly, it didn’t and just added to the whole confusion I had about this book.
Not a book that I would recommend, unlike the previous books by this author.

This is a very intricate story, very cleverly plotted!

I started reading with no expectations, without reading the blurb, and I felt lost for a while... which I have to say was a great feeling, because my brain went wild trying to come up with theories on how the different subplots could be connected. I didn't come even close to the truth.
When things started to fit together it was a great feeling, to be able to revisit events in the light of the connections added a new dimension to an already very good story.

Where the book fell a bit short in my opinion is that some of the twists (especially the last one) were a bit far fetched, and I was hoping for something a bit different, less coincidental. I was hoping Kelly's story would be developed a bit more, because I got very invested in that at the beginning.

All in all, a book I would recommend to people who love thrillers.

When I say this novel is head-turning and page-turning, I mean only positive things. My head spun at the intricately pitched plot which sees the reader introduced to Anna – who’s spent three years behind bars and is now released – Lucy – wanting the attention of her Oxford professor – and Marie – the recluse, who isn’t ready for freedom. Their stories blend but not in the ways you’d expect, as Harriet skillfully creates a story that keeps you on your toes throughout. There’s also plenty of twists and turns to make you question your allegiances to the characters… because there will be allegiances. If you haven’t read any of Harriet’s books, make it a 2024 goal to do so. There’s such character development in all of them and of course, being in the psychological thriller genre, will make you feel a bit unsettled in an entirely satisfying way.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 14th April. Harriet Tyce does it again this book was extremely captivating and really hard to put down I loved it!

My favourite character was Anna as I felt sorry for her initially at the start of the book. The book focuses on Lucy, Anna and Marie who all have their own story to tell I was very invested!

Overall, a skilful plot with many tiers and turns! 😊

A Lesson in Cruelty by Harriet Tyce ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A fabulous book. Great writing. At the beginning you follow 3 separate stories, Anna Lucy and Marie … and just wonder how this is going to come to together…. But it does! And you don’t see it coming …. It twists and turns, it’s a book you need to concentrate on but I loved it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all books by this author.

This is a stunning thriller, I am in awe of the way the story, which seemed to be 3 separate stories, were seamlessly wove together with such impact.
I have loved all of this authors books, they never leave you short and are written with such style.
This book starts with Anna who is in her last night of prison when her new cellmate commits' suicide - Anna is wracked with guilt as she feels she wasn't there for the woman emotionally who was on her first night of prison.
From this story fans out to encompass Anna's attempts to get to the bottom of why the woman left her mobile phone under Anna's pillow the night she died.
Twisting, turning, shocking
This is a thrilling top notch read.

This book stumped me at first, when I started reading, following Anna’s story I was so invested, but then it switched to Lucy, the plot didn’t align and there was no direct link- ok well maybe it will. Then we are introduced to Marie, at this point I thought I was reading three separate short stories as I simply could not imagine how it could come together.

Ha, how silly of me. In true Harriet Tyce fashion the plots intertwine in a way I could never have conjured in my own mind. The fact the story switched between these three ladies benefitted in character development, I as the reader had no question about who they were or their motivations.

Once I got the flow of the book and started to understand the link I was beyond invested and practically read this book in one sitting.

If you want a read that’s going to give you all the twists possible, this might just be for you!

This is one of those books that is difficult to review, because I have no strong feeling one way or the other about it.
I have read two other Harriet Tyce books, Blood Orange (which was a five star read) and It Ends At Midnight (which was a two star read) and this one fell right in the middle.
One thing I did like about this book was how the story was told in parts with each part following a different character until they all collided together. I liked this because you really got to know each of them individually. Because of the way it was told, at times I did feel like I was reading a short story collection.
All three characters were well defined and because they all had a different story to tell, it kept things interesting and made me keep reading.
The writing style had me invested, I liked all three women and I was intrigued as to how they were going to be drawn together.
When that happened it did feel slightly unbelievable and over the top. It also felt slightly overly complicated to me which felt unnecessary.
This was an enjoyable read that I did like but I didn't love.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I struggled with this. The character jumps and the whole coincidence of everything being connected was just a step too far for me.

I have read and loved other novels by Harriet Tyce but sadly this one just wasn’t for me.

I was enjoying the book when it was focussed on Anna. Then we were introduced to Lucy, a section on CCTV and then finally Marie. It felt like the book had been about Anna but then it felt forever until we picked up her story again. I skim read a lot of the CCTV section and Marie section.
The ending then became a bit bity. It was like I’d skipped chapters but I hadn’t, we were just being told about events after they had apparently happened. It started out strong but not one I’d recommend.

I normally love the authors books I have read two of her others but this one is a bit mixed to be honest. I found the plot good but sometimes distracting, the story seemed a bit long and didn't grip me unfortunately. I'm sure I'll be in the minority but this one I didn't love unlike her other books and it just couldn't match up for me.
Thanks to netgalley and the publistfor this arc.

In this latest offering from Harriet Tyce 3 women who seemingly have nothing in common end up working together to solve a few mysteries with one man being the common denominator
Told in 6 parts I will admit to being slightly confused while reading the first half of the book as I couldn't see where the story was taking me but once I'd gone beyond 60% everything seemed to slot into place and I raced through the rest.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 4*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 5*
Pace: 4*
Characters: 3*
Concept: 3*

The first 50% of this book read like 3 completely seperate, short stories, or at least the start of them. I couldnt for the life of me work out how this story fitted together, how the stories were to be linked further on, but I had faith in the author to hit us with that show stopping twist I previously know her for. And as amazing as it was to see it all come together, something was missing for me, and at the end of the story I am still wondering about a few things. But regardless of my small brain, how authors come up with these stories, that by the end of the book all parts seamlessly come together is beyond me and I'm in awe! If you like a twisty who-dun-it then this will be the book for you. I'm going to read anything sent my way by this author, shes an amazing writer and her books are super entertaining.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

This is my first Harriet Tyce book. I did have a copy of Blood Orange once but didn't get round to reading it, and then it mysteriously disappeared, so who knows.

We follow three different women: Anna, Lucy, and Marie.

We meet Anna in Part 1 when she is released frrom jail. She is quite strong but I wondered if that was all a front. My immediate feeling was she had this hard outer shell developed whilst inside, but she had a soft interior that just needed love to help break through to it.

We then meet Lucy in Part 2. In love with her University Professor. I actually felt quite sorry for her. You wonder if she's dangerous, waiting to make her move, but I think she's just caught up in the idea of a romance, and I felt she was quite harmless, but naïve.

And then we meet Marie in Part 3. She was very much an enigma. I didn't know what to make of her to begin with, and for quite a while to be honest, but she settled into the story for me by the end.

There are lots of other characters, including Tom, Anna's lawyer, who was really caring and trustworthy and I really liked him. I am impressed by Harriet's ability to create three very separate main characters, and then somehow make them work together. It's fantastic to see how her mind works, fitting all these threads together and surprising the reader.

I was worried I'd get a bit confused by the various women, names flying about, how they all related, but it was instantly recognisable and I had no issue with it. I like that the women are front and centre. There are a handful of male characters, some nicer than others, and some more involved than others, but they fade to the background really with how powerful the female characters are written - even if they're not the nicest people.

There are also two mysterious narratives among the main storyline. There's one about two unidentified women, their fights over alcohol dependency, and the other showing the inner thoughts of an obsessed woman. They help tease of what's still to come from the book.

The amount of work and time it must have taken Harriet to get all the threads written down and tied up, first singularly and then together. It is very impressive!

I mean, traditionally, or stereotypically, however you want to view it, criminals tend to be men, especially serious criminals. But in fiction, it tends to be the other way round. And Harriet's done a marvellous job of creating three very different and yet very together female characters, all with a certain amount of criminality in them - either literally or figuratively.

It is such an addictive book. I read half of it before I went to bed one night and finished the second half as soon as I woke up. It's so good. I've read so many thrillers recently and whilst most of them have been really good, you think it can't be possible to keep having good ones, for them to be fresh and original and surprising. Surely all the twists are done. But this was as original and thrilling as any I've read.

Whilst it is an entertaining thriller, there are some important topics in it, none more so than the idea of whether prison works, or if it works as it is now. Are we really rehabilitating criminals? Are we making them 'better' people? How do we punish criminals? Should it be up to us who gets punished? Who gets to play God and decide what happens to everyone? It's a difficult tightrope to balance on.

It is a very busy book. There is a lot going on. Not only in the three main stories, but many other things as well. Is there potentially too much going on? Perhaps. It works, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but part of me wishes it was a bit more streamlined perhaps. But it's fantastic as it is. So I'm going to say if I had to give it a star rating, which I don't usually, this would get a 4.5 out of 5. It is complex and exhilarating and a thrilling ride.

Harriet will definitely be on my list of thriller authors to look out for. I'll have to get my hands on a copy of Blood Orange again, and this time, keep hold of it and read it!

This one took me a little while to get into, I think because it took a while for each character to get their “first part/introduction” - but once I met all 3 women, I flew through the book!

I was completely gripped & couldn’t wait to pick it up. I knew the 3 women’s stories would all come together eventually but I couldn’t figure it out AT all. All the pieces were there but I just couldn’t put them together - which is a sign of a good thriller to me!

I do wish we had known a little bit more about Maria as I felt her character was a complete mystery!

Harriet Tyce is extremely skilled at writing female characters with terrible character flaws that you can't help liking. This is cleverly written, a complex story involving multiple women all in the orbit of one man- Edgar the charismatic criminology expert. How the lives and circumstances of the different women entwine is really intruguing- an ex-con, a masters student, a wife...it's so gripping. It was a 1 sitting read for me and definitely my favourite book of hers.