A lesson in cruelty is a lesson that not everything is what it seems in this story!

Intensely well written and with fantastic characters. I highly recommend reading this!

What a story this was.

Anna is due to be released from prison when a series of events occur that are seemingly unrelated.

Lucy has a crush on her professor and is determined to curry favour with him with her life story, including her personal experiences of prisons.

Rachel is a loving mother who works with people in need, including those who are homeless.

Three different women, whose lives are about to cross.

I did enjoy this book and couldn’t wait to find out what happened at the end.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely something a bit different in the genre, and it had some good twists and turns to it. The characters were well fleshed out and interesting to read about. The ending was satisfying and there weren't any loose ends.

This wasn't quite a 5 star read for me as I didn't love the structure - I think the opening sections to introduce each of the three characters went on for too long. It would be ok if you read the book in one sitting but as I read it over a few days, I'd almost forgotten Anna's section by the time we got back to her. The last third of the book when all the characters came together was by far the best part in my opinion.

A Lesson in Cruelty starts with Anna, who has reached the end of her prison sentence but still feels that she deserves to be punished. While Anna tries to make a fresh start, her story is interspersed with brief snippets from two other plots. In one, a woman watches as the man she feels she ought to be with chooses another woman over her. In the other, two women fight and struggle against themselves as much as each other. Three distinctive storylines gradually begin to emerge, and when they finally come together the consequences will be devastating.

This is a difficult book to summarise without giving too much away, and I loved trying to work out how the different plots fit together. Each of the book's three main plots are worthy of a story of their own, as each not only forms a thrilling mystery, but also deals incisively with some incredibly important issues. A Lesson in Cruelty is particularly interested in the failings of the British prison system, and I loved the way Harriet Tyce writes about this, in a way that feels true to life but also crucial to the story. But I was also impressed with how Tyce writes about a relationship between a student and her professor in a way that felt fresh and real.

A Lesson in Cruelty wasn't quite a five-star read for me, because it took me a little while to get into the story. I personally would have preferred the book to alternate between its three main plots, rather than initially dealing with each in turn and at length, but that's my personal preference. And as much as I loved the way the plots came together at the end - and I really did love this part of the book - I was a little unconvinced by how reliant on coincidences the story becomes as a result. But I couldn't put this one down once I'd reached the last third, and I found the ending incredibly satisfying. Harriet Tyce remains one of my go-to authors, especially for page-turning thrillers with a legal twist.

This was another great read from Harriet Tyce.I was intrigued to know where the story was going and when all the plot lines emerged into one it lead to a very clever storyline with an interesting collection of characters..
This pulled me in from the first page and kept me in its hold till the end.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Thanks to netgalley and Headline Books for the ARC.

Ever since Blood Orange, one of my favourite thrillers, I've eagerly read every new book by Harriet Tyce.

A Lesson In Cruelty starts with three different strands, each with it own characters and different settings. I say 'starts' but it's a good way into the book before any connections are drawn. Each of the three strands starts with one lengthy chunk. I didn't really like this structure.

The strand starting with Anna spending her last night in prison before her release was definitely my favourite.

When the strands finally start to weave together it captured my interest, 'Here we go!', I thought...but my interest wavered again.

An interesting structure, but I wasn't really captivated by most of the characters or events.
Sorry to say this wasn't really one for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline

This is a difficult book to review without spoilers, so I will start by saying that the author is unusually gifted at keeping multiple balls up in the air.

There are three storylines covered here, and it is quite some time before the linkages between them become clear. For me, that was one of the few criticisms I would make of this dark and compelling novel.

Having said that, I am well aware that other readers may in fact love the apparent randomness of these three stories which - after a long, slow burn - fuse together with shocking suddenness.

So, we start with Anna, who is being released from prison after serving a sentence for drunk driving and reckless endangerment which nearly cost a child his life. She almost finds her sentence extended after her new (overnight) cellmate is found dead, and Anna is under suspicion for her murder.

Meanwhile, young Lucy is on the verge of having an affair with her college professor at Oxford, who is her academic idol and considered to be a cutting edge thinker in terms of prison reform. Unfortunately, Lucy would not be the first student to lose her mind over this particular teacher...

And then there are the two nameless women imprisoned at an isolated location and continuously monitored by CCTV. But who is responsible for their incarceration, and why are they being watched?

Harriet Tyce has once again delivered an intriguing, complex, and above all compelling story that includes some interesting social commentary on the treatment of prisoners and the nature of imprisonment, as well as weaving together three diverse narratives to create a truly thrilling novel, which is also a novel type of thriller. It gets 4.5 stars.

A terrific read from Harriet Tyce. A twisty revenge story that kept me engrossed throughout. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy. Easy five stars from me.

Harriet Tyce is known for her dark and intelligent thrillers and A Lesson in Cruelty certainly doesn't disappoint.
This is one to keep you on your toes with seemingly 3 separate storylines for much of the book..and all hell let loose when they knit together.

On the eve of Anna being released from prison a last minute cell mate doesn't survive the night and she's suspected of murder.
Young student Lucy has idolised and fantasised about her married Oxford Professor for years and finally it seems her dreams will come true.
Meanwhile, somewhere, 2 women are being monitored and manipulated and threatening notes are being delivered.

This is gripping stuff that keeps the reader on their toes,I had no idea where it was going until after halfway through when the various threads come together and what has been an interesting read becomes a compulsive one and Harriet Tyce floors the throttle.
A great read with a diverse and interesting range of characters,Anna in particular is someone I'd love to read more about in future books.
Classy stuff,a great thriller,well written with a bit of social commentary and plenty of surprises.

I have read many other books by Harriet Tyce and as always she manages to get me hooked and immersed in the book immediately.. Definitely recommended!