Rating: 3.2/5

Presented in six parts, "A Lesson in Cruelty" initially tells the stories separately of three women: Anna, who has been serving time in prison, but is due to be released on parole; Lucy, a talented and ambitious law student, but who is unhealthily enamoured with her college professor; and Marie who has been leading a secluded existence in Scotland. Each of the three strands could potentially be a story in its own right, but the reader knows that they will prove to be somehow interconnected - because that's just how these things work in fictional literature.

For the first two-thirds of this novel I was absolutely hooked. Yes, there were some aspects that required me to grant the author some artistic licence, but I was more than happy to do so, because it was making for compelling reading and there was a palpable sense of drama and tension developing - particularly in the threads relating to Anna and to Lucy. The third string of the plot, featuring Marie, was harder to swallow, but I was prepared to overlook that for the sake of the novel as a whole.

Disappointingly, in the final third, the tight execution of the story really did start to unravel. Plot developments seemed rushed in this closing section and the resolution to the mystery was just too convenient, too contrived and stretched credulity beyond the acceptable parameters of dramatic fiction. This was such a pity after all the positive aspects there had been during the build up, with so much tension and excitement being created. Overall, "A Lesson in Cruelty" is still an enjoyable read, but if the earlier quality level had been maintained throughout, then it would have been even better.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Harriet Tyce has an amazing talent of making her characters literally jump off the pages, this book being no exception. This is the type of thriller that you will definitely leave you breathless!

I usually enjoy books with multiple perspectives/narrators but I found that in this book, they only confused me. And while the reveal about two thirds of the way through, when the three perspectives coalesce and come together, was satisfying, it only heralded a particularly far-fetched and unsatisfying final third. Not a book for me, I’m afraid.

I liked this book althought the beginning was a little long winded and took me a while to get into.
I liked the way the chapters alternate between Anna, Lucy and Marie, and you spend time wondering how they are all connected before the story unfolds.
A good thriller.

I loved this creepy somewhat thriller and it was completely unexpected!
Wow this author is amazing and I have read everything they write, I will be picking up the next one

Not one of my favourite books unfortunately, I struggled to get into the storyline or gel with the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishers for this ARC, just sorry I didn't enjoy it more

A web of lies and deceit, unfolding into an even more confusing finale. This story built well with several different stories happening at once. However things got a bit silly once they all came together and the ending felt hurried and over complicated. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

Oh how I enjoyed this story of treachery, fear, desperation and, for one woman, lust - and I haven't even touched the surface with those. I've loved Harriet Tyce's novels from the beginning, and this latest is as highly original, deeply enthralling and entirely captivating as I could want in a thriller.

We follow three women's lives through vicarious circumstances and watch as they choose the path to take. Do they have a choice? How did they arrive at that point in the first place? The hints are there and we're encouraged to follow the links - how are the three connected? It's a very clever tale indeed and I'd suggest the darkest from the author's pen, to date. There is some pitch perfect character observation which I enjoy so much with Harriet Tyce's work, which frankly means some of the people who carry the story forward are not always very likeable - just how it should be. An intriguing, extremely clever and thoroughly enjoyable read, and considerably darker than anticipated.

I have read all of the author books and this one is my favourite so far, I read this book before christmas 2023 and nearly a month later I am still thinking of this story and characters in a good way as this book takes you on so many twist and turns , wow that ending without giving any spoilers away I did not see the ending coming and I was gripped by the story of the book the whole way through

This book need to be adapted for Netflix as it so good and would make amazing movie or tv show

I have pre-ordered this book so I can add it to my collection of the authors work

I wish the author all the best with this book and I hope it sells lots of amazing books and gets on best selling list

I wish I could give this book 20 out of 20 stars as I would if I could as i loved this book so much

Many thanks to Wildfire and Netgalley for allowing me to read arc of this book before it gets published

A cleverly written thriller, with three women telling their stories throughout the book.
The chapters alternate between Anna, Lucy and Marie, and you know it's only a matter of time before their stories become intertwined, but at the beginning of the story I thought it a little complicated before it started to come together as I read on.
A well thought out thriller.

Couldn't get into this book. I got a few chapters in but it just didn't grip me. I wonder if I just wasn't in the right mood for a dark read, and so I will give it another try later on and update with a review if I change my mind on it. Thanks for the chance to read.

As a fan of Harriet Tyce's previous works, I was really looking forward to her new one, and from the very beginning, I found myself totally captivated by the intriguing and compelling storyline that kept me guessing until the very end. In my humble opinion this is another winner from this highly talented author!!!

This was a really twisted tale that just kept getting weirder. When Anna wakes up on what should have been her last day in prison she finds her unexpected cellmate dead and she is taking in for questioning when she is finally released she is in for even more strife and starts to fear she may well be in danger on the outside is someone after revenge for what she did. As she accepts help from a strange things get even more dangerous and it’s a race against time to find out what is going on.

An exceptionally clever, original and well written and plotted psychological thriller which brings together the lives of four women whose stories intertwine and connect as the plot develops.

Initially hard to follow the story given all the different characters, things become far clearer and your concentration and patience is fully rewarded by the end.

This is a new author to me. The story involves four women from very different backgrounds, how they respond to one man (Edgar) and the eventual untangling of their lives. The book starts in distinct parts which don’t seem to make much sense. For this reason, it is quite slow at the beginning. Once the scene is set though, the story rattles along. The ‘lesson in cruelty’ of the title could refer to several strands of the story. I enjoyed the book once I had got passed to slow start and will now look out for more by the author. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a prepublication ebook in return for an honest review.

This certainly stood out from most other books over read! I've very cleverly written and you do have to really pay attention or you'll easily get lost, especially in the 1st half before things start to connect up. The characters were brought to life really well and each had their own story to tell. They're all very human and real! I did get a but lost once or twice but I soon righted myself again! Well written, captivating and complex. I really enjoyed it

I can't make my mind up about this book. This first half was confusing. I usually love multiple POVs but I found this hard to follow. The second half was better, when things started to connect.

I have really enjoyed a previous novel by Harriet Tyce so was really looking forward to this and the beginning of the book had me completely hooked. I was intrigued by Anna and keen to find out what was going on with her and the ( no spoilers!) situation that she found herself in on her final night in prison.
The plot got very busy quickly and we had several threads running through the novel which gradually began to come together. Women are at the forefront of this novel and portrayed in a much more three dimensional way than the men. However, if we are to know anything about the author of this book, it is to assume nothing....!
There were a couple of things that I found just a little too neat and on those occasions, I lost my immersion in the narrative but overall this a multi-layered and interesting read and I will look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Headline for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

I adore Harriet Tyce - Blood Orange being one of my all time favourite reads- so I was excited to read her latest book and it did not disappoint. Intriguing from the off and with the book split into parts from different points of views you can’t quite work out how it will all come together, but it is brilliantly executed as everything slots into place. The storyline is very complex but at the same time compelling and the latter part of the book is excellent as it reaches a fascinating conclusion. Another winner from this very talented author

The multiple view points left me rather confused. The book did not seem to flow well for me at all. I felt disappointed at the end.