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.

‘Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’

INSIDE- is Anna Flynn who is leaving prison tomorrow with all her worldly goods packed in a clear plastic bag. It’s been ‘home’ for three years after a split second decision that leads to her world spinning out of control. She barely remembers the Anna of before as she has richly deserved harsh words constantly ringing in her ears and thoughts that haunt her, these will be a life sentence. As she leaves prison is it a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire?

OUTSIDE is Lucy who is studying for a Masters degree in law with an Oxford professor who it’s fair to say she’s obsessed with, as it’s his lectures she is most looking forward to. He’s married of course, not for the first time either. Also outside in reclusive isolation in Northern Scotland is Marie and her situation is unusual to say the least.

Three women, three storylines, do they connect? If so how and what will be the consequences?

I love the way Harriet Tyce writes, the way she draws you into intriguing plot webs, the way she gets you to ask multiple questions, the way she has you trying to observe the breadcrumbs dropped enticingly which of course leads to her delivery of a knockout psychological thriller. She is one of those authors who has you reflecting, for example in this book on characters current situations versus the old, also to weigh up the flaws in the legal system which gives her so much scope when creating a novel like this one. There are some very good descriptions that give different sensations such as a sense of unmooring or unreality, the fascinating vibes emanating from characters and as the novel progresses it becomes almost febrile, weird, distinctly messed up and increasingly dangerous. Whatever do these characters step into??? That would be telling!

The characterisation is very good, although you know Anna has done wrong, you root for her, Lucy’s obsession leaps off the pages ad as far r Marie, I’ll say little as therein lies the rub.

The settings in Oxford and Scotland are excellent choices as they not only give a great atmospheric backdrop but the beauty is such a contrast to the propulsive and well paced plot. The tension builds and builds and at times I feel as if I’m in a pressure cooker about to blow. I enjoy the way the connections reveal themselves, yes, a bit of suspension of belief is required but as I really enjoy the journey I’m more than happy to go with the flow. I like the ending, it’s satisfying, I do figure out one part of the jigsaw puzzle but not all of it by any means.

If you like well written and well constructed psychological thrillers then check out Harriet Tyce because she has mastered the genre and has produced yet another cracker.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline, Wildfire for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley,Headline and Harriet Tyce for my ARC of 'A Lesson in Cruelty' in return for an honest review.

The story is told from the aspect of three separate women who all have different tales to tell. Although they appear to have nothing to do with each other they are all brought together as the plot progresses.

At time I seemed to lose my way but it is an interesting plot.

Recommended

Thankyou to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This particular story is split into 3 different stories that slowly weave together. We have Anna, who has just left prison, Lucy who is a uni student totally in love with her Professor, and Marie, living with Janice off grid. When the stories start to collide, everything we’ve been building towards becomes very clear.

I did really enjoy this book but I only gave it 4 stars because it was a bit slow in the beginning. I loved the way the author brought all the stories together with catastrophic consequences. The characters were well written, and I found myself really rooting for Anna in particular. I enjoyed the way the author broached each subject within the stories, especially talking about the criminal system, and how failing it can be to people. I really enjoyed it.