A Lesson in Cruelty

Reviews / Votes

One of the best openings I've read in forever. I devoured it. * Alex Michaelides * A Lesson in Cruelty is Harriet Tyce's darkest book yet. It's twisted and compelling and completely unpredictable. The shocks kept coming right up to the final pages. * Lisa Jewell * A juicy, sophisticated, layered and intelligent read for the crime fiction connoisseur. Harriet's best so far. * Sophie Hannah * A Lesson In Cruelty is whip-smart, deliciously dark, utterly compelling with gut punching twists right up until the last page. A first class thriller. I loved it! * Claire Douglas * A Lesson in Cruelty is a lesson in craftmanship. A dizzyingly satisfying page-turner and an exploration of redemption and damnation. Harriet Tyce at her best! * Sarah Pinborough * Dark, twisted and utterly nerve-jangling, A Lesson In Cruelty is a sharply structured thriller that left me breathless. * Lucy Clarke * A shocking, provocative, standout thriller. A Lesson In Cruelty is Harriet Tyce at her twisting, wicked, razor-sharp finest. * Chris Whitaker * An edge-of-your-seat thriller and a brilliant, furious meditation on the modern prison system. Harriet Tyce's eye for people - their foibles, missteps, and cruelties - is sharp as a blade. * Abigail Dean * Inventive, chilling and utterly compelling, A Lesson in Cruelty is in the very top tier of psychological thrillers and further cements Harriet Tyce's place amongst the great British crime writers. * M. W. Craven * A brave and affecting novel which is dark as night and not afraid to explore the depths of the human experience. The strands of the story come together in a satisfying and tragic fashion, that makes you think about how we punish people and why we always judge women so much more harshly than men. * Araminta Hall * Perfect plotting, utterly brilliant. * B.A. Paris * Superb, twisty plotting that's sure to keep readers guessing until the very end * Femi Kayode * I absolutely loved it and devoured it whole in one day. So suspenseful and clever of course, but such great characterisation and real heart. * Laura Marshall * An imaginatively told (and very bingeable) thriller. * John Marrs * Compulsive, dark and smart, A Lesson in Cruelty delivers on every level. Justice, revenge and punishment are meted out and questioned throughout this twisty, terrifying thriller with a heart. * Gilly Macmillan * A deliciously sinister tale of revenge and redemption, with heart-in-mouth tension and head-spinning twists. This is Tyce at her spine-tingling best. * Ellery Lloyd * Absolutely page turning * Louise Hare * Excellent, gripping, chilling, clever * Trevor Wood * Thought provoking and intense, these three cleverly interlocking stories come together in a tense and intriguing finale. I raced through it! * Sam Holland * Mysterious and beautifully-constructed with an electrifying pace and dark undercurrents, A Lesson in Cruelty is a white-knuckle, gripping read. * Heather Critchlow * The scale of this book! A finely drawn jigsaw of characters, stunning prose and a harsh critique of the crushing power wielded by a few. I gasped aloud at the finish - a denouement that will blow you away. A triumph. * Rachel Wolf * Compelling, sinister and powerful, A Lesson In Cruelty gripped me from the first page. * Caroline Hulse * Superb writing, twisty intriguing plot. Wolfed it down. * Emma Curtis * A cunningly crafted masterpiece of a thriller. Tyce weaves a trio of threads together so effortlessly that when the explosive end hits, it hits like a freight train. * Robert Rutherford * Another brilliant psych thriller from Tyce, an absolute master of the slow reveal. A Lesson in Cruelty explores themes a culpability, imprisonment and innocence. Her characters are beautifully portrayed and the book is full of Tyce's tell-tale spiky women. * Niki Mackay * A Lesson in Cruelty is a masterclass in the dark art of plotting. A propulsive read that crafts a scintillating and vivid story out of characters that gnaw and claw from the page. This is a great crime novel, and the chills last long after the final page is turned. Absolutely stunning. * Janice Hallett * Head-turning and page-turning. If you haven't read any of Harriet's books, make it a 2024 goal to do so. * Belfast Telegraph * The interwoven stories in this psychological thriller come together to make a book you read with your heart in your mouth. * i paper * A shocking read * That's Life magazine * So twisty * Crime Monthly * A Lesson in Cruelty starts with riveting drama and doesn't let up throughout. It is an exciting, tension-filled novel that leaves the reader breathless. Its impact is astonishing. * My Weekly * Tyce's denouement pulls things together skilfully and surprisingly. * Sunday Times * Expertly crafted with that chilling sense of dread * The Sun * A novel of ideas which is also a gripping mystery-thriller is something difficult to bring off, but Tyce has managed to do just that. * The Scotsman * Chilling * Sunday Post * A dizzying ride into the unknown and a meticulous puzzler with a daring final twist. * Crime Time * Tyce expertly explores the psychological turmoil of these damaged characters, building suspense as the puzzle pieces satisfyingly slot into place. * Culturefly * Dark and tense * Woman's Weekly *