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A Lesson in Cruelty

Don't miss the twisty thriller from the million-copy selling author that will leave you breathless

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A Lesson in Cruelty

By: Harriet Tyce
Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
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About this listen

 **DON'T MISS WITCH TRIAL, THE BRAND NEW, JAW-DROPPING THRILLER FROM HARRIET TYCE**

THREE WOMEN. ONE BODY. WILL THEY EVER LEARN?

'The shocks kept coming right up to the final pages.' Lisa Jewell
'Harriet's best so far.' Sophie Hannah
'Nothing short of unputdownable. One of the best openings I've read in forever.' Alex Michaelides
'A shocking, provocative, standout thriller.'Chris Whitaker
'Left me breathless.' Lucy Clarke

Anna wants a fresh start after three long years behind bars.

Lucy craves the attention of the only man she can't have, her alluring Oxford professor.

Marie has spent too long as a recluse living by someone else's rules.

When three strangers stumble upon an elaborate web of lies and the dead body at the heart of it, they will discover the true price of getting the life they desire so badly.

But will it be too late?

MORE PRAISE FOR A LESSON IN CRUELTY:
'Tyce's denouement pulls things together skilfully and surprisingly.' Sunday Times
'Expertly crafted with that chilling sense of dread' The Sun
'A dizzyingly satisfying page-turner.' Sarah Pinborough
'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
'Perfect plotting, utterly brilliant.' B.A. Paris
'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
'Compulsive, dark and smart, A Lesson in Cruelty delivers on every level.' Gilly Macmillan
'An imaginatively told (and very bingeable) thriller.' John Marrs
'Superb, twisty plotting that's sure to keep readers guessing until the very end.' Femi Kayode
'A deliciously sinister tale of revenge and redemption, with heart-in-mouth tension and head-spinning twists.' Ellery Lloyd©2024 Harriet Tyce Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic reviews

One of the best openings I've read in forever. I devoured it.
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.
A juicy, sophisticated, layered and intelligent read for the crime fiction connoisseur. Harriet's best so far.
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!
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!
Dark, twisted and utterly nerve-jangling, A Lesson In Cruelty is a sharply structured thriller that left me breathless.
A shocking, provocative, standout thriller. A Lesson In Cruelty is Harriet Tyce at her twisting, wicked, razor-sharp finest.
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.
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.
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.
Perfect plotting, utterly brilliant.
Superb, twisty plotting that's sure to keep readers guessing until the very end
I absolutely loved it and devoured it whole in one day. So suspenseful and clever of course, but such great characterisation and real heart.
An imaginatively told (and very bingeable) thriller.
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.
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.
Absolutely page turning
Excellent, gripping, chilling, clever
Thought provoking and intense, these three cleverly interlocking stories come together in a tense and intriguing finale. I raced through it!
Mysterious and beautifully-constructed with an electrifying pace and dark undercurrents, A Lesson in Cruelty is a white-knuckle, gripping read.
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.
All stars
Most relevant
Finished in record time. Fascinated to find out how the women's stories would connect. Well written and well researched. The narrator was very good. I will definitely read more by this author.

Five star

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Absolutely brilliant book. Believable characters, plausible plot. Amazing twists. Highly recommend. Your best book so far!!!

Amazing story. Brilliant twist

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Narrator was great, but I just could not follow all the separate threads! It felt like three different books with no connection until at least three quarters of the way through! I have listened to all Barriers other books and really enjoyed them, but this was a bit of a chore to complete. I didn't feel there was a proper ending either! Glad I didn't download this title first😒

Over compicated

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Really enjoyed this and glad that it was all solved in the epilogue! Looking forward to reading another one now!

Twists and turns

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Loved the characters and the shift in point of view throughout the chapters. The legal undertone continues through the author’s books, with each one offering a different perspective

Gripping from every angle

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