'Harriet Tyce brings a new layer of visceral, addictive dark to domestic noir... At once shocking and riveting, I simply couldn't stop reading. Bravo' Sarah Pinborough, Number 1 bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES
AN ELECTRIFYING DEBUT THRILLER FOR FANS OF APPLE TREE YARD AND ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL - INTRODUCING A STUNNING NEW VOICE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise - she's just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems...

Just one more night. Then I'll end it.

Alison drinks too much. She's neglecting her family. And she's having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.

I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.

Alison's client doesn't deny that she stabbed her husband - she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.

I'm watching you. I know what you're doing.

But someone knows Alison's secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she's done, and who won't stop until she's lost everything....

PRAISE FOR BLOOD ORANGE:

'A classy thriller with complex and compelling characters' Clare Mackintosh

'A dark and disturbing domestic noir' Louise Jensen

'Combines sharp spare prose with a gloriously twisted plot - I read this in one heart-pounding, furiously angry sitting' Emma Flint

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Product details

Publisher : Wildfire; 1st edition (21 February 2019)
Language: : English
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1472252756
ISBN-13 : 978-1472252753
Dimensions : 16.3 x 3.3 x 24.2 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 727,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 48,486 in Crime Thrillers (Books)

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13,290 ratings

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Harriet Tyce brings a new layer of visceral, addictive dark to domestic noir. Obsession, revenge, lust and murder play out on the pages as a female barrister tries to hold her life together while her personality tries to tear it apart. At once shocking and riveting, I simply couldn't stop reading. Bravo - Behind Her Eyes

A classy thriller with complex and compelling characters - I See You

Blood Orange is destined to be the debut that everyone is talking about in 2019. Dark, original and utterly compelling, I could not put it down. And what a twist at the end! - Then She Was Gone

Gritty and compelling, Blood Orange drags you right into the hearts of the flawed characters and their stories from the get go. A book that will keep you up all night - The Girl in the Red Coat

A dark and disturbing domestic noir - The Sister

Blood Orange kept me frantically turning the pages, desperate to know what would happen next. A superb, compulsive read! - I Know a Secret

This brilliant debut from Harriet Tyce has it all - a tricky murder case, a complex and conflicted female barrister battling her own demons, and layer upon layer of intrigue as Blood Orange flows towards its breath-taking ending. - Only the Innocent

Dark and compelling. - Mel McGrath

About the Author

Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University before doing a law conversion course at City University. She practised as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade, and recently completed an MA in Creative Writing - Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. She lives in north London. Her first novel, Blood Orange, published in 2019 to huge critical acclaim. Lies You Told publishes summer 2020.

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Rebecca Lyons

I was worried this wouldn’t live up too the hype but it did and I’m glad I got to read it!

Reviewed in Australia on 20 July 2020

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I’m so happy to say for me this one lived up to the hype!

Alison has it all, perfect family, wonderful career and she’s just been given her first murder trial. But, early on we see she’s not happy. She loves a wine (I mean who doesn’t) and she drinks to escape reality!

Then there’s Patrick, not Alison’s husband, but a colleague and the person that giver her co-council on her first murder trial. Defendant, Madeline is the perfect wife and mother yet she’s now on trial for murdering her husband.

There were elements where I started to piece parts together. Her husband Carl didn’t sit well with me. On paper he was a doting husband but in reality their marriage he was far from
Perfect!

@Becsbookshelf_

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Great read

Reviewed in Australia on 26 July 2020

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What a lovely surprise this book was. I didn't know what to expect but I wasn't disappointed. The main character was a pretty crappy person but I suspected her husband was worse. The ripple of unease became stronger as the story progressed until the horror of the whole situation unfolded. A great read.

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Kindle Customer

Bloody good read

Reviewed in Australia on 26 March 2019

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This story pulls you along. Well written, main character likeable, although flawed. I like the fact the the writer does not describe her characters, allows ones own imagination to paint the images.

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Enjoyable

Reviewed in Australia on 28 January 2020

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This is a most engaging read with multiple stories being interwoven. Will interest lawyers, crime fiction readers and women managing family responsibilities.

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Robert

Enjoyed but some sections seemed rushed.

Reviewed in Australia on 26 April 2019

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Okay book. Thought the last few chapters a bit rushed, particularly her husbands death and the court case she was working on for most of the story

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Amazon Customer

Poorly written, predictable, and disappointing

Reviewed in Australia on 12 May 2019

I was really looking forward to this, based on the writer's credentials and previews, but as soon as i started reading, was very disapointed with the cliched characterisation, sub-standard writing and predictable plot. A big let down....

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A. Linton

A car crash which kept me riveted the whole way – but overall I didn’t like it 3 1/2 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2019

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Yet another overpriced/overhyped book I had mixed feelings about. While Tyce can certainly write I felt overall that the book was ms sold as a thriller. It's more like a slice of life drama, giving us an insight into the life of Alison, a self-destructive barrister who immediately struck me as a high-functioning alcoholic (the author’s own experience as a barrister gives this book an authenticity that many such legal dramas lack). Yes there is a murder plot involving a client of Aison'sbut that is really pretty mundane - a plot which has been done multiple times before in TV crime shows and novels and it is pretty much side-lined by Alison's personal dramas. The narrative centres round her relationship with her disapproving husband, her neglected daughter and her affair with a sleazy colleague and it has a car crash quality that makes it compelling reading – drunken karaoke after a dinner with friends? Falling asleep at her desk? Having a meltdown when she finds there’s no alcohol in the mini-bar? It seemed pretty obvious to me that the major problem in Alison’s life is her drinking but this is never addressed. I found it slightly disturbing that Alison’s sees her husband’s request to remove alcohol from a hotel mini-bar, as a way of messing with her mind and this view is never disputed, in fact the ending seems to justify it.
The opening pages which introduce the 'blood orange' theme nearly put me off the whole thing, they remind me of something out of a bad self-published KU novel (to say nothing of the endorsements from a lot of authors many of whom on my personal avoid-list) - but the book improves drastically from then on. I wouldn't describe it as 'heart pounding' the threatening texts to Alison form a pretty minor part of the story and most of the things that happen to her seem to be down to her own bad judgement. The final twist pretty much comes from nowhere and is supposed to justify Alison's drunken excesses and self-serving conduct. The final message seems to be that woman can never be wrong only wronged and men are always to blame.
The blurb says that this author took writing classes – well in my opinion she needs to take a few more. She has plenty of raw talent but overall I found this book unsatisfactory. The murder plot involving the client needs to be fleshed out a lot more and it needs a new title – the whole blood orange thing feels tagged on to give the book a touch of originality but really plays very little part in the narrative.
Just a personal gripe – I’m sick to death of Amazon hyping everything as ‘the best thriller of 2019’ or whatever. As a reader I’ll be the judge of that!

291 people found this helpful

Joanne Sheppard

Predictable from the outset

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2019

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I was attracted to Harriet Tyce's Blood Orange by positive endorsements that suggested it was a strong example of the 'domestic noir' genre. These sorts of books are hugely popular at the moment and there are some brilliant examples out there, but I think it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. The blurb for this one (and, interestingly, the cover, which steers away from the usual shadowy, black-and-white grainy image with a portentous title across it in neon block capitals) suggested it was a cut above the rest.

Unfortunately, I'm now a bit annoyed with myself for being swayed by the marketing, because I found this book disappointing. The protagonist is Alison, a barrister married to therapist Carl, with whom she has a young daughter, Matilda. Alison is having an affair with Patrick, a work colleague: it's the sort of affair that involves Alison getting drunk after work with her fellow lawyers and then having rough sex in the office before passing out. Carl, left at home to look after Matilda, is understandably unhappy with Alison's heavy drinking and broken promises, but he's so sanctimonious and sneering about literally everything - including her cooking, her childcare abilities and her appearance, all of which she actually makes a lot of effort with - that it's hard to feel particularly sorry for him, particularly while Alison's well-paid job is financing his career and paying the mortgage on the home in which he runs a support group for men suffering from sex addiction.

Riddled with guilt, Alison repeatedly tries to end her relationship with Patrick - who is also awful, by the way - but willpower isn't her strong suit, particularly when she finds herself working with him on a murder case. The defendant has stabbed her husband to death and fully intends to plead guilty, but Alison is convinced there's something not quite right about her client's testimony and is determined to find out the truth. While Alison starts to uncover the truth about the build-up to the murder, she starts to receive anonymous, threatening text messages - and they're clearly from someone who knows her guilty secrets.

As you can probably tell, this is one of those books in which the protagonist is a terrible mess who makes self-destructive, risky decisions - all very The Girl On The Train. However, the problem here is that everyone else in the book is also appalling, and there's not enough else happening to make this interesting. Carl and Patrick felt like caricatures to me - Carl's sneering, petty superiority and his earnest talk of his men's group and their 'breakthroughs' are sharply observed, and Patrick's line-blurring behaviour towards women and subsequent self-pity are also recognisable, but there's not a lot more to them than that.

This isn't, however, my biggest issue with this book, which is that it is blindingly obvious what's going to happen. It's not so much foreshadowed as clearly signposted at every turn. Psychological thrillers like this rely on eerie tension, constant uncertainty and ideally an unforeseen jaw-dropper of a twist, but I found none of these in Blood Orange. Perhaps this a case of an author believing they were writing one sort of book and the publisher marketing it as another.

I won't go on, because I'd have to spoil the plot, but it's enough to say that I'd be amazed if the outcome of this story surprises many readers and I found myself waiting for a revelation that never came.

136 people found this helpful

Jacob Collins

A smart, fast-paced thriller!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2019

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Blood Orange is a smart, fast-paced thriller by Harriet Tyce; it is a novel that will really keep you gripped.

When I first heard about it, I thought that the title sounded very intriguing and it made the book stand out, which is one of the reasons it jumped right to the top of my TBR pile. I still haven’t forgotten that ending and I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about it any time soon. It has an incredible plot twist that I didn’t see coming.

The protagonist, Alison has just been handed her first murder case, and she is hoping that it will take her career to the next level, but as she is caught up in trying to prove her new client’s innocence, her own family life begins to crumble. Alison is having an affair with one of her colleagues, which she is trying to stop, but she is finding this increasingly hard to do. And she is also under a lot of pressure from her husband who is accusing her of putting her work first before the needs of her own family.

Alison was such a great character. Harriet plays with the reader’s emotions towards her which is what I found particularly captivating as the plot evolved and it was done in a very clever way. As the novel began I felt I didn’t have a lot of empathy for Alison as she was cheating on her husband, but I grew to like her, and I was rooting for her towards the end of the book. The affair was one of the most gripping plot points of the novel as I continued to wonder if they were going to be discovered and what the repercussions were going to be for Alison. And there is also some very interesting character study, particularly, I thought in Alison’s new client. I won’t go into any further detail here as I don’t want to spoil the plot but I do think that Alison is a character who will divide many readers and prompt many discussions in book groups.

There are some tense moments as the story races towards its denouement but the hard truth at the end is what really hit and shocked me, and again I can’t say anything more, only to say that it was done so very well and it is so, so chilling. I can’t recommend this novel highly enough. If you enjoy a mix of legal and psychological drama, then I would definitely recommend Blood Orange, especially if you were a fan of Apple Tree Yard. I will be keeping an eye out for what Harriet writes next.

52 people found this helpful

Please someone make the film

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 March 2019

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I was uncertain when I bought this, as not my genre. Feel a bit embarrassed to admit that I was drawn in by the cover while browsing at Waterstones. I expected something formulaic but was pleasantly surprised. The characters were complex - Alison infuriated me, but I couldn't help but love her - flaws and all. I read late into the night with my heart thumping! I've always been fascinated by the slightly opaque world of the bar, so this book really drew me in. The accuracy and brutality of the school gate made me wince and laugh out loud in equal measure. Harriet has really hit a nerve for me on society's unrealistic maternal expectations. I loved it. As the title says, I think the story lends itself to tv/film. I hope someone has had the foresight to snap up the film rights quickly and cannot wait to see casting choices.

49 people found this helpful

KarenD

An outstanding debut

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2019

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Alison is a successful criminal law barrister who seems hell-bent on pressing that self-destruct button. Outwardly she has a home life to envy with an adorable young daughter, a husband who takes care of the house and childcare whilst she works and she has just been given her first murder case, a big step up the ladder in her career. She also has a drink problem and a lack of self-control – one drink is never enough and inevitably she ends up making a fool of herself in front of friends and colleagues and worse, making decisions that she would regret. In this category, falls her continuing affair with a colleague. She knows that she should stop it but she just can’t bring herself to actually do it …and mean it.

When I first started reading this I really struggled to feel any empathy for Alison because of her reckless behaviour. Even though her drunken binges didn’t seem to adversely affect the way she did her job, I didn’t like the way she neglected her family when she didn’t have to and whilst her love for her daughter was never in doubt, she was too easily side-tracked by the thought of another drink or another illicit meeting with the sometimes charming but rather quite odious Patrick. However as the story went on, with more tantalising disclosures together with reading between the lines, my opinion of her slowly changed and the more I began to understand, the more I was on her side.

The story is not just about Alison although she is the main character and the story is told from her perspective. The client she has been asked to defend has been accused of murdering her husband. At first sight it looks a straightforward case but as the defence case is prepared, it becomes clear that there are unsettling parallels between the lives of Alison and her client Madeleine.

It’s really difficult to review this in detail without giving away spoilers. Blood Orange is a both a domestic and legal thriller, with adult content, and a dark and disturbing storyline involving control and manipulation. Just when you think you know which way the story is heading, the author throws a curveball and you’re left blindsided. There were one or two aspects that I had guessed, but nothing could prepare me for the conclusion.

Blood Orange is the author’s debut novel and it is an absolute cracker. Tyce was a barrister for 10 years so the legal aspects are totally realistic. It is so cleverly structured and the characterisations are superbly done – any author who can bring their characters to life and make you feel such strong emotion, whether it be dislike or sympathy, has done their job well.

This is another sure-fire contender for my top books of the year. I loved it and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. It makes for very uncomfortable reading at times and there are parts that may shock but its actually a very topical read and just so compelling.

It has just been announced that Blood Orange has been optioned for a TV series by World Productions. This is excellent news but no surprise – it would make an excellent TV drama and I can’t wait.

30 people found this helpful

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Blood Orange: The page-turning thriller that will shock you Hardcover – 21 February 2019

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