Review: Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce @Harriet_Tyce @Headlinepg @WildFireBks

In January I attended my first event as a book blogger #newvoices2019, I loved it, socialising with the new up and coming authors at Headline, as well as the wonderful publicists! Read about my bookish evening out here. During this event, I was lucky enough to pick up proof copies of some great sounding debuts, including Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce.

I started Blood Orange on a Sunday and I was finished by Monday afternoon after a super late night Sunday. Usually I can’t make it past midnight, half 2 I had to force myself to put the book down so I could get enough sleep (7am start on Monday) but no regrets!

This read can be yours in audible, e-book and hardback format from today! Happy publication day Harriet!!

About The Author

Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh, she attended Oxford University to study English before studying a law conversion course. She went on to become a practising criminal barrister in London for a duration of almost 10 years. Harriet has recently completed a Masters in creative writing – crime fiction at the University of East Anglia. She still resides in London, where she wrote her debut novel ‘Blood Orange’.

The Blurb

“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….”

My Thoughts

Blood Orange is a fabulous dark domestic noir type read that will leave you absolutely flabbergasted.

You don’t come across a beautifully spine – tingling prologue very often, I’m not even kidding the prologue of Blood Orange was a perfect mix of chilling and poetic. It sets the atmosphere, in which the whole novel will darkly follow.

We are immediately introduced to intelligent lawyer Allison who has just been handed a murder case of a woman accused of murdering her husband. She has a very successful career life, she fits in and socialises with colleagues, as well as being held with such high expectation that she can be trusted with running a murder defence. This is the complete opposite of ‘home Allison’, whose relationship with her husband and daughter is strained, getting chipped away slowly. Allison constantly feels the waves of self disappointment wave over her concerning both her marital and maternal roles. She’s neglectful; works late and drinks a fair bit but is this a justified reason for her husband, Carl to ostracize her? Carl’s attitude just got my back up and I truly hated the way that he spoke to her. Emma Flint has been quoted as saying the following;

“I read this in one heart – pounding, furiously angry setting.”

I practically read the novel the exact same way, I angrily inhaled it while being put through a kaleidoscope of emotions from pity, anger to sadness. The narrative handles issues which left me flabbergasted. Blood Orange is definitely one of my favourite psychological thrillers that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The debut game is strong with this one and it will keep you hooked until the final page.

I was utterly blown away by the quality penmanship that allowed the storyline to be developed in such a natural manner, with no forced interactions or extra information to flesh out the novel. With some psychological thrillers you may be able to predetermine the penultimate ending, with Blood Orange you can’t do that, which I loved! Buy the book, BUY THE BLOODY BOOK! Everyone is going to be talking about this thrilling read, do you really want to be the one left out. Answer? No!

If you enjoy domestic noirs with a female protagonist with a successful career but with a broken down and highly flawed personal life that is shattering like glass around her, this is the read for you.  For me, Blood Orange felt like a hybrid between The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.

I’ve tried to keep very tight lipped in this review because I don’t want to spoil it but I loved it and I hope that you will.

Pre – order now from Amazon / Waterstones

---

Have you already pre-ordered? Have you already read Blood Orange? What did you think? I would love to know!