Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

 

Alison's professional life as a barrister is going well; unfortunately, her personal life is the complete opposite. Her marriage is on the rocks, and she's having an affair with a solicitor she regularly works with. Alison is determined to end the affair and get her marriage back on track, but things begin to spiral out of control when she's handed her first murder case.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce was my book group's read for December. It was a book that I already had on my TBR pile, so I was looking forward to reading it. The novel isn't an easy read because of the content. None of the characters are likeable, and Alison's behaviour is extremely questionable. For me, this behaviour was the biggest stumbling block that kept me from loving the book. Alison is a highly intelligent woman, yet she's willing to risk her marriage and degrade herself for sex with a man who isn't interested in a relationship. Alcohol plays a big part in many of Alison's poor choices. It is clear that she's in a profession where networking over drinks at the end of the day is important. In a male-dominated profession, she needs to make every effort to keep up with those around her.

The murder case is a fascinating thread. Wealthy Madeleine Smith is accused of the brutal murder of her husband. Alison is keen for her first murder case to go well, however, Madeleine simply wants to plead guilty and get things over and done with. I immediately began to wonder why so was so quick to admit her guilt. Despite Madeline's admission, Alison needs to carry out her due diligence. She's convinced that something is "off". As she digs into Madeleine's home life, we begin to see parallels between the two women.

Shocks and twists galore kept me turning the pages, making me wonder if my assumptions were correct. I certainly didn't foresee the surprising conclusion of the story. 

Author Details

Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated from Oxford in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before gaining legal qualifications. She worked as a criminal barrister for ten years, leaving after having children. She completed an MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at UEA where she wrote Blood Orange, the Sunday Times bestselling novel, winner of a gold Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2021. It was followed by The Lies You Told and It Ends At Midnight, both also Sunday Times bestsellers. A Lesson in Cruelty was published in 2022 and met with great critical acclaim and her fifth novel Witch Trial will be published on 26 February 2026. She is a contestant on series 4 of The Traitors.