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Blood Orange: The shocking and twisty Sunday Times Bestseller with over half a million copies sold
**Don't miss WITCH TRIAL, the jaw-dropping new thriller from bestselling author Harriet Tyce, available to pre-order now.**
'Utterly compelling... I couldn't put it down' LISA JEWELL
'A classy thriller with complex and compelling characters' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'Twists that keep you frantically turning the pages' SUNDAY MIRROR
BOLD AND SHOCKING, BLOOD ORANGE WILL HOLD YOU IN ITS GRIP UNTIL ITS FINAL, HEARTSTOPPING CONCLUSION.
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....
'Delicious and addictive - a perfectly crafted treat!' LOUISE CANDLISH
'Gripping' DAILY MAIL
'Sizzlingly addictive' HEAT
'Glittering and fierce . . . a glorious bonfire of a marriage thriller' IRISH TIMES
'Utterly compelling... I couldn't put it down' LISA JEWELL
'A classy thriller with complex and compelling characters' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'Twists that keep you frantically turning the pages' SUNDAY MIRROR
BOLD AND SHOCKING, BLOOD ORANGE WILL HOLD YOU IN ITS GRIP UNTIL ITS FINAL, HEARTSTOPPING CONCLUSION.
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....
'Delicious and addictive - a perfectly crafted treat!' LOUISE CANDLISH
'Gripping' DAILY MAIL
'Sizzlingly addictive' HEAT
'Glittering and fierce . . . a glorious bonfire of a marriage thriller' IRISH TIMES
Audible Audio
First published January 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,913 reviews
March 26, 2019
I know I am in the minority here but I just don’t get it. I was determined to finish based on all the great reviews but ended up speeding the narration to help me along.
There was not one likable person in this book. The story seemed to drag, the criminal case was just okay. Imagine having an affair with someone who treats you worse than your husband? I just never connected with this book.
The last couple of chapters were everything. Not wonderful but...
There was not one likable person in this book. The story seemed to drag, the criminal case was just okay. Imagine having an affair with someone who treats you worse than your husband? I just never connected with this book.
The last couple of chapters were everything. Not wonderful but...
May 2, 2019
This was one of those books that I couldn't put down because of the flow of the writing (very pacy) and the intriguing legal aspect that was blended into the ongoing domestic drama.
The protagonist was at times sympathetic and other times really frustrating (some of her unwise decisions). She is an educated woman with a career as a barrister. She has just been granted her first murder case and needs to prepare a defense.
It was unpredictable, had several moments of suspense with many darker turns that seemed to pop out at me. The author laid out all the clues, but they slipped by me.
I would say that the ending was too far fetched for me, it really fell flat. - BUT I still give it 4 stars for the addictive page turning and the way she weaved the plot so cleverly.
Recommend to mystery/crime fans who don't mind some unlikeable and flawed characters, but enjoy page turning suspense.
This was a library loan for me.
The protagonist was at times sympathetic and other times really frustrating (some of her unwise decisions). She is an educated woman with a career as a barrister. She has just been granted her first murder case and needs to prepare a defense.
It was unpredictable, had several moments of suspense with many darker turns that seemed to pop out at me. The author laid out all the clues, but they slipped by me.
I would say that the ending was too far fetched for me, it really fell flat. - BUT I still give it 4 stars for the addictive page turning and the way she weaved the plot so cleverly.
Recommend to mystery/crime fans who don't mind some unlikeable and flawed characters, but enjoy page turning suspense.
This was a library loan for me.
June 5, 2019
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
3.5 Stars
I had been seeing this book everywhere and thought the synopsis sounded intriguing.
Alison seems to have it all. The perfect family and a great job. Her future is bright.
But right from the start, we see that Alison most certainly does not have it all together. She’s drinking too much, working too much and….well let’s just say she’s doing too much of almost everything. What she’s not doing is spending any time with her family. Her excuse is that she’s working hard to support her family. But after a night of partying with some co-workers and passing out in her office, we see that Alison is more than a bit out of control.
Alison is a criminal defense lawyer and she’s just been given her first big case. A woman is accused of murdering her husband. The woman doesn’t deny she killed her husband and thinks she should go to jail. But Alison feels like there is so much more to the story.
Then Alison finds out that someone knows what she’s been doing and that someone wants her to pay.
Not everything is quite as it seems in “Blood Orange”
It did take me a little while to get into this story. However, after a slow start, I became absorbed in Alison’s wild private life and the murder case she was trying. I thought the characters were fairly well-developed, flaws and all. Alison wasn’t the most likable character and I cringed at her self-destructive behavior, but in many ways, she was still relatable. I eventually found myself rooting for her.
Overall, I enjoyed this dark and gritty audiobook. The narration was good and although I did guess a few things before they were revealed, the twisted and intense ending had me on edge and was a complete surprise.
“Blood Orange” was a clever and compelling debut novel about betrayal, control, addiction, and obsession.
I’m curious to see what Harriet Tyce has in store for readers next!
March 12, 2019
I just don't get it. Don't get this one at all.
Alison, the protagonist is supposedly a smart barrister in London. Yet, she allows herself to be abused by her husband who calls her "skanky" and criticizes almost everything she does, including her cooking. And, just when one could sympathize/empathize with her for finding a lover, you discover he also abuses her, forcing her to have sex with him in a train bathroom where she has to get on her knees on a urine-soaked floor. Puleeeez!!!!!!
And, so yes, of course, she has an excuse to drink... heavily.
In the end, none of her problems are resolved through her own agency. The resolutions just happen -- luckily for her.
Alison, the protagonist is supposedly a smart barrister in London. Yet, she allows herself to be abused by her husband who calls her "skanky" and criticizes almost everything she does, including her cooking. And, just when one could sympathize/empathize with her for finding a lover, you discover he also abuses her, forcing her to have sex with him in a train bathroom where she has to get on her knees on a urine-soaked floor. Puleeeez!!!!!!
And, so yes, of course, she has an excuse to drink... heavily.
In the end, none of her problems are resolved through her own agency. The resolutions just happen -- luckily for her.
April 29, 2021
Transparent. And I despised everyone, even when we were supposed to feel sorry for them. Also, #1 rule of thrillers:
Extra star for a quick and easy read.
Extra star for a quick and easy read.
March 17, 2019
Everyone wants what Alison has. A successful job as a defense attorney, a loving husband, and a precious daughter. She’s recently been assigned her first murder case. That’s all on the surface though.
The truth is Alison abuses alcohol and doesn’t spend enough time with her family. She’s also having an affair with someone who has some issues of his own.
Alison’s newest client stabbed her husband and readily admits it. She tells Alison she wants to plead guilty and get the trial behind her.
But something isn’t right about the client’s story.
And Alison’s secrets seem to be known by someone close to her, but she doesn’t know who.
Blood Orange is a dark, twisted, twisty thriller. I felt like a voyeur when I read about Alison’s complicated, complex life. Put all the vices out there, and Alison has them all and then some, but only one person seems to know the truth about her. When will her house of cards come tumbling down, and what will be at the root of it?
Part character study, part legal thriller, all psychological thriller, Blood Orange is a tense, gritty story that compelled me to read it quickly and left my head swirling (even more than just spinning).
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
The truth is Alison abuses alcohol and doesn’t spend enough time with her family. She’s also having an affair with someone who has some issues of his own.
Alison’s newest client stabbed her husband and readily admits it. She tells Alison she wants to plead guilty and get the trial behind her.
But something isn’t right about the client’s story.
And Alison’s secrets seem to be known by someone close to her, but she doesn’t know who.
Blood Orange is a dark, twisted, twisty thriller. I felt like a voyeur when I read about Alison’s complicated, complex life. Put all the vices out there, and Alison has them all and then some, but only one person seems to know the truth about her. When will her house of cards come tumbling down, and what will be at the root of it?
Part character study, part legal thriller, all psychological thriller, Blood Orange is a tense, gritty story that compelled me to read it quickly and left my head swirling (even more than just spinning).
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
May 20, 2019
FOUR STARS
I kept hearing about this book from all the cool kids on Instagram. I knew I had to read it! I'm so glad I did, I think Harriet Tyce is an author to keep your eye on if you love psychological suspense.
The first half of Blood Orange is almost perfect. The steady pace, the build up of suspense is spot on and a joy to read. Tyce goes deep when exploring the characters and you guys know how much I love writers that do that. The tone is very dark and I felt nothing but fear for Alison, our story narrator, as she is metaphorically perched on the edge of a cliff.
Something goes a little wrong with the plot as it stalls out during the second half. The novel feels tedious for several chapters until we start gearing up for the finale "twist de resistance".
That ending!! The twist is perfectly satisfying! I loved it --it almost made me forget about the weaker parts of the book.
Even with my quibbles, I would highly recommend Blood Orange to my fellow psyche thriller fans. I can't wait for more from this new author.
I listened to the audio book and was absolutely riveted by the fabulous Julie Teal. She sounds exactly like a young Helen Mirren.
I kept hearing about this book from all the cool kids on Instagram. I knew I had to read it! I'm so glad I did, I think Harriet Tyce is an author to keep your eye on if you love psychological suspense.
The first half of Blood Orange is almost perfect. The steady pace, the build up of suspense is spot on and a joy to read. Tyce goes deep when exploring the characters and you guys know how much I love writers that do that. The tone is very dark and I felt nothing but fear for Alison, our story narrator, as she is metaphorically perched on the edge of a cliff.
Something goes a little wrong with the plot as it stalls out during the second half. The novel feels tedious for several chapters until we start gearing up for the finale "twist de resistance".
That ending!! The twist is perfectly satisfying! I loved it --it almost made me forget about the weaker parts of the book.
Even with my quibbles, I would highly recommend Blood Orange to my fellow psyche thriller fans. I can't wait for more from this new author.
I listened to the audio book and was absolutely riveted by the fabulous Julie Teal. She sounds exactly like a young Helen Mirren.
September 28, 2020
3.5 ⭐️
My Facebook book group has raved about this book - I had really high hopes, and while I enjoyed it I didn’t find it mind blowing or anything.
I kind of guessed that there was something wrong with the husband
Alison is in a rocky marriage, she drinks to excess and has started an affair with a colleague. Working as a barrister she picks up her first murder case - a woman has allegedly stabbed her husband. While working on the case Alison notices parallels between her client’s marriage and her own.
The ending was suitably shocking, almost too much so it kind of all appeared out of nowhere.
Overall a twisty thriller and a good page turner. Just a few bits I would have liked done differently.
My Facebook book group has raved about this book - I had really high hopes, and while I enjoyed it I didn’t find it mind blowing or anything.
I kind of guessed that there was something wrong with the husband
Alison is in a rocky marriage, she drinks to excess and has started an affair with a colleague. Working as a barrister she picks up her first murder case - a woman has allegedly stabbed her husband. While working on the case Alison notices parallels between her client’s marriage and her own.
The ending was suitably shocking, almost too much so it kind of all appeared out of nowhere.
Overall a twisty thriller and a good page turner. Just a few bits I would have liked done differently.
June 16, 2020
God what a wild ride! There is a lot going on in this book. What’s up with Alisons affair? What’s really going on with her client? Who is stalking her?
This book had me from as soon as I started reading. The writing was excellent and kept me hooked the whole way through.
I did predict a couple of the twists but there was plenty of things I didn’t see coming. Like the ending!! 😱
This book is pretty gritty and a bit darker than I was expecting but I think it was an excellent debut novel and I can’t wait to read Harriett’s new book coming out this year!
This book had me from as soon as I started reading. The writing was excellent and kept me hooked the whole way through.
I did predict a couple of the twists but there was plenty of things I didn’t see coming. Like the ending!! 😱
This book is pretty gritty and a bit darker than I was expecting but I think it was an excellent debut novel and I can’t wait to read Harriett’s new book coming out this year!
November 13, 2020
4.5!
A very memorable thriller and one which surprised me.... Yay we have a winner 😁!!
A very memorable thriller and one which surprised me.... Yay we have a winner 😁!!
February 21, 2021
3.5 rounded down for this book that was well-written but not as suspenseful as I was hoping for!
I didn't dislike Alison as much as other readers. Yes, I wanted to shake her sometimes and make her realize a lot of things, but I saw an unhappy women with many flaws who seriously needed therapy...
Although there were some lenghts in the middle, I thought it could reach 4 stars, but the ending changed my mind. I don't want to spoil anything, but the "twist" was obvious really early. I thought something else would happen, thought it would be more creepy.
I know, I can be pretty difficult with thrillers.
Ready for the next one!
I didn't dislike Alison as much as other readers. Yes, I wanted to shake her sometimes and make her realize a lot of things, but I saw an unhappy women with many flaws who seriously needed therapy...
Although there were some lenghts in the middle, I thought it could reach 4 stars, but the ending changed my mind. I don't want to spoil anything, but the "twist" was obvious really early. I thought something else would happen, thought it would be more creepy.
I know, I can be pretty difficult with thrillers.
Ready for the next one!
March 25, 2019
BLOOD ORANGE is a book I discovered via my Instagram friends, and I'm so glad I moved it to the top of my TBR stack! The main character Alison is such a hot mess even though she may appear to have it all. Watching her go down a self-destructive path was not easy to read, but at the same time I could not look away. This is a complex, dark, and edgy thriller about poisonous relationships and destructive behavior. The ending was a shocker! Impressive debut from Harriet Tyce. Borrowed from the library. ♥
August 8, 2020
Es difícil empatizar con personajes tan odiosos como son Alison, su marido Carl, su amante y compañero Patrick, o su cliente Madeleine. Y precisamente por eso quizás tenga más merito que la autora haya conseguido que me haya tragado la novela. Que con personajes tan indeseables uno se interese por la trama. Y, además, con una trama en la que no pasa gran cosa. En el capítulo 18 parece que la novela va a dar un giro definitivo, pero es una pequeña trampa de la autora, aunque servirá como base para la parte final de la novela. Y el resto, un relleno casi superfluo, pero que te va atrapando hasta las últimas páginas.
Supongo que una de las pretensiones de Harriet Tyce al escribir esta novela es demostrar que no hace falta llenarla de cadáveres para enganchar al lector. Y que con personajes tan poco atractivos como los que despliega se puede construir una novela negra sin provocar rechazo. Si ha sido esa su intención, ha conseguido una obra redonda. Otra cosa sería analizar el final, que aún no sé qué conclusión sacar de él, excepto que no me encaja con todo lo anterior, y no termino de creérmelo. Imprescindible leer el prólogo como conclusión tras acabar con el último capítulo.
Supongo que una de las pretensiones de Harriet Tyce al escribir esta novela es demostrar que no hace falta llenarla de cadáveres para enganchar al lector. Y que con personajes tan poco atractivos como los que despliega se puede construir una novela negra sin provocar rechazo. Si ha sido esa su intención, ha conseguido una obra redonda. Otra cosa sería analizar el final, que aún no sé qué conclusión sacar de él, excepto que no me encaja con todo lo anterior, y no termino de creérmelo. Imprescindible leer el prólogo como conclusión tras acabar con el último capítulo.
March 18, 2020
I have a bookish pet peeve regarding the representation of women in thrillers which is that if they have a successful career (journalist, lawyer, detective etc.) then they will always fall into the trope of abusing alcohol because something about their life is unfulfilling. Same thing goes if their relationship is struggling/failed/non-existent, the first thing that they do is turn to alcohol. It really winds me up and I have to say that Blood Orange milked this annoying trope for all it is worth. Like come on, women can be successful without having to drink themselves into oblivion, it is like writers think that as an entire gender we can’t handle alcohol and/or the pressures of a successful career! Maybe that is my feminist rage showing a little too much (not saying that you are unfeminist if you like that trope – it just does not float my boat).
So ultimately, that put a sour note on this whole story as a whole for me.
To be completely honest, I struggled with most of the characters as they all felt a little one note, they each had one role to play and that was it, there were very little nuances with their characters.
On a more positive note, the pacing of the story was good and if the above things don’t bug you half as much as they bug me then I can see how people do enjoy the book. The thriller elements of the book provided a good dark and twisting plot that did keep me persevering through the character problems. However, if you like Gillian Flynn stories, then you are going to find it very easy to predict what happens in this story.
Overall, this was a 2 star read for me. I desperately wanted to like this more than I did but I just didn’t get it.
*****Original Review*****
RTC - this story just didn’t work for me and I found myself desperate to get to the end so that it would be done. My hope that it would improve in the end didn’t pan out unfortunately.
So ultimately, that put a sour note on this whole story as a whole for me.
To be completely honest, I struggled with most of the characters as they all felt a little one note, they each had one role to play and that was it, there were very little nuances with their characters.
On a more positive note, the pacing of the story was good and if the above things don’t bug you half as much as they bug me then I can see how people do enjoy the book. The thriller elements of the book provided a good dark and twisting plot that did keep me persevering through the character problems. However, if you like Gillian Flynn stories, then you are going to find it very easy to predict what happens in this story.
Overall, this was a 2 star read for me. I desperately wanted to like this more than I did but I just didn’t get it.
*****Original Review*****
RTC - this story just didn’t work for me and I found myself desperate to get to the end so that it would be done. My hope that it would improve in the end didn’t pan out unfortunately.
December 7, 2018
Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.
When I found out I had won a Twitter giveaway from this author's publicist I was thrilled! I have read a lot of thrillers and crime novels, in my time, despite them not being my favourite genre. For me, they provide a lighter source of relief, than my favourite classics or high fantasy, when I am poorly, sleep-deprived, anxious, or feeling any other sort of ailment. So whilst I do read the genre frequently it takes a rare novel from inside its ranks to make me want to drop everything and devour it immediately. Blood Orange did just that.
The synopsis came with three taglines:
Just one more night. Then I'll end it.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
I'm watching you. I know what you're doing.
These three lines led me to believe this would be a novel from a multitude of perspectives. However, chilling prologue aside, it was maintained from just one. This is Alison: successful lawyer, mother of a beautiful little girl, and wife of doting husband. But this is not how the reader is introduced to her. We first see Alison getting blind drunk, competing for another man's attention, and blacking out at work only to be awoken by said husband and daughter, in the early hours of the next morning. This does not paint her in the most favourable of lights and, as the novel continued, there was no further illumination provided to ensure the reader aligned with her. And yet, somehow along the way, I did just that.
This is where Tyce proved herself to me as an extraordinary deft and deceptive writer. She created a novel with the narration of a largely unlikable character and still made her readers adjust to her perspective. And whilst we are too busy focusing on Alison and her many issues, darker deeds were being delivered behind closed doors...
I was hooked from the moment I opened this book and the only reason I have not awarded this the full five stars is that I went some way towards guessing how the whole thing would tie up. The multitude of smaller dramas and mysteries along the way still left me often open-mouthed with incredulity at having been deceived by them, however. Tyce is a masterful manipulator. Don't be surprised, whilst reading this, at what occurs behind your back and when your attentions are firmly fixated on where she demands them.
When I found out I had won a Twitter giveaway from this author's publicist I was thrilled! I have read a lot of thrillers and crime novels, in my time, despite them not being my favourite genre. For me, they provide a lighter source of relief, than my favourite classics or high fantasy, when I am poorly, sleep-deprived, anxious, or feeling any other sort of ailment. So whilst I do read the genre frequently it takes a rare novel from inside its ranks to make me want to drop everything and devour it immediately. Blood Orange did just that.
The synopsis came with three taglines:
Just one more night. Then I'll end it.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
I'm watching you. I know what you're doing.
These three lines led me to believe this would be a novel from a multitude of perspectives. However, chilling prologue aside, it was maintained from just one. This is Alison: successful lawyer, mother of a beautiful little girl, and wife of doting husband. But this is not how the reader is introduced to her. We first see Alison getting blind drunk, competing for another man's attention, and blacking out at work only to be awoken by said husband and daughter, in the early hours of the next morning. This does not paint her in the most favourable of lights and, as the novel continued, there was no further illumination provided to ensure the reader aligned with her. And yet, somehow along the way, I did just that.
This is where Tyce proved herself to me as an extraordinary deft and deceptive writer. She created a novel with the narration of a largely unlikable character and still made her readers adjust to her perspective. And whilst we are too busy focusing on Alison and her many issues, darker deeds were being delivered behind closed doors...
I was hooked from the moment I opened this book and the only reason I have not awarded this the full five stars is that I went some way towards guessing how the whole thing would tie up. The multitude of smaller dramas and mysteries along the way still left me often open-mouthed with incredulity at having been deceived by them, however. Tyce is a masterful manipulator. Don't be surprised, whilst reading this, at what occurs behind your back and when your attentions are firmly fixated on where she demands them.
June 21, 2018
Wow!! I absolutely LOVED this book! I did NOT want to put this down.
Alison is as flawed a character as you can probably get. Successful lawyer with a husband and daughter at home - yet in an illicit affair with a man she can't stop thinking about. Her first murder case that has her on edge and wondering what her client is hiding. Soon it all starts coming down. You know what they say - when it rains, it pours... and Alison is about to get DRENCHED.
Here's the thing. I love thrillers and crime fiction and I'm sure you know that if you've been following me at all. After a certain point, a lot of stories start to sound the same, or the pacing isn't quite what I prefer because I've just read SO MANY OF THEM. If you ask a lot of thriller reviewers, you'll see that they agree. This is typically why I like to sprinkle other genre books in between these reads to refresh my brain for a bit. But then I run into a book like this and I jump for joy, scream from the mountains, do my Snoopy dance and thank the publishing gods for finding Harriet Tyce and Blood Orange.
While the book does talk about the murder case, the main storyline is Alison and her issues and I absolutely LOVE that! I was so in tuned with everything. I wanted to know about the murder case, I wanted to know what was going to happen to Alison. I felt for her and wanted to slap her all at the same time. I loved the little hints that led you in the wrong direction and while I did figure out one twist, the other (MAIN) one, I did NOT.
I could gush about this one all day. Basically it's this - PUT THIS ON YOUR TBR LIST. February can't come fast enough. I need people to discuss this book with! Trust me, you don't want to sit on this one. And Harriet - I hope you're coming out with another one soon because I need more from you!
Thanks so much to Grand Central Publishing for this copy!
Alison is as flawed a character as you can probably get. Successful lawyer with a husband and daughter at home - yet in an illicit affair with a man she can't stop thinking about. Her first murder case that has her on edge and wondering what her client is hiding. Soon it all starts coming down. You know what they say - when it rains, it pours... and Alison is about to get DRENCHED.
Here's the thing. I love thrillers and crime fiction and I'm sure you know that if you've been following me at all. After a certain point, a lot of stories start to sound the same, or the pacing isn't quite what I prefer because I've just read SO MANY OF THEM. If you ask a lot of thriller reviewers, you'll see that they agree. This is typically why I like to sprinkle other genre books in between these reads to refresh my brain for a bit. But then I run into a book like this and I jump for joy, scream from the mountains, do my Snoopy dance and thank the publishing gods for finding Harriet Tyce and Blood Orange.
While the book does talk about the murder case, the main storyline is Alison and her issues and I absolutely LOVE that! I was so in tuned with everything. I wanted to know about the murder case, I wanted to know what was going to happen to Alison. I felt for her and wanted to slap her all at the same time. I loved the little hints that led you in the wrong direction and while I did figure out one twist, the other (MAIN) one, I did NOT.
I could gush about this one all day. Basically it's this - PUT THIS ON YOUR TBR LIST. February can't come fast enough. I need people to discuss this book with! Trust me, you don't want to sit on this one. And Harriet - I hope you're coming out with another one soon because I need more from you!
Thanks so much to Grand Central Publishing for this copy!
August 28, 2021
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2.5 stars
Blood Orange left me feeling...not much at all. It might be because of the narrative, which is propelled by a protagonist who is the personification of a train-wreck, or it might be because of Tyce attempting to gross readers out trough lazily nauseating scenes, but this novel just seems to hit the one note. It focuses on three or four equally frustrating characters who behave or say things that are almost excessively—if not goofily—unpleasant.
While the elements of the story are standards of the domestic thriller, the writing offers them in a very graphic way. Combining vivid imagery with a taut prose not only does Tyce bring Alison's experiences to life but she also gives a transfixing edge to her narrative. While reading this I felt an almost inevitable dread. Reading about Alison...it was like watching a car-crash in slow motion.
More than once I was fooled into thinking that Alison could not sink lower than what she already had...well, she showed me! For the most part of the novel Alison keeps drinking herself stupid, engages in an affair with a colleague who keeps treating her liker crap, and promises her husband that she will 'do better'.
For some obscure reason Alison is good at her job. She is a criminal law barrister who has just received her first murder case. This case takes is on the sideline of Alison's narrative. The story is more concerned with Alison's affair, her marriage, and the vulgar texts she has started receiving than her case.
Although the story tells us that Alison is good at what she does...well, I found that hard to believe. I couldn't even really think of her as a 'workaholic'. Most of the time she just wants an excuse to hang out with Patrick. I get that she is meant to be pathetic and spineless and just a sort...of a walking trashcan but at a certain point I started wondering just how thick can person be.
A lot of what she does is motivated by immature desires ('I want Patrick', 'I want to be a good mum', 'I want to work on this case' ). She thinks things in a very simple manner, and to begin with I thought that she was being 'ironic' but no, she actually thinks like child. Alison's voice is so monotone. She is not a nuanced portrayal of a married woman who is cheating on her husband and drinks too much. If you are looking for a layered and believable character...look elsewhere. There is this half-hearted attempt to make her seem like she knows just how terrible her marriage is by making her identify with the case she is working on (a case in which a wife has stabbed to death her husband) but it is done in such a blatantly matter-of-fact way that I never believed that Alison possessed the awareness and or perspective to notice the strong similarities between her marriage and the one of her case.
Not much happens but I did find myself almost hypnotised by these horrible people. Alison is so passive that a lot of the time I actually hoped that someone would slap or harm her. Her solipsistic drives cause her to be in a miserable situation and I think that the epilogue tries to paint her immaturity, selfishness, and dangerous behaviour as being someone else's fault...
Ultimately the novel fails to be dark. There are weak attempts to make the story bold ranging from description of gross things (there was an almost an excessive amount of scenes revolving around Alison stepping on 'piss', touching 'shit', getting covered in 'puke', cooking food that looked like 'sick') or having characters degrade themselves and or others.
Although Tyce's prose could be rather compelling, her characters were almost laughably dislikable and her story ultimately leads to simplistic resolution.
2.5 stars
Blood Orange left me feeling...not much at all. It might be because of the narrative, which is propelled by a protagonist who is the personification of a train-wreck, or it might be because of Tyce attempting to gross readers out trough lazily nauseating scenes, but this novel just seems to hit the one note. It focuses on three or four equally frustrating characters who behave or say things that are almost excessively—if not goofily—unpleasant.
While the elements of the story are standards of the domestic thriller, the writing offers them in a very graphic way. Combining vivid imagery with a taut prose not only does Tyce bring Alison's experiences to life but she also gives a transfixing edge to her narrative. While reading this I felt an almost inevitable dread. Reading about Alison...it was like watching a car-crash in slow motion.
More than once I was fooled into thinking that Alison could not sink lower than what she already had...well, she showed me! For the most part of the novel Alison keeps drinking herself stupid, engages in an affair with a colleague who keeps treating her liker crap, and promises her husband that she will 'do better'.
For some obscure reason Alison is good at her job. She is a criminal law barrister who has just received her first murder case. This case takes is on the sideline of Alison's narrative. The story is more concerned with Alison's affair, her marriage, and the vulgar texts she has started receiving than her case.
Although the story tells us that Alison is good at what she does...well, I found that hard to believe. I couldn't even really think of her as a 'workaholic'. Most of the time she just wants an excuse to hang out with Patrick. I get that she is meant to be pathetic and spineless and just a sort...of a walking trashcan but at a certain point I started wondering just how thick can person be.
A lot of what she does is motivated by immature desires ('I want Patrick', 'I want to be a good mum', 'I want to work on this case' ). She thinks things in a very simple manner, and to begin with I thought that she was being 'ironic' but no, she actually thinks like child. Alison's voice is so monotone. She is not a nuanced portrayal of a married woman who is cheating on her husband and drinks too much. If you are looking for a layered and believable character...look elsewhere. There is this half-hearted attempt to make her seem like she knows just how terrible her marriage is by making her identify with the case she is working on (a case in which a wife has stabbed to death her husband) but it is done in such a blatantly matter-of-fact way that I never believed that Alison possessed the awareness and or perspective to notice the strong similarities between her marriage and the one of her case.
Not much happens but I did find myself almost hypnotised by these horrible people. Alison is so passive that a lot of the time I actually hoped that someone would slap or harm her. Her solipsistic drives cause her to be in a miserable situation and I think that the epilogue tries to paint her immaturity, selfishness, and dangerous behaviour as being someone else's fault...
Ultimately the novel fails to be dark. There are weak attempts to make the story bold ranging from description of gross things (there was an almost an excessive amount of scenes revolving around Alison stepping on 'piss', touching 'shit', getting covered in 'puke', cooking food that looked like 'sick') or having characters degrade themselves and or others.
Although Tyce's prose could be rather compelling, her characters were almost laughably dislikable and her story ultimately leads to simplistic resolution.
September 16, 2020
This one starts to a weird ass sex-fruit-ropes-cutting scene. Raping a BDSM orange, are we? I'm gonna call Greepeace on your ass, buddy!
Q:
First, you light a cigarette, the smoke curling in on itself and up towards the ceiling. … Kneeling over the back of the sofa, you tie the rope onto the shelves…
Next, you wrap a silk scarf round the rope to soften it and pull at it once, twice, to make sure it’s secure. …
And the final cut, the orange you have laid out on a plate. You pick up the knife, a sharp one with a wooden handle, a steel-dappled blade, and you push it into the fruit. A half, a quarter. An eighth. The peel orange, the pith white, the flesh bleeding out to red at the edges, a sunset spectrum. …
These are all the textures you need. The sting of the smoke in the air, the figures dancing on the screen before your eyes. The padding of the silk soft against the coarse rope. The thumping of the blood in your ears as you come closer and closer, the sweet burst of citrus on your tongue to pull you back from there to here, before the point of no return. (c) Poor innocent fruit!
After, it starts getting less fruitophiliak: all work-hard-play-hard and no rest make Alison a very dull girl. She works a lot, after work she drinks what must be barrels of alcohol, she goes all obsessed with another guy who is an obsessed dork in his own right and together they venture into situations of doubtful consent every time. At home she has another guy as a hubby and a young kid, Matilda.
Basically, she's a passenger in an out-of-control vehicle that is her life. Her family is right by her side for full-frontal view of mommy sliding somewhere, skidding on the surfaces of her professional and personal issues.
Her trademark is:
Q:
I hadn’t realized everyone had got so boring. (c) Well, she's not boring, all right.
Q:
His philandering was legendary, a broken marriage somewhere in his background and several broken hearts, but that wasn’t enough to stop me. … I bit his ear and in turn he took me by the throat and pushed me against the wall and hissed, “No biting, no questions. We fuck, that’s it.” I’m not going to break the rules now. (c) How's that for corporate culture?
Overall, Alison's job seems to be a very special sort of hell: she's always riding trains to work on all kinds of sleazy court cases. Add to that that her boss pressures her into sex favours all over the county and her inability to mean no while saying it. Anyway she manages to do a workaholic's escapes into work:
Q:
The temptation to hide in the brief is almost irresistible, to retreat behind statement and summary rather than confront the reality of my own life and the mess I keep making of it… (c)
Her private life is a mix of gaslighting SOB Carl, overbearing SOB Patrick and Alison being, well, someone she doesn't really seem to know. Both men in her life are decidedly creapy&crappy:
Q:
“I’m going to make you enjoy this,” he says. (c) This is the lover.
Q:
Patrick pushes me through the open door and shuts it firmly behind him. ... Then he turns me to face the wall and pulls down my bottoms. ... Within moments it’s over. He pulls out and turns me round to kiss me.
“I’ve been thinking about that all day,” he says eventually.
I’m out of breath, unsure how I feel about what’s just happened. (c) And this is the lover as well.
Q:
“You might look like a bit of a skank, Alison, but you’re my skank.” (c) The hubby dearest.
What could a woman wish for with these 2 specimen? Huh.
She LOVES her karaoke, like they say: 'Sing like no one's listening':
Q:
I’m in good form tonight. The children watch wide-eyed with awe as I hit all the high notes in “Wuthering Heights.” They’re enthralled….
I hold the last note as long as I can and collapse back on the sofa, spent. I’m almost surprised not to receive a round of applause, so clearly in my mind are Carl and David and Louisa avidly listening and admiring my singing.
“…how you put up with it.” Louisa’s voice, clear in the sudden silence after the end of my song. Then a shushing noise. …
I’m confused about the way the afternoon’s ended up; I was so sure that everyone would want to join in. (c) LOL!
She loves watching her karaoke epics in video SLIGHTLY LESS:
Q:
I hear the opening bars of “Rolling in the Deep” and smile, about to join in the singing in my head. But as I mentally draw breath, I hear myself already singing. If singing is what it can be called. …
Last night, I’d been glorious, singing without a care in the world. So what if no one else was joining in, they didn’t know what they were missing! I was a star, riding a wave of music that had carried me away from all the petty wrangling that had dominated the end of the afternoon. …
I watch … appalled. ...
It’s not a heavenly thing to watch. (c)
Some florid language problems:
Q:
… the pressure that drove hard edges into all of my soft surfaces. (c) Surfaces, Alison? Just how many surfaces do you have?
Q:
She is a pendulum chiming between this reality and the other one that still isn’t texting me… (c) She is a kid, her name is Tilly.
Writing: gosh I hate writing that goes into passages like these:
Q:
Should I take it as a sign to go? Hell no. There’s no way I’m going to leave Patrick to his own devices in that nightclub, not with all those hungry young women desperate to make a good impression on one of chambers’ most important instructing solicitors. I scrape the worst of the mess onto a clean bit of wall and walk with assurance to Swish, smiling at the doorman. If I wash my hands for long enough I’ll get the stink off. No one will ever know.
Tequila? Yes, tequila. Another shot. Yes, a third. The music thumps. Dancing now with Robert and Sankar, now with the clerks, now showing the pupils how it’s done, smiling, joining hands with them and spinning and back to dancing on my own, my arms waving above my head, twenty again and no cares. Another shot, a gin and tonic, head spinning backwards falling through the beat as my hair falls round my face.
Patrick’s in here somewhere but I don’t care, not looking out for him, certainly have no idea that he’s dancing very closely with Alexia with the smile on his face that should just be for me. I can play that game. I walk over to the bar, a wiggle in my stride. Looking good. Dark hair artfully pushed back from my face, fit for nearly forty—the match of any twentysomething in that room. Even Alexia. Especially Alexia. Patrick’ll see oh he’ll be sorry he’ll be so sorry he lost this chance messed this one up… (c) Yes, I know it's show and don't tell but darn, I hate this formula.
Other fun stuff:
Q:
The more we play happy families, the more it’ll come to pass. (c) Fake it till you make it?
Q:
It was a good team of lawyers, though, and we drank the pub nearest to the Travelodge dry every night. (c)
Q:
First, you light a cigarette, the smoke curling in on itself and up towards the ceiling. … Kneeling over the back of the sofa, you tie the rope onto the shelves…
Next, you wrap a silk scarf round the rope to soften it and pull at it once, twice, to make sure it’s secure. …
And the final cut, the orange you have laid out on a plate. You pick up the knife, a sharp one with a wooden handle, a steel-dappled blade, and you push it into the fruit. A half, a quarter. An eighth. The peel orange, the pith white, the flesh bleeding out to red at the edges, a sunset spectrum. …
These are all the textures you need. The sting of the smoke in the air, the figures dancing on the screen before your eyes. The padding of the silk soft against the coarse rope. The thumping of the blood in your ears as you come closer and closer, the sweet burst of citrus on your tongue to pull you back from there to here, before the point of no return. (c) Poor innocent fruit!
After, it starts getting less fruitophiliak: all work-hard-play-hard and no rest make Alison a very dull girl. She works a lot, after work she drinks what must be barrels of alcohol, she goes all obsessed with another guy who is an obsessed dork in his own right and together they venture into situations of doubtful consent every time. At home she has another guy as a hubby and a young kid, Matilda.
Basically, she's a passenger in an out-of-control vehicle that is her life. Her family is right by her side for full-frontal view of mommy sliding somewhere, skidding on the surfaces of her professional and personal issues.
Her trademark is:
Q:
I hadn’t realized everyone had got so boring. (c) Well, she's not boring, all right.
Q:
His philandering was legendary, a broken marriage somewhere in his background and several broken hearts, but that wasn’t enough to stop me. … I bit his ear and in turn he took me by the throat and pushed me against the wall and hissed, “No biting, no questions. We fuck, that’s it.” I’m not going to break the rules now. (c) How's that for corporate culture?
Overall, Alison's job seems to be a very special sort of hell: she's always riding trains to work on all kinds of sleazy court cases. Add to that that her boss pressures her into sex favours all over the county and her inability to mean no while saying it. Anyway she manages to do a workaholic's escapes into work:
Q:
The temptation to hide in the brief is almost irresistible, to retreat behind statement and summary rather than confront the reality of my own life and the mess I keep making of it… (c)
Her private life is a mix of gaslighting SOB Carl, overbearing SOB Patrick and Alison being, well, someone she doesn't really seem to know. Both men in her life are decidedly creapy&crappy:
Q:
“I’m going to make you enjoy this,” he says. (c) This is the lover.
Q:
Patrick pushes me through the open door and shuts it firmly behind him. ... Then he turns me to face the wall and pulls down my bottoms. ... Within moments it’s over. He pulls out and turns me round to kiss me.
“I’ve been thinking about that all day,” he says eventually.
I’m out of breath, unsure how I feel about what’s just happened. (c) And this is the lover as well.
Q:
“You might look like a bit of a skank, Alison, but you’re my skank.” (c) The hubby dearest.
What could a woman wish for with these 2 specimen? Huh.
She LOVES her karaoke, like they say: 'Sing like no one's listening':
Q:
I’m in good form tonight. The children watch wide-eyed with awe as I hit all the high notes in “Wuthering Heights.” They’re enthralled….
I hold the last note as long as I can and collapse back on the sofa, spent. I’m almost surprised not to receive a round of applause, so clearly in my mind are Carl and David and Louisa avidly listening and admiring my singing.
“…how you put up with it.” Louisa’s voice, clear in the sudden silence after the end of my song. Then a shushing noise. …
I’m confused about the way the afternoon’s ended up; I was so sure that everyone would want to join in. (c) LOL!
She loves watching her karaoke epics in video SLIGHTLY LESS:
Q:
I hear the opening bars of “Rolling in the Deep” and smile, about to join in the singing in my head. But as I mentally draw breath, I hear myself already singing. If singing is what it can be called. …
Last night, I’d been glorious, singing without a care in the world. So what if no one else was joining in, they didn’t know what they were missing! I was a star, riding a wave of music that had carried me away from all the petty wrangling that had dominated the end of the afternoon. …
I watch … appalled. ...
It’s not a heavenly thing to watch. (c)
Some florid language problems:
Q:
… the pressure that drove hard edges into all of my soft surfaces. (c) Surfaces, Alison? Just how many surfaces do you have?
Q:
She is a pendulum chiming between this reality and the other one that still isn’t texting me… (c) She is a kid, her name is Tilly.
Writing: gosh I hate writing that goes into passages like these:
Q:
Should I take it as a sign to go? Hell no. There’s no way I’m going to leave Patrick to his own devices in that nightclub, not with all those hungry young women desperate to make a good impression on one of chambers’ most important instructing solicitors. I scrape the worst of the mess onto a clean bit of wall and walk with assurance to Swish, smiling at the doorman. If I wash my hands for long enough I’ll get the stink off. No one will ever know.
Tequila? Yes, tequila. Another shot. Yes, a third. The music thumps. Dancing now with Robert and Sankar, now with the clerks, now showing the pupils how it’s done, smiling, joining hands with them and spinning and back to dancing on my own, my arms waving above my head, twenty again and no cares. Another shot, a gin and tonic, head spinning backwards falling through the beat as my hair falls round my face.
Patrick’s in here somewhere but I don’t care, not looking out for him, certainly have no idea that he’s dancing very closely with Alexia with the smile on his face that should just be for me. I can play that game. I walk over to the bar, a wiggle in my stride. Looking good. Dark hair artfully pushed back from my face, fit for nearly forty—the match of any twentysomething in that room. Even Alexia. Especially Alexia. Patrick’ll see oh he’ll be sorry he’ll be so sorry he lost this chance messed this one up… (c) Yes, I know it's show and don't tell but darn, I hate this formula.
Other fun stuff:
Q:
The more we play happy families, the more it’ll come to pass. (c) Fake it till you make it?
Q:
It was a good team of lawyers, though, and we drank the pub nearest to the Travelodge dry every night. (c)
February 17, 2020
Criminal barrister Alison Wood has just been given her first murder case where the accused seemed to have killed herself husband.
Just like the case itself, not everything seems so clear cut on the surface for Alison personal life.
On the outside she seems to have the perfect life with husband Carl and 6 year old daughter Tilly, but the reality shes hardly with her family.
Citing work as an excuess Alison is heavily drinking whilst having an affair with a college.
I really appreciate the two layers to this novel.
The murder case was strong on it's own merit, instead Alison's life becomes the focal point of the story - why is she prepared to risk everything?
A really strong debut with a dark gritty thriller that really delivers in the final third.
Just like the case itself, not everything seems so clear cut on the surface for Alison personal life.
On the outside she seems to have the perfect life with husband Carl and 6 year old daughter Tilly, but the reality shes hardly with her family.
Citing work as an excuess Alison is heavily drinking whilst having an affair with a college.
I really appreciate the two layers to this novel.
The murder case was strong on it's own merit, instead Alison's life becomes the focal point of the story - why is she prepared to risk everything?
A really strong debut with a dark gritty thriller that really delivers in the final third.
February 14, 2024
2,5 Nu aș da mai mult, fiindcă nu am găsit nimic interesant. Titlul nu are nicio legătură cu conținutul, dar măcar e o lectură relaxată.
June 8, 2021
I'm not sure if the complete sentences under the title qualify as subtitles but I am putting it out there that I need to stay away from books with those (Shiver, Temper, this).
This book was like the car crash you can't look away from, except that after a while, you realize that you can look away and thankfully, the unapologetic skimming helps to ease the pain some. Every character and the plot point felt underdeveloped, making the story hard to understand or believe. A hodgepodge of bad decisions, taboo subjects, and criminal activity lead to an ending that is both bizarre and unexpected. Unfortunately, I was not a fan. 1.5 stars
This book was like the car crash you can't look away from, except that after a while, you realize that you can look away and thankfully, the unapologetic skimming helps to ease the pain some. Every character and the plot point felt underdeveloped, making the story hard to understand or believe. A hodgepodge of bad decisions, taboo subjects, and criminal activity lead to an ending that is both bizarre and unexpected. Unfortunately, I was not a fan. 1.5 stars
March 8, 2019
I made it a third of the way though this book and gave up. Alison is a criminal lawyer who seems to spend most of her time drinking excessively and having an affair with a colleague, rather than going home to her husband and 6 year old daughter. If you want to read about her having sex in a urine splashed train bathroom go for it. I don’t care what happens in the rest of the book. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
September 10, 2019
3.5 estrellas.
Naranja de sangre ha sido una lectura oscura, perturbadora y realmente inquietante. Un libro bastante duro e incómodo de leer, que te deja con mal cuerpo al terminarlo.
La estructura principal de la novela es cíclica. Alison descontrola, alcohol, vuelta a los brazos de su amante, arrepentimiento, búsqueda de redención, vuelta a volcarse en su familia y su trabajo buscando una estabilidad...pero que tarde o temprano acaba volviendo al alcohol, su amante,...Es una pescadilla que se muerde la cola por lo que mientras lees te da la sensación de que no está pasando “nada”, que la trama no avanza, pero no es cierto. El estilo de vida de Alison oculta trás el telón mucho más de lo que la autora nos muestra abiertamente, la “miga” de la novela es como un extra en una película, no te fijas en él pero no dejan de estar presente.
Harriet Tyce ha retratado en Naranja de Sangre lo peor del ser humano de una manera demoledora e impactante. No esperéis empatizar con ninguno de los personajes de esta historia, es casi imposible. Son personas cargadas de los peores sentimientos posibles, la autodestrucción, el engaño, el odio, la venganza, el vicio, una absoluta oscuridad plaga las páginas. Creo que lo que más me inquietó y me devastó cuando terminé la novela es que realmente Tyce no muestra en su novela nada que puedas tachar de surrealista, es algo incomodo de leer pero por desgracia no deja de tener realismo y creo que es algo con lo que la autora ha jugado mucho y uno de los mensajes más abrumadores de la novela.
Clasificaría este libro más de novela negra que de thriller, aunque es cierto que la trama secundaria (el caso de asesinato que lleva Alison, nuestra protagonista que es abogada) tiene un corte más de thriller, un pequeño eje que tiene gran importancia en la resolución de la historia final, a mi parecer. Y bueno, no digo más porque como casi todas las novelas negras, es mejor ir un poco a ciegas y no saber mucho lo que te espera para descubrir poco a poco por uno mismo los entresijos, el telar que la autora ha tejido tan finamente. En definitiva, Naranja de Sangre es un libro del que no saldrás igual que cuando entraste en él.
Naranja de sangre ha sido una lectura oscura, perturbadora y realmente inquietante. Un libro bastante duro e incómodo de leer, que te deja con mal cuerpo al terminarlo.
La estructura principal de la novela es cíclica. Alison descontrola, alcohol, vuelta a los brazos de su amante, arrepentimiento, búsqueda de redención, vuelta a volcarse en su familia y su trabajo buscando una estabilidad...pero que tarde o temprano acaba volviendo al alcohol, su amante,...Es una pescadilla que se muerde la cola por lo que mientras lees te da la sensación de que no está pasando “nada”, que la trama no avanza, pero no es cierto. El estilo de vida de Alison oculta trás el telón mucho más de lo que la autora nos muestra abiertamente, la “miga” de la novela es como un extra en una película, no te fijas en él pero no dejan de estar presente.
Harriet Tyce ha retratado en Naranja de Sangre lo peor del ser humano de una manera demoledora e impactante. No esperéis empatizar con ninguno de los personajes de esta historia, es casi imposible. Son personas cargadas de los peores sentimientos posibles, la autodestrucción, el engaño, el odio, la venganza, el vicio, una absoluta oscuridad plaga las páginas. Creo que lo que más me inquietó y me devastó cuando terminé la novela es que realmente Tyce no muestra en su novela nada que puedas tachar de surrealista, es algo incomodo de leer pero por desgracia no deja de tener realismo y creo que es algo con lo que la autora ha jugado mucho y uno de los mensajes más abrumadores de la novela.
Clasificaría este libro más de novela negra que de thriller, aunque es cierto que la trama secundaria (el caso de asesinato que lleva Alison, nuestra protagonista que es abogada) tiene un corte más de thriller, un pequeño eje que tiene gran importancia en la resolución de la historia final, a mi parecer. Y bueno, no digo más porque como casi todas las novelas negras, es mejor ir un poco a ciegas y no saber mucho lo que te espera para descubrir poco a poco por uno mismo los entresijos, el telar que la autora ha tejido tan finamente. En definitiva, Naranja de Sangre es un libro del que no saldrás igual que cuando entraste en él.
May 6, 2023
Easy read and enjoyable enough story. However throughout the book men treated women appallingly, which made me prickly. In addition many of the characters had a damaging relationship with alcohol and at times used it as an excuse for their behaviour. So no big surprise that I disliked all of the main characters.
March 13, 2019
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.
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.
December 12, 2019
Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh I don’t know how to write this review so it will make sense. There were so many things about this book that I really didn’t enjoy and yet so many things about this book that I was utterly gripped by and couldn’t actually turn the pages fast enough. So, I shall try to break it down and start at the beginning.
Our main protagonist is Alison – a 40-something successful female barrister with a stay-at-home husband and cute 6 year old daughter Tilly, and what appears initially to be the “perfect” life. However it is soon apparent that Allie has problems, big, ugly, inexcusable problems including excessive drinking, having a sordid affair with a colleague and completely neglecting her husband and daughter. I’m not even going to pretend to like Allie or say I could relate to her because I absolutely could NOT – she made me very angry and very disappointed and at no time could I feel an iota of sympathy or excuse her behaviour.
Then there is Patrick – her manipulative colleague and often brutal lover – another revolting character that made my skin crawl – what the hell does Allie see in this pig? He made me want to have a shower in bleach every time he touched her.
Blood Orange‘s main story starts when Patrick assigns Allie her first Murder case to defend. A woman has been caught red-handed having stabbed her husband 15 times with a knife in their bedroom. However this is a twisted, dark psychological story so nothing is as it seems and the reader is led in multiple directions trying to follow the case and watch Allie try to salvage her personal and professional life.
I can think of 2 high profile books I’ve read in the past few years where I absolutely HATED the main characters but loved the books, the writing style, the pace, the storyline and BLOOD ORANGE falls into that category too. In my opinion, any author who can make the reader feels so much emotion (good or bad, disgust or admiration) towards a fictional character is one to look out for and follow her career closely. As much as I really disliked all the main characters I literally COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.
Definitely a MARMITE book, but as I love marmite I’m happy to recommend this. Car Crash fiction writing at it’s best!
Our main protagonist is Alison – a 40-something successful female barrister with a stay-at-home husband and cute 6 year old daughter Tilly, and what appears initially to be the “perfect” life. However it is soon apparent that Allie has problems, big, ugly, inexcusable problems including excessive drinking, having a sordid affair with a colleague and completely neglecting her husband and daughter. I’m not even going to pretend to like Allie or say I could relate to her because I absolutely could NOT – she made me very angry and very disappointed and at no time could I feel an iota of sympathy or excuse her behaviour.
Then there is Patrick – her manipulative colleague and often brutal lover – another revolting character that made my skin crawl – what the hell does Allie see in this pig? He made me want to have a shower in bleach every time he touched her.
Blood Orange‘s main story starts when Patrick assigns Allie her first Murder case to defend. A woman has been caught red-handed having stabbed her husband 15 times with a knife in their bedroom. However this is a twisted, dark psychological story so nothing is as it seems and the reader is led in multiple directions trying to follow the case and watch Allie try to salvage her personal and professional life.
I can think of 2 high profile books I’ve read in the past few years where I absolutely HATED the main characters but loved the books, the writing style, the pace, the storyline and BLOOD ORANGE falls into that category too. In my opinion, any author who can make the reader feels so much emotion (good or bad, disgust or admiration) towards a fictional character is one to look out for and follow her career closely. As much as I really disliked all the main characters I literally COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.
Definitely a MARMITE book, but as I love marmite I’m happy to recommend this. Car Crash fiction writing at it’s best!
April 25, 2019
Short summary:
An impressive debut full of shockers and suspense!
My thoughts:
This book started out great and kept my attention throughout! I really enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed at the ending. I’m not sure what I expected. Although it had a pretty big shocker at the end, part of it was a little bit of a let down...for me. Still...the book was worth reading! Full of twists and great writing. I’ll definitely read another book by this author.
What a thoroughly messed up marriage! Alison is a total disaster, and just keeps spiraling out of control. It’s hard to believe she’s able to have such a successful career when she can’t seem to get her crap together in her personal life, 😂 How out of control was she going to let everything get before she stopped making such bad choices? I could see where her personal life was heading, but not the shocking twists the author came up with!
My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: Published February 21st 2019 by Wildfire
Recommend: Yes
Book Blurb:
An electrifying debut thriller for fans of Anatomy of a Scandal, Apple Tree Yard, and Gone Girl.
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....
A disturbing, toxic and compelling novel that explores the power of fear and desire, jealousy and betrayal, love and hate, BLOOD ORANGE introduces a stunning new voice in psychological suspense.
An impressive debut full of shockers and suspense!
My thoughts:
This book started out great and kept my attention throughout! I really enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed at the ending. I’m not sure what I expected. Although it had a pretty big shocker at the end, part of it was a little bit of a let down...for me. Still...the book was worth reading! Full of twists and great writing. I’ll definitely read another book by this author.
What a thoroughly messed up marriage! Alison is a total disaster, and just keeps spiraling out of control. It’s hard to believe she’s able to have such a successful career when she can’t seem to get her crap together in her personal life, 😂 How out of control was she going to let everything get before she stopped making such bad choices? I could see where her personal life was heading, but not the shocking twists the author came up with!
My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: Published February 21st 2019 by Wildfire
Recommend: Yes
Book Blurb:
An electrifying debut thriller for fans of Anatomy of a Scandal, Apple Tree Yard, and Gone Girl.
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....
A disturbing, toxic and compelling novel that explores the power of fear and desire, jealousy and betrayal, love and hate, BLOOD ORANGE introduces a stunning new voice in psychological suspense.
July 24, 2018
So TheakstonsCrime read 2 is complete.
Blood Orange is a pacy, clever and emotional psychological thriller with added legal and family drama.
Immediately compelling with a strongly divisive main protagonist you can absolutely relate to, I simply did not want to put this one down. So I didn’t.
If you love a great psychological thriller but need it to be edgy, unpredictable and beautifully written Blood Orange will be for you.
Hugely addictive with a fist pump in the air finale, I’m two for two on fantastic Theakstons proof reads. Recommended.
Blood Orange is a pacy, clever and emotional psychological thriller with added legal and family drama.
Immediately compelling with a strongly divisive main protagonist you can absolutely relate to, I simply did not want to put this one down. So I didn’t.
If you love a great psychological thriller but need it to be edgy, unpredictable and beautifully written Blood Orange will be for you.
Hugely addictive with a fist pump in the air finale, I’m two for two on fantastic Theakstons proof reads. Recommended.
July 24, 2020
Alison is a barrister in England handling her first murder case given to her by a more senior lawyer. He will guide her through the process giving her a great opportunity to handle more murder defenses in the future. Alison juggles a marriage to Carl, a therapist and mother's Matilda, though much of the parenting is truly handled by Carl in between patients that come to their home.
It all seems like an ideal arrangement until we see Carl's deep seated resentment toward Alison, who tends to stay late to work and often drinks with her peers late into the evening. Alison tends to booze a little to much and it is becoming more frequent. More than that, she feels a bit out of her league with her new case. Her managing partner is very helpful but there is a quid pro quo there as well. She is entangled with him and soon, things get quite dark in her world. When her law partner is accused of dire crimes, she may loose his guidance. This is enough to cause her world to careen but meanwhile Carl exercises extreme perimeters on her and what she is allowed to do in the presence of their daughter. The more controlling he becomes, the more she panics but soon things become much worse! Can Alison fight her way out of this morass without loosing everything?
This story had me on the edge of my seat. One wonders what the agenda's several people have in Alison's life. Be forewarned that Alison is a somewhat unreliable narrator. This will cause you greater anxiety as you read however, she seems sensible enough to want her to get unencumbered by the agenda's of others and live a more serene life.
I liked the ending but I may have done it differently. This book is worthy of a look for those who like crime without to much gore (mind you it is there but not to detailed). The mystery aspect was well manipulated throughout the story (all though I did unravel the key issues in the mysteries). I liked the realistic characters, especially the not so likable ones. I think the structure would be more appealing to women than men, due to the exhaustion Alison faces trying to handle various life responsibilities with finesse and realizing she is far from that mark.
It all seems like an ideal arrangement until we see Carl's deep seated resentment toward Alison, who tends to stay late to work and often drinks with her peers late into the evening. Alison tends to booze a little to much and it is becoming more frequent. More than that, she feels a bit out of her league with her new case. Her managing partner is very helpful but there is a quid pro quo there as well. She is entangled with him and soon, things get quite dark in her world. When her law partner is accused of dire crimes, she may loose his guidance. This is enough to cause her world to careen but meanwhile Carl exercises extreme perimeters on her and what she is allowed to do in the presence of their daughter. The more controlling he becomes, the more she panics but soon things become much worse! Can Alison fight her way out of this morass without loosing everything?
This story had me on the edge of my seat. One wonders what the agenda's several people have in Alison's life. Be forewarned that Alison is a somewhat unreliable narrator. This will cause you greater anxiety as you read however, she seems sensible enough to want her to get unencumbered by the agenda's of others and live a more serene life.
I liked the ending but I may have done it differently. This book is worthy of a look for those who like crime without to much gore (mind you it is there but not to detailed). The mystery aspect was well manipulated throughout the story (all though I did unravel the key issues in the mysteries). I liked the realistic characters, especially the not so likable ones. I think the structure would be more appealing to women than men, due to the exhaustion Alison faces trying to handle various life responsibilities with finesse and realizing she is far from that mark.
October 2, 2018
Not one for me.
I didn't get this book at all, sorry! Hateful characters (but that's the point given the story I know) but I guess I'm just tired of stories where one of the characters drinks to oblivion and then wonders why life's not turning out that well. I should have read the blurb of course but I like surprises.
But the story soon spirals into a situation that really chews up the characters and is a very very dark place. I just wasn't that keen to go there personally. Apple Tree Yard seems calm in comparison.
Set in and around the Courts of London but you wouldn't want to go anywhere the characters do.
I didn't get this book at all, sorry! Hateful characters (but that's the point given the story I know) but I guess I'm just tired of stories where one of the characters drinks to oblivion and then wonders why life's not turning out that well. I should have read the blurb of course but I like surprises.
But the story soon spirals into a situation that really chews up the characters and is a very very dark place. I just wasn't that keen to go there personally. Apple Tree Yard seems calm in comparison.
Set in and around the Courts of London but you wouldn't want to go anywhere the characters do.
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