2020 Reading Challenge | Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

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If you are a regular reader, you'll know that I set my Goodreads reading challenge at 60 books this year. Here is my review for book 18.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce - 3/5 ★★★

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. And 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.

Review: I bought this book as it was reduced to 99p on Kindle, it had an abundance of four and five star reviews and it was described as being gripping and endorsed by the Richard and Judy Book Club.

Alison is a barrister and is assigned her first murder. Madeleine is accused of stabbing her husband to death and doesn't deny it, but Alison thinks that there is more to the story and that Madeleine is hiding something.

I hated Alison and when I hate a main character, it makes it very hard for me to enjoy the book. Tyce is a fantastic author and my favourite parts of the book were when Alison was working. I just wish there was more of that.

Alison is married to Carl (who I also hated) and they have a six year old daughter called Matilda. It is clear that Alison has issues and a drinking problem and she is having an affair with Patrick, a solicitor that she works with. I hated his character too. It wasn't like she was having an affair with a man who was a million times better than her husband. The lack of likeable characters made this a bit of a difficult read for me.

I don't want to give any spoilers but the stories of Alison's personal life versus the life of Madeleine run parallel and reads nicely. I was sure I was giving this two stars but the fact that I enjoyed Alison's work scenes and the great ending bumped it up a little.