One Small Thing: Harriet Tyce

Lockdown has lasted a long time for us, since my daughter returned from north Italy in February with a cough. There were no leaves on the trees then, though the snowdrops were appearing, daffodils a source of cheer. Throughout the next weeks as the scale of the pandemic emerged, and I battled a fever, I sat on the small sofa in our kitchen, working on structural edits, enthralled by the bird table and its visitors.

There’s a family of great tits, five or six of them, a pair of blackbirds and a jay. Thrushes appear sometimes, and a robin. Very occasionally a parakeet spots the peanuts and tells its friends, and they swoop in, creeping sinuously through the apple tree towards the food. Ring collar doves land on the table with a thud and a scurry, kicking the seeds onto the ground. The neighbours’ cat stalks around, once making her way actually onto the table to lie in wait, though the birds weren’t fooled.

The leaves are fully grown now, and we are in still in lockdown. The initial shock has faded, my fever gone. The birds come and go, oblivious to our human concerns. It’s balm to the soul. 

You can find out more about Harriet Tyce's work here, and her books are available here. The Lies You Told will be out on 20 August 2020. 

Shocking, dark, addictive - LIES YOU TOLD is the compulsive new psychological thriller from Harriet Tyce, author of Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy book club thriller BLOOD ORANGE. Perfect for fans of APPLE TREE YARD, BIG LITTLE LIES, and ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL

Has she left her child in the care of a killer?

Sadie has moved back to London so her daughter can attend the exclusive school her domineering father has secured her a place at. It's highly sought-after and highly competitive - just like the other mothers, Sadie soon discovers.

While she's trying to get her daughter settled and navigate the fraught politics of the school gate, Sadie is also trying to reclaim a position in her old legal chambers - she used to practice as a criminal barrister. She's given the junior brief on a scandalous case involving a male teacher and his student. It's an opportunity to prove herself, but will she let a dangerous flirtation cloud her professional judgement? And will her sudden close friendship with another mother prevent her from seeing the truth - and the threat that she's inviting into her home?