After a cliffhanger of epic proportions, the latest episode of The Traitors fully kicked off long after Matt had left the confessional. In fact, it was Harriet who stirred things up for the traitors, leaving them quaking in their cloaks.

Harriet Tyce has gone full-on criminal barrister in the latest episode, not only revealing her careers, including that as a psychological crime novelist, to the Traitors but also to the rest of the Faithful at breakfast.

She did, as she said, really throw the cat among the pigeons. Of course, us viewers all knew about her professional acumen, but no one could have seen this coming. Except, maybe, those who have read her books.

Here's what book critics have said about Harriet's work that saw the events of the game coming.

Guardian critic John O’Connell wrote of her 2019 novel Blood Orange, "A former lawyer herself, Tyce brings her fictional world to dark, unsettling life. An arguably off-key bit of plotting towards the end threw me slightly..."

There are certainly those who would consider her declaration at breakfast to be "off-key plotting", and think that she should have kept her suspicions to herself.

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Michelle Emerson wrote: "[Harriet] is a talented crime writer who handles everything with seasoned precision: from the reader to her characters and the intricate plot layers to the expertly depicted milieu."

Before confession to her career, the rest of the Traitors would certainly have described her as precise - especially after her takedown of Hugo.

harriet tyce traitors
BBC

Of Harriet's 2020 novel The Lies You Told, one blogger said: "I understand how that initial slow burn was absolutely essential to the success of the narrative." Whether or not you consider Harriet's reveal a slow burn or not depends on perspective, but she certainly held on longer than Amanda (too soon?).

For My Weekly, Linda Hill wrote: "That narrator is definitely not quite in their right mind, which leaves us jumpy and unsettled," which some fans certainly would say of Harriet's decision. We were certainly jumpy and unsettled!

Of Blood Orange, reviewer Luke Harkness wrote: "I felt like the author had them react, say things and act in a way that just seemed a little over the top" and "It’s got a plot that makes you judge characters and double-guess absolutely everyone." The latter quote really applies to all of The Traitors, doesn't it?

reece, harriet, rachel, the traitors season 4
BBC

Similarly, another blogger wrote of Blood Orange, "I began to have a bit more sympathy for her situation though still despaired of many of the seemingly reckless choices she made."

Falling more on the favourable side of Harriet's behaviour, another blogger said: "I really did not see the end coming and though it was a tad left-field, it was satisfying nonetheless." We're sure the other contestants agree.

Harriet has a penchant for the unexpected. Another reviewer said Blood Orange's "shocking twists … left me audibly gasping" and "there are more dark twists than you can dare to dream."

If that doesn't sum up Wednesday night's episode, we don't know what does.

The Traitors airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. You can see when it's on next here.


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