Name: Death of a Bookseller
ISBN: 9781529385359

Alice Slater

A BOOKSHOP. A TRUE CRIME CASE. A DEADLY FRIENDSHIP. THE UNMISSABLE NEW THRILLER. PRE-ORDER THE 2023 DEBUT YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT... 'Your new obsession' ERIN KELLY 'A dark masterpiece. It will work its way under your skin like a splinter and stay there' CATRIONA WARD 'Tense, addictive and sticky underfoot' JULIA ARMFIELD 'Utterly unforgettable' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD 'Engrossing, atmospheric and deliciously dark. Add this to your list' WILL DEAN 'Impossible to put down' ELIZA CLARK

the UNMISSABLE debut thriller of 2023

Death of a Bookseller

Damn, maybe millennials really are that annoying.

I am not sure why any recent pop novel that has tried to tacle the ethics of true crime consumption, especially online, has given such cringy vibes. Instead of being truly interested in the impact of it and / or why there is such interest in it (mind you, this trend is well over a century old), the discussion in any of those novels like "Death of a Bookseller" seems to start and end at calling those people losers by drawing extreme caricatures of them. (Funny how they always seems to be working class people, too).

I mean, this is not necessarily wrong. But it is very much not an exploration of anything.

Damn, maybe millennials really are that annoying.

I am not sure why any recent pop novel that has tried to tacle the ethics of true crime consumption, especially online, has given such cringy vibes. Instead of being truly interested in the impact of it and / or why there is such interest in it (mind you, this trend is well over a century old), the discussion in any of those novels like "Death of a Bookseller" seems to start and end at calling those people losers by drawing extreme caricatures of them. (Funny how they always seems to be working class people, too).

I mean, this is not necessarily wrong. But it is very much not an exploration of anything.

anya

A Freckled Bookwyrm

I like the concept of this book and was really excited to read it. About 1/3 into the book I was struggling to keep going. The two main characters are hard to relate to or really feel anything towards them. I forced my self to finish the book incase the ending made all of it worth it....and it did not. I was really disappointed, it did not end like I hoped and I felt that it fell short of what it could have been. Reading this book also made me realized that I may not be into contemporary fiction. One thing I did like was the short chapters going back and forth between the two characters, it made reading go quickly and it was nice to see both perspectives.

Caveat: This is a niche thriller that worked for me. It's about Roach and Laura, two booksellers in a shop in London whose relationship rushes towards an ending that you see coming but can't look away from. I loved it because of the atmospheric London setting and the excellent insider look at bookselling. That part entertained me since I worked for Barnes and Noble for several years. 

 I loved Slater's writing about female competition and the impact of true crime on our culture. And that ending??? Fantastic.

Cheri McElroy

Caveat: This is a niche thriller that worked for me. It's about Roach and Laura, two booksellers in a shop in London whose relationship rushes towards an ending that you see coming but can't look away from. I loved it because of the atmospheric London setting and the excellent insider look at bookselling. That part entertained me since I worked for Barnes and Noble for several years. 

 I loved Slater's writing about female competition and the impact of true crime on our culture. And that ending??? Fantastic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Death of a Bookseller follows two perspectives from completely opposite booksellers; true crime obsessed Roach and Laura, who despises the fascination and glorification of serial killers.

It's a dark story, but Alice Slater writes in such a way that it manages to feel lighter than it actually is. Don't get me wrong, this book is creepy and haunting in its detail of Roach's obsessions, but the writing flows along naturally, making it easy to read.

The two main characters are polar opposites of each other and still incredibly unlikeable. That being said, they are written so carefully and detailed that you find yourself both living and hating them depending on the circumstances they find themselves in. 

The details and insights into the bookseller world were fantastic. It's definitely a book that will resonate with anyone who has any experience working in retail! I also enjoyed all the literary mentions throughout this book. 

However, I found myself feeling that this book could have been shorter. Parts of it felt too repetitive, which made parts of the plot feel less impactful and too drawn out.

Death of a Bookseller provides a unique angle on the thriller genre; creepy and dark but still highly entertaining in a lighthearted way.

Victoria Justice

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Death of a Bookseller follows two perspectives from completely opposite booksellers; true crime obsessed Roach and Laura, who despises the fascination and glorification of serial killers.

It's a dark story, but Alice Slater writes in such a way that it manages to feel lighter than it actually is. Don't get me wrong, this book is creepy and haunting in its detail of Roach's obsessions, but the writing flows along naturally, making it easy to read.

The two main characters are polar opposites of each other and still incredibly unlikeable. That being said, they are written so carefully and detailed that you find yourself both living and hating them depending on the circumstances they find themselves in. 

The details and insights into the bookseller world were fantastic. It's definitely a book that will resonate with anyone who has any experience working in retail! I also enjoyed all the literary mentions throughout this book. 

However, I found myself feeling that this book could have been shorter. Parts of it felt too repetitive, which made parts of the plot feel less impactful and too drawn out.

Death of a Bookseller provides a unique angle on the thriller genre; creepy and dark but still highly entertaining in a lighthearted way.

Death of a Bookseller the UNMISSABLE debut thriller of 2023