I LOVED this book. The tension in the writing was so perfectly pitched and compulsive that at times I had to remind myself to slow down to enjoy the wicked humour and beautiful prose as well as the action. It is one of the very few novels I've read set in the publishing / publishing adjacent world that don't feel to inside-focussed and I loved all the sections about the booksellers at work, as well as the major themes. Roach is a brilliantly drawn, slimy character, totally believable. Cognratulations to Alice Slater on an amazing debut, will be recommending it widely.

Thank you for letting me read!

Loved this. Fell comfortably into the narrative straightaway as so much of the terminology was familiar. Didn't particular like either Laura or Roach and really couldn't decide who I was rooting for! Thought the ending was great, not salacious or unnecessarily shocking but perfect for the story arc.

This book started slowly, with just enough to hold my interest and gradually build to a huge climax. The story is told in the first person alternately by two very different characters who are work colleagues. We read of their i:interactions from their very different perspectives. Like many good books it has both an interesting conclusion and tantalising twist at the end.

It's not the type of book I usually read, but I enjoyed it.

Based on two main characters: Laura and Roach, both booksellers in the same book store.

What's the biggest difference between the two?
Roach loves serial killers, homicides, horror movies and everything that has to do with macabre and blood.
Laura had a very traumatic experience as a teenager when her mom was killed by one of them.

Roach will do anything to be friends with Laura, but for the wrongest reasons in this world. She will even go far enough to stealing her poems and changing her words, and when their shifts will be changed she will decide to take her house keys so that she is always "free to come and go as she pleases".

All of this? Only to find out which of her wacky "heroes" killed Laura's mother.

She will find out, and to do so she will do the most absurd things.

The end? Heart-pounding.

Thanks again to #netgallery for asking me to read and review this book. I really enjoyed reading it, but I have to admit that now people in general scare me even more.😳😂

I’ve written and rewritten this review several times. In many ways people view a book in high regard if the story sticks with them long after the back cover is closed and in many ways it has.

This book is ‘fine’ - although it doesn’t ever really make a point other than people can have different views on the same subjects and still be toxic AF and also that when pressed authors are still painfully willing to plunder various subcultures and distil them down into stereotypes.

Death of a Bookseller is an engrossing, well-written, well-plotted tale of obsession, loneliness, and trauma, played out in the lives of a group of twenty-something booksellers whose existence revolves around books during the day and booze at night. At the start of the book I wasn't sure it would be for me, in part because "dark" thrillers can sometimes be too dark for my taste, but I quickly found myself drawn into the story, fascinated by the two main characters, and needing to know where the narrative would take them. I wasn't disappointed. This book has all the twists and turns a crime thriller needs and is well paced and consistently good throughout. Having started out wondering if I'd get into it, I found myself setting aside everything else in order to finish it. A really impressive debut. I rarely give five stars, but this debut is definitely deserving of every one of them.

I was lucky enough to be sent this ARC from Hodder and Stoughton, Alice Slater's debut novel Death of a Bookseller. Let me start by saying it is really impressive that this is Slater's first release, and I really enjoyed her writing style. It was typical of how I like my thrillers, with short chapters that move the story along with a quick pace and with dual POV.
The characters in this book are so unlikeable yet relatable and I assure you that you know a person just like Roach or Laura in real life. Roach is a classic reprobate, disgusting and depraved, yet so fascinating I found myself enjoying her POV the most. Laura on the other hand was obnoxious, with her obsessive relationship with Eli very irritating. The other bookshop characters were also well-developed.
This book also centres around the impact of True Crime as a genre, which I hadn't previously given a lot of thought to. I enjoyed reading the two highly contrasting perspectives; consuming it as a reader for entertainment versus witnessing it from a victims' perspective, which highlighted that the genre profits off violence and abuse, particularly towards women.
This was a superb fast-paced thriller and I found it hard to put this book down. I found the ending to be a little rushed, perhaps I was disappointed to bid farewell to the odd group of booksellers so soon.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton UK and Alice Slater for sending me this digital review copy.

Review posted to Goodreads and Twitter.

This is so so good , absorbing and peopled by interesting characters. An original story that will get you turning the pages until the very end, I was sad when I finished it , think I am in a book slump now on this occasion you can believe the hype./ I read this in one sitting was totally invested

The development of both of the characters was great, the story is a thriller told through a joint POV. Roach the main character grew on towards the end but being in Roach's head kind of freaked me out and at times made me feel uncomfortable. But towards the end her character started to grow on me, overall though i love a dislikable character (she was written so well). Laura on the other hand is her opposite a more comforting character. The book was a slow burn but well worth it and i read this quickly as i enjoyed it so much. I liked that the ending was not predictable.

This is the story of creepy Roach and her obsession with true crime and serial killers. She works in a bookshop where she orders true crime from the USA for imaginary customers and keeps them in the staffroom to read at any opportunity. She's a self confessed creep who keeps a giant slug as a pet and has no friends. When Laura comes to work in the shop,, Roach feels a connection to her but for some reason, Laura takes an instant dislike to her. Roach becomes more and more obsessed with Laura and stalks her in a most unsettling way.

At first you have some sympathy for Laura but she is unnecessarily nasty to Roach and her behaviour especially in relationship to alcohol is questionable albeit understandable when you learn her mother was killed by a serial killer.

The book is very well written, slow in parts but so creepy.. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure. It was unsettling but I like to have a character I can root for and that wasn't happening here. But if you like your fiction dark, you'll love this. It was just a bit too much for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.. 3.5 stars

Some of the descriptions for Roach and her boyfriend were so good they made my skin crawl. Although the overuse of strongbow dark fruits did get on my nerves a bit...
Overall a fun, witty and clever story with some interearing discussion points.

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Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater
Death of a Bookseller
by Alice Slater (Goodreads Author)
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Read in January 2023
Wow! That was pretty dark.

When I was given a widget for this one I wasn't sure whether to go for it or not but I am glad I did.

Roach is a bookseller, as is Laura. Roach is obsessed with anything serial killer related, books, podcasts, live shows even. Laura, for different reasons, is also interested in serial killers but from a largely feminist perspective you could say, interested in the monetisation of violence against women, generally by men.

When Laura comes to work in Roach's bookstore, Roach feels she has a connection to Laura and strives to build a friendship. With the story told in alternating chapters from their different perspectives, we come to realise that this feeling isn't mutual and Laura can't stand Roach.

What this leads to, well I will leave you to read the book but it is a really enjoyable read (however please avoid if you need a likeable main character you can root for) neither Laura nor Roach could be described that way for me.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Dark, but not as dark as I was expecting, this alternating point of view debut novel about two opposing booksellers had me gripped. It didn’t end up twisting in the way that I thought it might, which in itself is clever I guess, but it does end in a satisfying way that still manages to leave questions lingering.

Is there a more anticipated 2023 book in literary circles than this one? And it’s a debut! A powerful debut at that.

The development of the two main characters - Roach and Laura - was fabulous. Roach is obviously meant to be the weird one, the one we should be wary of. But at first, I didn’t see her like that. Yes she was odd and weird and obsessive and creepy, but I was finding myself liking her. Whereas I didn’t like Laura at first. I felt she was this Miss know-it-all and instantly rated. However, as it went along Roach became more uncomfortable and Laura became familiar. Roach began to cross many lines and you’re conflicted as to whether you can root for her or not. But in the end, I felt I couldn’t support her. Whilst I still enjoyed her uniqueness, I found it hard to justify what she was doing. Excellent development on both parts.

It was interesting to have someone dislikeable as the main character. Protagonists are usually nice and likeable and familiar, but Roach was none of those things. She’s unashamedly wrong. But yet we still root for her. You’ll find yourself rooting both for her and against her.

I found the whole serial killer obsession fascinating. It’s a bit controversial to admit you are interested in them, but given the amount of books, movies and TV shows inspired about them, there are clearly more of us with a fascination than we might admit.

I loved the setting of an independent bookshop. Any book that talks about books and stories is a winner for me. It’s like a love letter to the magic of reading with this backdrop of murder.

I admit, it was nothing like I was expecting. I was expecting it to be a murder mystery, or crime novel. But it’s not really. It was so layered. It’s got this power about it, but also this humour, it’s creepy and unsettling and beautiful to read.

It could have so easily strayed into the unbelievable, the fantasy, the spoof, the caricature. But it just sits on the right side. It’s never too much. Completely believable.

You won’t want to put it down once you start so make sure you have a free day. If you’re like me, it’ll stay with you even after you’ve finished.

I would probably advise not to read it before bed. I did, and then dreamt about serial killers. But if that’s your thing, then I won’t stop you.

There’s no need for a sequel, but I kind of want one. I want to see what happened next and what the future held for our characters.

I felt Alice’s exploration of grief, and depression and mental health is an excellent piece of writing. Sensitive but raw.

I can’t think of anything particularly bad to say about it. I’ve read the odd review that say it’s a bit slow in places but I don’t know where. In my view, it is perfectly paced. Slow enough to get to know the characters, but quick enough to get stuck into the action. The two leads are mesmerising, the concept and plot were unique and fascinating, and the ending was gold.

This will definitely be recommended time and time again. And whilst it’s due out in the UK spring (April), I think it would make the perfect dark autumn night read, when the wind is howling and the shadows grow around you.

Perhaps unusually mastered well is the essence of bookselling, the cosiness of a bookshop as well as the sinister-esque feeling amongst some of the genres. The inner workings of publishing, bookselling and reading, were very well covered - the Authors familiarity with this field was clear.

The main character, The book is full of metaphors and probably more than you’d notice during a first read. But from the snail trail of slime leading us to the ending (and the slug trails within Laura’s flat) there are similarities between the way that the book is written and the story that’s unfolding.

Roach and Laura appear on the surface to be complete opposites. Roach with her true crime addiction and obsession with the macabre, Laura with her firm refusal to even entertain that specific genre, finds gaps in true crime to create poetic stanzas from. Yet they are more alike than they realise and the book breaks this apart and puts it all back together again to make more sense than before. All the while breaking through norms and boundaries, so be prepared… it gets dark. Roach, makes perfect sense throughout the whole the book despite a seemingly dark hobby. She’s logical, matter of fact, and persistent.

This is a grimy book that was akin to visiting a dirty house and wanting to wipe your feet on the way out. Although I read a digital advanced copy I still felt metaphorically grubby afterwards - and that is the talent of Alice Slater bring characters to the foreground that we don’t particularly like (or maybe some of us do!) in a setting that feels uncomfortable just as much as it feels cosy (a bookshop!).

It’s very hard to sum up - but a four star slow burn with crime fiction elements, psychological undertones and a hint of suspense seems to capture it. I liked it…because I didn’t. Make of that what you will!

This wasn’t the book for me, but very much one where it’s a case of personal preference rather than because of the book itself. Would be great for fans of Otessa Moshfegh.

This is a very enjoyable debut thriller. The story is told through dual POV. While both characters are inherently unlikeable, they are well written and impossible to forget.
Well paced with plenty of twist and turns to keep you guessing. The ending was unexpected and satisfying. Overall a must read for booksellers and book lovers alike.

Thanks to the author, Hodder and Stoughton and
Hodder and Stoughton audio as well as NetGalley for the opportunity to read and listen to this unmissable book.

I was drawn to this book by the synopsis, the bookshop setting and positive reviews on social media. It's set in a London bookshop and told from the points of view of two booksellers- popular Laura and unpopular Roach who is obsessed with true crime.
This is a slow burn thriller, very little happens and I found myself rather frustrated waiting for the plot to move along. It is well written and the author is skilled at description, characterisation and relationships. Both characters are unlikeable but interesting. I felt that I wasn't the right demographic for this book and at times felt out of sync with the language and the lives of the characters. Overall a dark and interesting read that I wasn't quite gripped by.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Well this was a grim and disturbing read!

It follows two main characters, Roach and Laura. Both are pretty awful to be honest but both equally grabbed my attention and I always wanted to read more about them. I felt the way the book was written, alternating their points of view, really helped you get inside their heads and involved in their world.

It's quite a slow story, there's basically zero plot for most of it and it follows Roach and Laura in their day to day lives which seem to get darker and spiral more and more out of control and into despair the further you go. Despite enjoying it, at times I felt the book was repetitive and dragged, but I think that was intentional.

The majority of goings on happen in the bookshop or the pub. I loved reading about the day to day workings of the bookshop, I believe the author is a former bookseller which does really shine through. I also appreciated the conversation being raised over True Crime as a genre, people profiting from violence against women and romanticising serial killers.

It's pretty dark and gross. I was expecting gore based on the cover but it's not gory. More smelly, which is a strange thing to say about a book but I found myself wrinkling my nose up at all the descriptions of sweat and smelly feet and vomit. Roach is the most unhygienic character ever 😂 at one point she vomits on her bedroom floor and just leaves it there 🤢 if this was a scratch and sniff book I would not be scratching or sniffing 😂

So in summary: a gross, dark, slow burner of a story with stalkery themes and sinister vibes. I'll leave you to make your own mind up about whether you think this one is for you or not

Thanks must go to the author, publisher & Netgalley for the ARC.

I was excited about this book by the cover and by the authors that had read and reviewed the book already. However, it unfortunately didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. Whilst Alice writes with brilliant description and paints a picture that truly makes you believe you are watching this story unfold, it was too late in the book for any twists or drama to occur for me.