A nice easy read. Nothing scary or shocking if its your first time reading a murder/thriller/psychological story, unless you don't like snails or slugs.
Nether of the main characters are particularly likeable and both pretty dysfunctional, but I was intrigued as to what was actually going to happen to them by the end and what really was the story. I do think this does have a slight 'Single White Female' vibe to it at points.
Not sure I'd buy a book from them if they worked in my local bookshop !

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC audio version in exchange for a honest review.

I wasn’t, and I’m still not entirely sure what to make if this book. I’ll start with my plus points.
I loved the pace of the story and I found the whole plot and story compelling. I wanted to listen at every opportunity.
The narration was brilliant. The characters were well acted and defined. You always knew who was telling their story.
I enjoyed the questions posed regarding the commercialisation of true crime, it made me think about my consumption of podcasts etc from a different perspective.
As a true crime fan, podcast junkie and a book lover it hit all my buttons while also making me think.

The bits I wasn’t so keen on was the portrayal of Roach. I felt there needed to be a bit more to her story to be the motivator to her behaviour towards Laura. In fact, I found myself hoping that Roach was going to have her own connection to the case to challenge Laura’s preconceived idea about Roach.

The negatives aside, I did enjoy this story and it was a joy to listen to.

I wasn’t blown away by this book but found it very intriguing and engrossing to the point I finished this in a day. It was very disconcerting hearing Roach’s story and her obsessive behaviour was disturbing! It was an interesting journey of her thoughts to the ending but it also wasn’t entirely what I expected when picking up this one.

Hearing this as an audiobook was even more chilling, but definitely enjoyable reading this way!

A thriller that kept me entertained throughout. It tells the story of two POVs of two booksellers and their lives as one gets obsessed with another. A enjoyable read.

A novel thriller with lots of accurate bookseller details that kept me entertained throughout. We get the POVs of two booksellers, Laura who is very good at her job and Roach who is terrible. They are, however, equally annoying and I'm not sure I would want to work with either of them. It's still a very enjoyable read despite that as Roach becomes more unhinged when her obsession with true crime and Laura collide. It has an interesting look at the genre of true crime although I wish it went beyond showing us two extreme ends of the conversation.

This is a fun read that will delight book lovers and one you should definitely pick up if you are at all intrigued. I also really enjoyed the narration. The accents were perfectly done and I loved when Roach and Laura mimicked each other.
I received an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to your next OBSESSION!!! 💚🐌✨☠️
This one was deliciously dark, completely addictive and SO beautifully written.
Loved. 💚 Loved. 💚 Loved. 💚
Thank you so much Alice Slater.
And to the two fantastic audiobook narrators who really did a superb job. All the stars!!

When new employee, Laura Bunting, starts work at Spines bookshop Brogan Roach feels an instant rapport. Unfortunately Laura doesn't feel the same. Over a four month period Brogan does everything she can to get to know Laura better but everything she does seems to push Laura further away, resulting in an unbelievable crime.

The two protagonists of Death Of A Bookseller are the complete opposite of each other. Laura is light, bright, friendly, perfect. Brogan, on the other hand is dark, introverted, brooding, and obsessed with serial killers and true crime. Having two narrators works brilliantly. As the story switches between the two characters Emma Noakes and Victoria Blunt narrate them to perfection so that you have no problem understanding which character is speaking.

It is Brogan's obsession with true crime that makes her believe she has a connection with Laura. Laura writes poetry, some of the inspiration for the poetry comes from true crime. When Brogan tries to ingratiate herself with Laura she uncovers something even darker. This secret drives Brogan's obsession on, little realising that the more she tries, the more she is alienating.

Brogan's obsessive personality is disturbing. The lengths she is willing to go to in order to learn more about Laura are unsettling and when she starts to act in a malicious way you can understand how Laura thinks she's losing her grip on reality.

The title gives a very big clue to the conclusion, but as the story progressed I couldn't quite decide which of our protagonists was going to be the victim, it could easily have gone either way. Author Alice Slater has done an amazing job keeping you wondering right to the end.

Death of a Bookseller had many things to recommend it. The storyline was compelling - if a little slow initially. But the twist at the end was brilliant. The epilogue was both satisfying and unsatisfying in equal measure. I think it would sit well in the YA section. The themes and angst is reminiscent of some of the fiction I read in my teenage years.
The primary reason I wasn't completely drawn into the story was that I didn't like either of the protagonists. At all. I didn't find myself invested in the story or rooting for anyone. Rather a fly on the wall watching a series of horrible people do a series of horrible things. And for that, I could have just as easily watched reruns of Big Brother.
I wouldn't rush to read a follow up novel sadly, but I can see that it would have appeal to the emo generation.
The narration was very good, well paced and the characters were suitably defined.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this ARC.

The blurb is intriguing. For me, the story fell short for a number of reasons, but the writing and characterisations are excellent.

The narrative switches between Roach and Laura; both work in a bookshop and Roach becomes obsessed with Laura. I intensely disliked both characters, which doesn’t always mean I won’t enjoy the story and it certainly shows strong writing. Roach is a bit of an oddball who looks down on the ‘normies’ who frequent the bookshop. She’s obsessed with true crime, to a rather unhealthy level. Laura is all sweetness and light, a poet with a dark undercurrent and she despises Roach desperately wants to be her friend. She’s deliberately mean to her and I found her shallow and deeply unpleasant. Again, it’s strong writing.

The story took me into a world I know nothing about; Walthamstow setting, a young crowd with their own attitudes and language and I found much of that engaging and fascinating. The world of lattes and poetry readings is one which hasn’t touched me and I felt the narrative and narration captured it well. But it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to be and I didn’t like it much. The story seems to meander with numerous pops at the corporate culture of the major book sellers. The days of a bookshop in every town went two or three decades ago and are unlikely to return, along with second hand bookshops. That’s a great loss, but in a way it made some of the content feel contrived. I’m at a loss as to how to rate this. Incredibly well written, a real ear for dialogue and people but the plotting is unclear. To be fair, I’ve stopped at around 75% because I’m finding it irritated I don’t want that to overshadow the good points. I’ll return to finish it later. Not a 4* but more than the 3*.

The pitch is intriguing and the cover is eye-catching, but the book unfortunately fell flat for me. Firstly, no one dies? Secondly, the characters were incredibly unlikeable and impossible to sympathise with. Thirdly, it felt like a huge gripe at Waterstones in particular, which your everyday reader will not appreciate - very process-heavy. That being said, the writing was engaging and pacy. I hate to be so negative as I really wanted to love this.

Wow, this is a rollercoaster of a ride….so much happens, that I could not believe what I was hearing. It normally takes me months to get through audiobooks, but I easily made it through this one.

Excellent jaw dropping storyline, great narration, just great!

My thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the copy in exchange for an honest review

On paper this book should have been everything that I would love in a book but it just fell short. It felt predictable and I didn't like either character. It all felt forced and contrite.

Roach (that’s her surname but is how she’s known) works in Spines, a struggling bookshop in Walthamstow, London. She’s a bit of a loner, quite Goth-like, with few friends, a giant African snail for a pet and an obsession with true crime. She looks down on “normies”, the pumpkin-spice-latte-drinking customers that frequent her shop, but have a very narrow view of what they like.
Her life is quite ordinary & predictable until a small team are sent in to try & turn round the ailing bookshop & see if it has a viable future. Laura, Eli & their manager Sharona are a slick team that have worked their magic on numerous other Spines bookshops and hope they will be able to do the same in Walthamstow.
Laura is the model employee, bubbly, smart & full of ideas to transform the shop. She specialises in children’s books, enjoys recommending books to her customers and loves to organise the shelves to be picture-perfect.

The two booksellers are complete opposites!
Laura drinks expensive elderflower beverages, Roach guzzles cans of Dark Fruits cider. Laura eats healthy salads, Roach eats last night’s leftover pizza for breakfast. Laura wears florals , skirts and heels whilst Roach’s wardrobe consists of black jeans, Tshirts & hoodies. Laura smells of roses & tropical scented shampoo whilst Roach smells of sweat & unwashed hair. Laura writes poetry, Roach listens to podcasts about serial killers.

Laura loathes Roach, but Roach is curious about Laura, feeling that they have a deeper connection and won't stop pursuing the friendship despite Laura's unwillingness to engage. This interest & intrigue soon becomes obsession and Roach sets out to learn everything she can about Laura & whatever secret she is hiding. When she uncovers something about Laura’s traumatic past, she is excited – it’s like her very own true crime story!
Neither Laura or Roach are entirely likeable characters, but their flaws make the story even more fascinating. Both of them make mistakes and do questionable things.

The story is told in short, snappy chapters that alternate between the two of them. It starts slowly but soon heats up, first to a simmer where secrets are revealed, actions get more daring & boundaries are crossed. The final section is played out at a rapid boil and the author has been so clever in writing a plot that literally has you on the edge of your seat, staying up all night to read at one moment & being almost scared to turn the page because you fear that you know what’s coming next … Fingernails may well be chewed by the end of this book!
The ending is surprising but works. It’s not neatly packaged up like so many books but leaves you with unanswered questions and a lingering sense of unease. Ultimately this is a dark, immersive, disturbing thriller that will unsettle you, and will challenge you to consider the ethics and complexities of the true crime genre. Who really has the right to tell stories that don’t belong to them – or do these stories actually belong to everyone?

Audiobook:
I listened to the audiobook & it was perfect for this story as the two narrators have very different voices and convey the characters of Laura & Roach very well. They kept the pace well & when their character observed/commented on something the other did, their impersonation was fabulous – Roach doing Laura’s plummy voice was perfect!

Recommendation:
If you enjoy suspenseful thriller novels with dark undertones, or have ever worked in a bookshop, this may appeal. I highly recommend the audiobook!

On paper, this should have been an ideal audiobook for me - morally ambiguous characters, dual narratives, the world of book selling.

I stopped the listening to the audiobook about a third of the way through because both women were so unlikeable and I was repulsed by each of their narratives - how stuck up and selfish Laura was, how weird and cringy Roach was. Adding to that, it was really repetitive. I got the dynamic between them and why Roach was enthralled with Laura, and why Laura was repelled by Roach…but it felt like they had the same interaction time and time again. It made me feel depressed. I skipped to the end of the book, listened to the epilogues and felt like I hadn’t really missed anything by skipping two thirds of the audiobook. The last chapter is good but not worth slogging through the book to get to it. It’s not a book I could recommend to my fellow fans of thrillers or book themed reads.

However, I would say the best bit of this audiobook is the skilled narrators. Though I really disliked the plot, both narrators captured their characters perfectly, bringing their horrible characters to life for the listener.

Thank you to the author, her publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is easily one of the best audiobooks of 2023 - the character of Roach is written in such a way that the listener both hates her yet loves her story and the narrator captures this perfectly in her depiction. The story can get a little wayward at times, yet this only adds to the chaos that is Roach and Laura’s stories.

While some of the details seem a little wooly and Laura’s ending is less than satisfying, overall this is an engaging and well paced quasi-mystery filled with suspense and throwbacks to multiple true crime stories that act almost like Easter eggs for those interested in that.

I thought this book was really intriguing and it started out strong. The writing was solid and the characters were well developed... yet I just felt like the plot was missing something falling short.
I feel like I kept waiting for a big twist to happen and unless I completely missed the point, it never came. That being said, I'll be very interested to see what this author comes up with next, though, as (like I said) I really enjoyed their writing. I struggled to listen and wasn’t engaged
I think I would feel different if I’d read a real
Copy as opposed to listen to the audio.
Thanks
Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for
My honest review.

started off a bit slow and non rescript however this book has a dark undertone to it. Based around a book shop the main character is seen as very odd and she loves true crime. In fact obsessive about true crime and can identify serial killers and mass killings with little prompt. However she is not the only one with secrets, one of her colleagues has a connection. A few twists and turns with an intriguing plot keeps you hanging on until the end. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

I thought this book was really intriguing and it started out strong. The writing was solid and the characters were well developed... yet I just felt like the plot was missing something. I feel like I kept waiting for a big twist to happen and unless I completely missed the point, it never came. That being said, I'll be very interested to see what this author comes up with next, though, as (like I said) I really enjoyed their writing.

This book completely took me by surprise. I had no idea what to expect going in to it but I soon got hooked!

This was so creepy in all the right ways! Roach becomes very quickly obsessed with Laura and the journey is addictive. I felt the characters were sooooo well developed, everything about them I could visualise. But I will say they weren’t particularly likeable. All of them had their issues and were quite pretentious and self centred but I think that was the point.

I loved the setting of the bookstore that really worked and elevated it for me, and also this author really got the feel of London in the book which I also loved.

Thoroughly enjoyable and different. Addressed some interesting issues about people's fascination with serial killers and what that means for the victims and families of those victims. Dark, tense and entertaining.