It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I was hooked and couldn't put it down. kept me guessing all the way through

This thriller's main character Helen has just been released from prison and is looking for a second chance at life. She opens a second hand bookstore and faces a series of break-ins. She begins to wonder if her past is catching up with her. The first part of the book was a bit slow. It started to pick up about halfway through. I read a lot of thrillers so I found this to be a bit predictable. There were not any surprising/shocking twists revealed.

Helen Appleby has loved books her entire life, so when she was released from prison, she desperately wanted to open up a used bookstore. Though her crime was manslaughter, she was given only two years, plus two years of probation. With the help of a sizable inheritance, she was able to make her dream come true, but her past kept getting in the way of her future. Helen never felt safe in her new bookstore, nor at home. Strange happenings were occurring and she needed to get to the bottom of it, or lose everything.

I really enjoyed this book, though I didn’t love it. It was a bit slow and predictable. I rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced reader copy.

All the necessary ingredients for an intriguing thriller featuring some very complex women. It all revolves around a second hand book shop, which Helen has opened after her stint in prison for murder. Apple cheeked old ladies are highly suspicious, as are students, her liason officer and the two cheeky Cockneys running next door's pizzeria. Everything that can go wrong just about does. Great pacey writing by Valerie Keogh. I loved the way some of the Boldwood and Storm stables of her fellow authors got name checks.

I have read many of Valerie Keogh's novels previously and always found them a joy to read.

The Bookseller was an interesting read, not my favourite but still a good read. We follow Helen who has just got out of prison for killing her partner and she desperately wants to open a bookshop. She follows her dreams and finds her shop and sets about renovating and filling the shop with books.

But life is not exactly running smoothly for Helen, things start to happen and Helen is left wondering who and why someone is targeting her.. I enjoyed reading about Helen, her sister and the brothers in the pizza shop next door which added a little extra in The Bookseller.

A good read from Valerie Keogh. 3.5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Bookseller written by Valerie Keogh is a suspenseful story, about a woman with a dark past, who simply wants to sell books, and move on from her past mistakes.

Helen Appleby has recently been released from prison following the manslaughter of her partner. She is wanting to rebuild her life and start fresh, by opening a bookshop and living a quiet life. However, someone seems determined to sabotage her efforts. Helen has killed once before; would she be willing to kill again to protect her future…

I adored the bookshop setting, including all the bookish banter and discussion of stories. I did find our protagonist to be rather paranoid, although she was also endearingly gullible at times. I found this added to the realistic depiction of her conflicting emotions and varying experiences.
I was hooked from the first page and found myself wanting a positive outcome for our protagonist.

With thanks to Boldwood Books, Valerie Keogh and NetGalley for the e-ARC, for review consideration with an honest review.
I am excited to read more thriller stories from Valerie Keogh!

Release date: 3rd March 2025

The Bookseller is a fabulous read. I devoured it in just 2 sittings. I was initially struck by the title and the front cover. I read page 1 and couldn’t stop reading! Completely addictive and I tried my best to work out which characters were trustworthy. Helen got my sympathy straight away despite the fact that she has just been released from prison for murdering her abusive partner.
The setting of the book shop is delightful and I really wanted Helen to do well. A throughly gripping story that keeps you hooked right to the very end.

This has been one of my favourite reads for some time! Based upon a woman who has just been released from prison for the manslaughter of her abusive husband. She decides to fulfil her dream of opening a second hand bookshop. After her time inside, she struggles to trust others and when things start going wrong she suspects everyone. Brilliant characters and a fabulous read.

I loved this book! The storyline was intriguing and had me guessing the entire time. I loved the twists and how everything tied together at the end. Great character development and loved the feeling of love of reading throughout the book. I loved everything by this author!!!

Helen has just been released from prison, after serving time for killing her husband (not a spoiler - we find this straight away). Her dream has always been to open a book store, and she quickly starts looking for, and finding a place. Much of the early part of the book is about her setting up the shop, meeting people and generally settling back into life.

The thriller part of this novel comes from some unexplained noises and break-ins at the shop and her home.

This is a very gentle thriller - the story of her setting up the shop and meeting people is the bulk of it. Helen is an easy character to read, very realistic and so are the people she meets. It's a lovely easy novel to read and I got through it in a bit over a day of reading while I ate.

Helen Appleby has spent two years in prison for manslaughter. She has served her time, and all she wants now is to live a quiet life, and follow her long time dream of opening her own bookshop. It would be a new start for her, doing a job she has always wanted, with her beloved books.
She finds the premises she wants, has the renovation work and decorating done, and soon settles into her life as a bookseller.
However, several disturbing events cause Helen to wonder if someone does not want her to succeed in her new venture. She starts to think about the people in her life, even those she thought to be the closest to her, and wonder if she has been too trusting. She has killed before, and she reasons with herself that if she has to, maybe she could kill again.
I enjoyed this book very much, the plot was full of twists and turns, a fantastic psychological thriller. 5 stars.

Hellen Appleby has just been released from prison for killing her boyfriend. We learn that Helen has some issues that stem from her childhood and her relationship with her father. She grew up estranged from her older brother and sister. However, her sister visited her regularly in prison, and stood by her during the trial. Sara (her sister) is now helping Helen get her feet on the ground. Helen wants to use inheritance money received from her mother to open a used bookstore. As Sara is driving her home, she spies the perfect location and building- although it will need work- for her store. As she puts the store together, she gets to know the two brothers that own the pizzeria next door. Right before her big opening, her store is broken into- but nothing is taken. Helen is convinced that someone does not want her to succeed and is determined to make it.

This is a quick read. The plot flows along fairly smoothly. Helen's character started to annoy me, because she is paranoid and untrusting of everyone. There are a few characters in this circle that could be out to get her- the brothers, Alex and Zander, Dilly- the lady who gives her books but suddenly hates her, Moira- her parole manager, Justin- the nephew of another lady who has given a lot of books to Helen. While dealing with trying to keep her store afloat, Helen is also struggling with a secret she is keeping about the crime she committed. This all adds up to a very anxious, untrusting main character.

I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on, and enjoyed the setting of a bookstore. There ended up being at least 3 "mysteries" happening with the characters- but it was weaved together nicely. The ending was very satisfying. I found that I needed something that wasn't too deep or dark, was easy to follow, and a quick pace/read and this fit the bill perfectly!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
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Helen has been in prison for two years for the tragic loss of her partner. But what lies she told had not freed her from heartache. All she wants is a fresh start. A new beginning. She opens a bookstore and is excited to finally start over, but what she doesn’t expect is the paranoia to the people who actually care. Will she be able to start over? Or will the complexity of her life and the lies that are intertwined within become to much to handle?
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This book was hard to put down. I found myself having a hard time following it in the beginning, however once I became more engrossed within the pages, I had no trouble at all. It was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers in any capacity!

Thanks to netgalley and Boldwood books for this arc.
Nicole is released from. Prison after she murdered her boyfriend in self defence, or is there more to it??
Nicole has a dream to own her own bookshop, when money is left for her in a will, she starts looking for the right place.. she finds a rundown shop haggled on the price and Applebee books begins. Only someone is playing tricks on her.......... she has a break in at her home and somebody gets into the bookshop, but who? Is it personal?? This was gripping, I was sorry it ended, lots of twists along the way.. Another cracking read by this author

I love mysteries set in bookstores, so wanted to read The Bookseller. The story is part mystery/part psychological thriller, with a full cast of suspects--all with suspect motives--and a determined, though quite flighty, heroine.

Helen has just been released from a two-year stint in prison for killing her boyfriend, Toby. The light sentence was due to the bruises and scars on her body, which we learn right up front were due to her sadomasochistic sexual proclivities but which she lied about after the murder. Determined to start fresh, Helen buys an old property and fixes it up into a second-hand bookstore. Along the way, we meet the owners of the pizza place next door, Helen's parole officer Moira, various elderly ladies wanting to donate books to clear their own homes, a college student named Jess, Helen's sister Sarah, and the nephew of one of the elderly book donors. As the much-too-forgetful and naive Helen works to prepare her store to open, then to run it, the store is broken into, her home is broken into, she continues to forget to get an alarm installed, her motives are questioned left and right, and she hears noises at night...all pretty standard fare. Helen must learn to stand up for herself, quit wringing her hands, and determine who is out to get her before Moira (suspect herself) sends her back to prison for violating her parole terms.

While the premise of this story was okay, and there were numerous suspects to consider, the flighty behavior Helen exhibits throughout made me care much less for her plight. I did enjoy the ending, as things were wrapped up nicely, but the story was slow-moving and depressing otherwise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t put this down! This was a solid thriller with a very good premise—Helen is restarting her life by opening a second-hand bookshop after just being released from prison for killing her husband-but spooky things keep happening, what happens if someone pushes Helen too far?

Valerie Keogh really doesn’t disappoint!
Helen Appleby is released from prison, she has served her sentence and is trying to rebuild her life. But someone is determined to derail her plans. She is determined to open a bookshop, amid the quiet shelves she is hoping to blend into the background and perhaps find happiness. Her life was blighted by trauma but Helen is trying to start afresh. But a series of break ins and some strange noises increase her paranoia!
Enthralling and suspenseful.

The Bookseller✨| ARC review

This was a solid thriller with a very good premise—Helen is restarting her life by opening a second-hand bookshop after just being released from prison for killing her husband-but spooky things keep happening👀

This was decently spooky and had a great build up, but the ending fell flat for me :(

Overall a 3 star read for me

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read and review ahead of time!

Pub date March 3, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Recently released from prison for killing her abusive partner,Helen, is determined to restart her life and fulfil her dream of opening her own book shop. However not everyone in her life is as supportive and someone is out to make her fail.

This was a very subtle psychological thriller, the pace of the story was good but there were no major dramas/events throughout. Most of the plot relied on misdirect and a cast of characters with hidden motives. This made it unpredictable as to who was out to sabotage Helen or why.

The twists at the end were good although it felt like they all landed at once, Overall this was in interesting story and was quite gripping.