emilypalah's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Wasn’t one of my favourites, the descriptive writing was very well thought out but the characters irked me and it felt like a bit of a chore to finish…did keep me feeling uneasy though which was probably the author’s intent! I just would rather not feel on edge on top of wanting to just finish the book just to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit and Alcoholism
Minor: Mass/school shootings
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a psychological, slow burn thriller that will leave you shaking and looking over your shoulder at some of your own colleagues.
Roach works at Spines and is more than obsessed with true crime, where the killers are more fun to think about than the actual victims.
When Laura joins the bookstore, Roach feels like there is a special bond between them. First, when Laura performs her dark poem at a recital, which Roach obsesses over. Next, when a drunken Laura openly admits her mother was killed, which spurs Roach into a dark plan with her goth rock boyfriend.
We follow Roach down that dark path, ensuring Laura knows how special their friendship is until lines are crossed.
This is a novel so well written that it could be true, a scenario so lifelike and characters that you can find in any workplace, all combined with a story that will leave you spooked.
Roach works at Spines and is more than obsessed with true crime, where the killers are more fun to think about than the actual victims.
When Laura joins the bookstore, Roach feels like there is a special bond between them. First, when Laura performs her dark poem at a recital, which Roach obsesses over. Next, when a drunken Laura openly admits her mother was killed, which spurs Roach into a dark plan with her goth rock boyfriend.
We follow Roach down that dark path, ensuring Laura knows how special their friendship is until lines are crossed.
This is a novel so well written that it could be true, a scenario so lifelike and characters that you can find in any workplace, all combined with a story that will leave you spooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, and Stalking
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Animal death
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
sarahsbookss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Excrement, Grief, Infidelity, Death, Murder, Self harm, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Stalking, Alcoholism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
linguaphile412's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Vomit, Alcohol, Stalking, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Drug use
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Self harm
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Stalking, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Animal cruelty
readwithloz's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic friendship, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Violence, and Death
itsalina's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Stalking
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Vomit, Bullying, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Death, Grief, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
nanc_282's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Mixed feelings about this book. The two main characters are both fairly unpleasant people and the peripheral characters are not really developed which only leaves the plot. The basic premise of the book is that Roach, an employee in a tired branch of a high street bookshop chain, true crime obsession twists into real life when she meets Laura. Laura is part of a team of three booksellers who are parachuted in to update the branch in time for Christmas. Laura also writes found poetry about female victims of crime. Desperate to connect with Laura, Roach begins to adopt some of the methods she has studied the true crime genre.
The story switches narrative voices between the two protagonists. Which works well in this context. It creates sense of a run down part of London well but as most scenes are in the bookshop or bars, the location feels less significant.
The story switches narrative voices between the two protagonists. Which works well in this context. It creates sense of a run down part of London well but as most scenes are in the bookshop or bars, the location feels less significant.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Stalking, Alcohol, Grief, and Murder
what_heather_loves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"As I smoked, a project of my own unfolded. No more poetry, no more plagiarism. I did have a story to tell, a story that would bring Laura and I together irreversibly, in a way that she could never reject or reclaim or control, our names forever linked in black ink."
Set in London in 2018 there two protagonists and perspectives: likeable, 'cool' Laura Bunting and her poetry and dislikeable and morbid 'outsider' Brogan Roach and her true crime obsession). Working together in Spines bookshop in Walthamstow, London, the reader gets to know them, their clashes and their bookseller colleagues. Both women are keeping secrets about who they really are, but Roach (and her pet turtle, Bleep) can be delusional and has an obsessive personality, turning her attention from true crime to Laura. At first Roach wants to befriend Laura and then emulate, stalk and undermine her using the alternative identity of 'Brodie', created for her equally dark new boyfriend, Sam. Roach becomes fixated on Laura's mother having been murdered ten years ago, by 'the Stow Stalker'. Laura weakens and diminishes as a result of alcohol, anxiety and paranoia and Roach is uplifted and becomes more powerful and hungry for connection with Laura and the Stow Strangler.
The combination of true crime and booksellers enticed me to request this debut novel. It's very dark in places, particularly Roach's aptronym name, demonstrated by the mould, dirt and snail and slug infestation of Laura's flat; whilst Laura's surname is also an aptronym, she can be dark top, grieving the loss of her mum, pining for ex-lover and colleague Eli and drinking to forget. The reality of the bookseller elements have not no doubt influenced by the author's experience of working in bookshops, they certainly felt real. If you like crime fiction or true crime and books about booksellers, this will be right up your street.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent
Minor: Murder and Blood
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Morbidly atmospheric yet thoroughly mesmerising, Alice Slater’s debut cleverly delves into the world of True Crime, and the problematic exploitation of real crime (and the deaths of real people) for entertainment.
Told from the perspectives of two very different but equally unlikable characters, Death of A Bookseller is a suspenseful tale of toxic relationships, and obsession that follows the lives of two booksellers at a struggling bookstore in Walthamstow.
Purple haired and fascinated by virtually anything macabre, serial-killer fanatic Roach is quite possibly one of the (very few) characters to ever make me feel soo uncomfortable.
With an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing (and genuinely just creep everyone out with her laser like fixation on death) Roach is a bit of a loner, which she seems perfectly happy about until Laura joins the branch, a model employee who manages to charm everyone around her. Including Roach, who, after hearing one of Laura’s poems at a mic night (in which she aims to honour the victims of violent crime instead of dehumanising them) believes she has found a kindred spirit and becomes obsessed with the idea of their friendship.
But Laura (our other POV) and the object of Roach’s obsession has no interest in being friends with her. Having suffered from the trauma of losing her mother at the hands of a serial killer, Laura is physically repulsed by Roach’s fascination with serial killers and avoids all overtures of friendship.
I did find her perspective for more palatable to digest, but she’s by no means good or likeable either. She can be selfish, jealous and incredibly petty at times (particularly when it came to co-worker Eli and his relationship with girlfriend Lydia) but her ability to project herself as a happy, almost perfect person despite the messy, emotional wreckage of her private life was incredibly intriguing.
And the unease with which they circle one another coupled with their conflicting opinions on True Crime really injected a sinister layer of tension that had me on edge wondering what would happen next.
It is a bit of a slow-burn, but the creeping uncertainty that pervades every inch of both Laura and Roach’s POV really brought a sense of depth and realism to their characters, and the cat and mouse game that unfolds between them. For a while there I wasn’t sure how things would end but I couldn’t look away from the cringey disaster that began hurtling towards us as both their lives (and obsessions) began spiralling out of control.
I loved the grittiness of Alice Slater’s writing and true rich imagery that such mundane everyday tasks manage conjure and I definitely enjoyed the glimpse into life as a bookseller. Also, I would’ve loved to have seen more of Bleep (Roach’s pet snail) though I did enjoy the snail trail chapter openers that follow along with the story.
The ending was also really good and I enjoyed the open-endedness which allows us to come up with our own interpretations. Though if you prefer your thrillers with more finality and closure then you may come away a little disappointed.
Overall a dark, intense and incredibly compulsive read that needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated but if you enjoy dark, character driven psychological thrillers the I definitely recommend picking this up!
Also a huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Steven Cooper for the incredible physical proof.
Told from the perspectives of two very different but equally unlikable characters, Death of A Bookseller is a suspenseful tale of toxic relationships, and obsession that follows the lives of two booksellers at a struggling bookstore in Walthamstow.
Purple haired and fascinated by virtually anything macabre, serial-killer fanatic Roach is quite possibly one of the (very few) characters to ever make me feel soo uncomfortable.
With an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing (and genuinely just creep everyone out with her laser like fixation on death) Roach is a bit of a loner, which she seems perfectly happy about until Laura joins the branch, a model employee who manages to charm everyone around her. Including Roach, who, after hearing one of Laura’s poems at a mic night (in which she aims to honour the victims of violent crime instead of dehumanising them) believes she has found a kindred spirit and becomes obsessed with the idea of their friendship.
But Laura (our other POV) and the object of Roach’s obsession has no interest in being friends with her. Having suffered from the trauma of losing her mother at the hands of a serial killer, Laura is physically repulsed by Roach’s fascination with serial killers and avoids all overtures of friendship.
I did find her perspective for more palatable to digest, but she’s by no means good or likeable either. She can be selfish, jealous and incredibly petty at times (particularly when it came to co-worker Eli and his relationship with girlfriend Lydia) but her ability to project herself as a happy, almost perfect person despite the messy, emotional wreckage of her private life was incredibly intriguing.
And the unease with which they circle one another coupled with their conflicting opinions on True Crime really injected a sinister layer of tension that had me on edge wondering what would happen next.
It is a bit of a slow-burn, but the creeping uncertainty that pervades every inch of both Laura and Roach’s POV really brought a sense of depth and realism to their characters, and the cat and mouse game that unfolds between them. For a while there I wasn’t sure how things would end but I couldn’t look away from the cringey disaster that began hurtling towards us as both their lives (and obsessions) began spiralling out of control.
I loved the grittiness of Alice Slater’s writing and true rich imagery that such mundane everyday tasks manage conjure and I definitely enjoyed the glimpse into life as a bookseller. Also, I would’ve loved to have seen more of Bleep (Roach’s pet snail) though I did enjoy the snail trail chapter openers that follow along with the story.
The ending was also really good and I enjoyed the open-endedness which allows us to come up with our own interpretations. Though if you prefer your thrillers with more finality and closure then you may come away a little disappointed.
Overall a dark, intense and incredibly compulsive read that needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated but if you enjoy dark, character driven psychological thrillers the I definitely recommend picking this up!
Also a huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Steven Cooper for the incredible physical proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Grief, Blood, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Minor: Murder, Death of parent, and Self harm