Reviews with content warning for Death - Death of a Bookseller

I don’t have a ton of feelings about this book upon reflection.
I enjoyed reading it & I think it is an interesting commentary on true crime & the culture that surrounds it.
I’m excited to discuss it with my bookclub because I think it will bring up a lot of interesting conversations.
The thing I found the most interesting is maybe a bit of a spoiler but,

I found it interesting that if you isolate Laura’s perspective from Roach’s, it never seems like Roach is doing anything that sinister… if it was just a book about Laura, you would think she is an unreliable narrator

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eleeowart's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

As a reformed true crime fan, this novel was a bit on the nose. Roach bothered the shit out of me, while Laura was a perfect foil that still bothered me. All in all, I tore through this book though. Through all the gross details that had me shaking my head, I’m glad it ended the way it did.

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wowsmeows's review against another edition

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dark sad 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

3.5

"Reading is a way of life for some customers, the
kind of customers who buy more than they read, who behave as though 'bookworm' is as inherent as their blood type or their astrological sign."

Death of a Bookseller is about two characters told through their alternating POVs. There's Roach, a creepy true crime fanatic and Laura, who is unhealthily dealing with her traumatic past. The pair work together in a bookshop are are both unlikeable in their own unique ways. The book explores the idea of hating someone so much that it turns into an obsession and morphs into stalking. As the title suggests, it does delve into a lot of morbid topics with a lot of grotesque language and descriptions throughout. I'd recommend checking out content warnings for this read. However, it is a very slow read and because we have the split POV, I dont think I would personally class it as mystery or a thriller novel as we know what both characters are doing and thinking at all times.

What I I did enjoy was that it had some interesting ideas around the ethics of true crime as a genre. It really made me think about how healthy it really is to consume true crime content. I also thought the book was well written and I thought both characters had distinct personalities that shone through in the text.

I will say that I did dislike the ending and I did feel a bit frustrated by it.

I felt that the story had already been wrapped up nicely with Laura finally escaping Roach and dealing with her past, but Roach's epilogue took it all away from her again.

Content Warnings

lottieingham's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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