Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Death of a Bookseller

Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

13 reviews

msbedelia's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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katndrsn's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Well the first 75% of the book had the potential to build to something brilliant but the ending was contrite and the epilogues were extra nails in the coffin. Disappointing really, I had much higher hopes for this novel.

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thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition

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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.

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laurajordensharris's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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teatunesandtales's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I couldn't put this book down, nor get it out of my head. It's gruesome and raw and I'm unnerved by the ending.

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.75

A skin-crawling, chilling book about obsession. We follow our two main characters, booksellers Laura and Roach, navigate the autumn-winter months in a struggling bookstore, as Roach’s interest in true crime causes her to be drawn to Laura with an intensity that will doom them both.

Most of this book is very slow-paced, while Slater takes the time to explore both Roach’s and Laura’s characters in great detail. Both characters are deeply flawed in different ways, and I really enjoyed reading about them in a “I don’t like what’s going on and I’m low-key disgusted but I can’t look away” way. There were definitely some parts that dragged, and some that felt a bit repetitive, but the plot really picks up in the last third or so as Roach’s obsession with Laura causes both characters’ mental states to spiral rapidly, and from then I could not put it down! And the ending made my stomach DROP.

I also really enjoyed reading about the ins and outs of bookselling in this book - the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in a bookshop is really interesting to me, and it seems that Slater knows her stuff.

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