Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this a very intriguing commentary on the nature of true crime and how it is marketed. The story is very atmospheric, with an impending sense of claustrophobia and dread as one of the protagonists (Roach) circles closer and closer into the orbit of the other (Laura). The slow-burn nature of the plot and the imagery add to the overall creepiness, and the short chapters had me going "just one more" late into the night. Overall, I'd highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author!

Content Warnings: stalking, discussions of murder and serial killers,

I really didn't like the writing style in this book. I disliked how it was explained exactly what each character was doing, wearing, and thinking, in instances where some things could be left up to the imagination. I felt that the plot got bogged down with too much description about the characters' appearance and surroundings.

From the moment I started reading Death of a Bookseller, I was absolutely lost to the story – sucked down into it so completely I couldn’t think about anything else. Alice Slater has written a novel that sinks in its teeth and refuses to let go; I buzzed for days after finishing it.

Roach has worked at a beleaguered branch of Spines, a chain of bookshops, since she was a teenager. Solitary and obsessed with true crime (specifically the killers rather than the victims, whose stories she generally finds boring), Roach scoffs at ‘normies’ and spends much of her time listening to podcasts about famous murders. When a new team are brought in to reverse the shop’s fortunes, she meets a very different type of bookseller: the wholesome, stylish, friendly Laura. Fixating on the fact that Laura also reads about serial killers and writes poetry with dark themes, Roach starts fantasising about a friendship. But the two women’s clashing views about the ethics surrounding true crime turn Laura against her... something Roach is very reluctant to accept.

The narrative switches between the perspectives of the two main characters – a surprise to me, as from the blurb I’d assumed Roach would tell the whole story. At first, I was sceptical: could Laura’s viewpoint possibly be as interesting as Roach’s cynical, scathing voice? Would the story become lopsided? But Laura’s chapters bring a depth and complexity to her character that ultimately unlocks the power of the story.

Sometimes Roach sounds like such an insufferable not-like-other-girls, sometimes Laura sounds like a tryhard London literary type – there are points where both of them will make you roll your eyes. Yet as dark as Roach’s story gets, it’s hard not to extend compassion to her, because the narrative is always extending compassion to her too. It’s the same thing with Laura: she’s often an absolute mess, and we see how her behaviour parallels Roach’s in ways she’d no doubt be reluctant to admit – but we get why. If at first it seems clear that Roach is the dark and Laura the light, somewhere along the line both characters are painted such similar shades of grey that they blend and bleed into each other.

Something I also want to mention, that might easily get lost amid the irresistible momentum of the plot, is the power of the settings. I particularly loved Roach and Laura’s workplace, the bookshop itself. I could truly feel the atmosphere of the place: both cosy and decrepit. The story unfolds in the run-up to Christmas, and the writing absolutely nails the magic and the horror of being wrapped up in non-stop work at that time of year. (It’s also so good on the specifics of working in retail that it unlocked memories I hadn’t thought about for over a decade.)

My literary recipe for Death of a Bookseller would involve: the razor-sharp character studies and themes of obsession and envy in Looker and Kiss Me First; the heady atmosphere of The Poison Tree; the deliciously nasty underbelly of Boy Parts and Eileen; and the spiralling, unstable mood of Animals or Problems – especially as the story reaches its climax and the protagonists seem bound for disaster.

This is, naturally, a bookseller’s book. But it’s also for anyone who considers themselves a reader; likes true crime; anyone who hates it, or is disdainful towards it; anyone who has ever worked in a shop, or in customer service. And it’s also stealthily a book about grief. Like its characters, Death of a Bookseller contains more layers and subtleties you might first assume. This is a thrilling story of obsession with a dark, sticky soul – and it’s also so much more.

This is a tough one for me to gather my thoughts on. While I was fascinated by the bookstore setting and the critiques of true crime culture (particularly those that romanticize serial killers), I had trouble clicking with this one. I know both main characters were meant to be unlikeable, but it made it very hard to relate to them because of how extreme their personalities were. Roach is a very disturbed, true crime obsessed individual that takes her obsession to the extreme of having that be her personality, and Laura is a kind of stuck-up, self-obsessed character with a tragic backstory that makes her relationship to true crime very interesting. This obviously leads to tension between the two characters.

Flipping between their perspectives was interesting, particularly as Roach diverges into creepier territory in her determined race to form some kind of relationship with Laura who straight up wants nothing to do with her. Having us in the mindset of both characters keeps us one step ahead of both of them. The other characters in the book were very flat and under-developed, so there weren’t even any secondary characters to really root for in this one. I just came away feeling very cold towards this one and wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to just anyone.

I read a review where someone said this was very Single White Female, and I definitely agree with that. So if that is something that interests you, then you may be into this one more than I was.

The bookstore setting was my favorite part as I loved learning more about the art of bookselling and the highs and lows of a local bookstore!

I had a RIGHT time reading Death of a Bookseller, the debut novel from What Page Are You On podcast co-host Alice Slater. It's funny, and has you the edge of your seat but it's also so, so grim. A lot of the marketing around this new novel is calling it a "horrible little book", and I didn't pay much heed to that description as people often seem to overuse that phrase, but I actually felt grimey when reading it - in the best possible way.

Laura and Roach are booksellers in a sleepy branch of a London bookshop, and the tension between them is the driving force of the novel. Laura is a passionate reader, poet and bookseller, and her put together, just so appearance masks the troubled soul that emerges after a few too many drinks after her shift. Brogan, or "Roach" is a longer serving employee of the branch, and is more committed to curating the perfect true crime section than she is interacting with customers or making sales - her love for serial killers or anything dark marks her out in her eyes as different and better than the "normies" she's surrounded by, but she can't put her finger on why she's so drawn to Laura until something sparks a full blown, creepy obsession. Both characters are, frankly, as repulsive as they are entertaining, and make for excellent reading.

This is a really fun book to read for someone who once worked in a bookshop (there is quite a lot of shelving politics that may be a little boring for some readers, but I really enjoyed it) and I loved that it isn't a twee "love letter" to bookshops - bookshops are important to the characters, but it's also just their job, not a weird kind of bookish daydream or wish fulfillment. There's a lot of book name dropping, which I very much enjoyed, as Slater is so knowledgeable, and it's cool that you can read between the lines a little to tell more about the characters from the books they are reading or mention.

Death of a Bookseller is out 27th April, and I hope that everyone has as much fun reading it as I did.

TBH, this was not what I was expecting when I selected this book. I was thinking something something more comedic, but this was more of a dramedy. That said, I did find the book very engrossing and really enjoyable. We have 2 POVs and let's just say neither of our MCs are perfect. The ending was certainly unexpected for me as well.

I’m so happily surprised by this book! I’m not a fan of slow burn thrillers, but the way Alice Slater told this story by dual POVs kept me wanting more. I enjoyed how the characters were well thought out and we got into the psyches of these women. So happy I got to read Alice Slater’s debut book and I cannot wait to read more! Thank you so much Alice Slater, Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for this digital copy.

WOW! This book really got under my skin. It was truly entertaining but brought up some interesting perspectives on the tropes of true crime. I'm still thinking about it days later.

Death of a Bookseller is about two booksellers in a flailing franchise bookshop: Roach and Lauren. Roach is obsessed with true crime to an unhealthy degree (she reminded me so much of Jade Daniels from My Heart Is a Chainsaw). Lauren is a classic cute bookish girl, like a Booktuber/Booktoker, and she hates true crime. They both have ISSUES, issues that are made worse when Roach forms a one-sided attachment to Lauren. The chapters alternate their perspectives.

I'm shocked that this is a debut. Not only because Lauren and Roach's chapters have such unique voices, but also because the pacing is impeccable. I didn't know where it was going but I didn't feel like pages were being wasted or rushed. Sometimes I hated Lauren and Roach, sometimes I felt heartbroken for them. The secondary characters were also perfectly written because you get a real sense of them without distracting from the primary conflict. And that ending. DAMMN.

Thank you to Alice Slater, Scarlet Press/Penzler Publishers, and NetGalley for the advanced copy! I read it on my Kindle but I loved it so much that I will buy a hardcover from a local bookshop when it's released :)

These characters will stick with you for a long time! I could not read fast enough through this book. Each character was so detailed and raw. Pick it up immediately!

Roach would rather be listening to the latest episode of her favorite true crime podcast than assisting the boring and predictable customers at her local branch of the bookstore Spines, where she’s worked her entire adult life. A serious true crime junkie, Roach looks down her nose at the pumpkin-spice-latte-drinking casual fans who only became interested in the genre once it got trendy. But when Laura, a pretty and charismatic children’s bookseller, arrives to help rejuvenate the struggling bookstore branch, Roach recognizes in her an unexpected kindred spirit.

Despite their common interest in true crime, Laura keeps her distance from Roach, resisting the other woman’s overtures of friendship. Undeterred, Roach learns everything she can about her new colleague, eventually uncovering Laura’s traumatic family history. When Roach realizes that she may have come across her very own true crime story, interest swiftly blooms into a dangerous obsession. (Goodreads synopsis)

This is Alice Slater’s debut novel, and I hated it. I hated both Roach and Laura. Roach was weird and made me super uncomfortable, especially when she meets her “boyfriend”. Laura was a jerk, stuck up and rude to Roach. I get that Roach made her uncomfortable, but she was rude before Roach ever actually started talking to her. Every interaction between them was the same, and it felt like Eli (who told Laura she was mean) made excuses for her instead of calling her out on her actions.

The true crime talk felt romanticized, for both murderers and victims. Laura is on the side of the victims whereas Roach seems more on the side of serial killers, and the whole thing gives the reader a sense of whiplash. For instance, when Laura is in Mean Girl mode about Roach, the reader almost feels sympathy for Roach. Later, when Laura talks about the victims as well as her own past, the reader feels guilty/compelled to sympathize with Laura. There is no mystery to this novel, no ah-ha moments. It’s just a seesaw of emotion that drags the novel and the reader down.

Overall, I rate this novel 1 out of 5 stars.

3.5 stars - I cannot get into too many details because of spoilers, but this ended up not being my kind of trope combo. That said, this was a well executed dark character study examining the twisted nature of jealousy and competition between women, and had a lot to say about true crime's cultural impact. A very promising debut!

God this one was absolutely delicious. It's a slow burn story of obsession, trauma and power dynamics, and I devoured every word. Set in London, Death of a Bookseller follows Laura and Roach, two women who are brought together at work in a failing bookshop. Roach - every inch the smelly goth, to borrow from my teenage years - is immediately fascinated by the rosy-cheeked, blonde-haired, perfect Laura, and this morphs into obsession when Roach gets a whiff of Laura's dark past. Laura isn't as picture-perfect as she seems, battling trauma that lurks just below the surface. Suffice to say, things escalate.

I absolutely inhaled this, and was lucky enough to be approved for the audio and ebook so I could swap between the two. Slater's writing is vivid and evocative, and I felt swept up in London's wintry streets. Her dual POVs work so well - Roach is a horrible little slimeball of a character that I nonetheless wanted to befriend; Laura is not much better but the reader still feels for her. This balancing act is pulled off with aplomb by Slater; both women are deeply unlikeable but not enough to turn the reader off. Instead, we're morbidly fascinated by them both.

SPEAKING OF MORBID FASCINATION: this year's' hot literary trend seems to be interrogating the true crime content mill; this is the third book I've come across this year that tackles this trend. Slater does a fantastic job with this topic - Roach is a true crime obsessive, convinced she is different/better than other fans, and this is her reasoning for her all-encompassing obsession with Laura. In Laura - who - spoiler alert - lost her mam at the hands of a serial killer - Slater shows the long shadow of such a crime, and how it's still affecting Laura years later. This compassionate hand adds dimension to a crime story, and it's extremely well done.

I loved this book and I think it deserves to be huge when it drops next month. I can't wait to read more of Alice's work in the future!

Unfortunately I had to put this one dish. I couldn't get into it after reading a few pages. The beginning seemed to drag on a bit for me and I was waiting for it to get better

Brogan Roach is a bookseller, employed for the last eight years with the Walthamstow branch of chain bookstore Spines, and an avid (read obsessive) true crime enthusiast. Unlike “normies” who have a superficial interest in the subject, Roach (as she is referred to) is a passionate true-crime follower – books, podcasts, documentaries – there is no crime too gruesome nor any criminal too heinous that she flinches from researching in her free time. When Laura Bunting, a fellow bookseller transfers to her branch as a part of a team headed by a new manager, Roach discovers a copy of a true crime book in her bag ( which she unashamedly rifles through in Laura’s absence) she feels she has found a kindred spirit.

Laura’s interest in true crime has its roots in personal tragedy. Her mother was the victim of a serial killer who was later caught and is presently incarcerated. Her poetry, which Roach is bowled over by, focuses on honoring the victims rather than glorifying the crime or the criminal behind it. But Laura’s demeanor towards Roach is cold and dismissive bordering on unkind and cruel. Roach’s forced overtures of friendship and her obvious obsession with true –crime make Laura uncomfortable. However, Laura’s brush-offs only strengthen Roach’s resolve to establish a connection with her.

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater is a slow-burn, psychological thriller that ventures into dark territory. The narrative is shared from dual PoVs of Roach and Laura in alternating segments. The writing and the characterizations are well done and the author gives us an inside look into the day-to-day routine of running bookstores. The narrative does suffer from mild repetitiveness but not so much that you would lose interest. Roach’s thoughts and actions are cringeworthy and to be honest alarming. Laura is depicted as emotionally fragile despite her unkind demeanor toward Roach. The author gives us a window into the psyches of two very different women, exploring their motivations, obsessions, flaws and strengths as they inevitably impact one another’s lives and emotional stability. I can’t say I liked any of the main characters. Laura is far from a well-rounded individual and isn't quite as put together as she projects. I found Roach’s toxic relationship with her boyfriend very disturbing especially based on her reaction to a particularly violent episode toward the beginning of their relationship. A testimonial to Roach’s dark worldview probably? I enjoyed the literary references and found some of the discussions and debates between the employees on different genres quite interesting (though I don’t completely agree with their stance on the true-crime genre). Overall this is an impressive debut and an intense read that will leave you dazed and unsettled.

Many thanks to author Alice Slater, Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be published on April 25, 2023.

Death of a Bookseller wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was more cat-and-mouse than actual thrilling mystery. Roach is a true crime obsessed bookseller who fantasizes about serial killers and murders. Laura is a bookseller who is transferred to the store where Roach works for the holiday season. Roach becomes obsessed with Laura, especially after realizing that Laura has a dark past. Laura is also dealing with a lot of life issues. The story is told through both characters POVs. Both Laura and Roach are extremely unlikeable characters. There wasn't a main mystery or a "I-need-to-find-out-what-happens" storyline to the book. It's mainly just character driven and, with two so unlikeable characters, the book dragged on. The chapters became repetitive, highlighting the flaws of either Roach or Laura, over and over and over. Some readers may enjoy Death of a Bookseller, but it definitely wasn't for me.

This will be a book most people sit on, but they shouldn't. If you are a Single White Female trope type person and like fast paced books, then this one is for you.

There are a couple moments in Roach's storyline when I literally was like "that's disgusting", but overall the story was well written. Neither character is likable, so know that going in, But that's what made me enjoy the cat and mouse game a bit more.

And the ending left me wanting just a bit more!

Roach has worked at a bookstore since her teens. When Laura starts working there, Roach finds a new obsession beyond her true crime podcasts.

This book wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting more mystery off the start than there was. I also didn’t connect a bunch with the characters early.

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

This book HAS to have been written by someone who completely understands the daily life of a bookseller - the day to day grind, duties, and customer interactions were spot on. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down - it was equal parts thrilling and exciting and uncomfortably cringe-worthy! Roach, in particular, being so off kilter and socially unaware is initially such a stark contrast to Laura who seemingly has it all together - until she doesn’t and slowly starts to unravel! It just goes to show you never really know a person until you’ve walked in their shoes - and this book takes that to an unsettlingly literal level! I would definitely recommend this book!! I wish I could reread it again for the first time.

Thank you NetGalley for the electronic advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Death of a Bookseller starts off as a narrative about two strangers awkwardly working together at the same bookshop, but develops into a one-sided stalking fascination by one character, nicknamed Roach, in the other, Laura, that is reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley books and the rather rapid collapse of the house of cards that Laura has erected as her life, exposing how fragile the plans of mice and men- and more broadly, people -are. The world largely feels very insular, which works for the story. There are places and spaces where the narrative seems to make leaps over plausibility, and makes a couple of stark tonal shifts, but on the whole, it’s a brisk and adept thriller that I stayed up to finish. It does try to have things both ways by walking back events at the end, but the reader can avoid the epilogue, if they prefer a colder, more “realistic” finish. On the fringes, the book gives space for conversations about the mechanics of the true crime genre and the book industry that are informed and thoughtful in a way that affirms a history of bookselling by the author, while coming over as ever so slightly pandering to librarians and booksellers. Overall, it’s a strong debut by an author I will keep tabs on.