Death of a Bookseller

by Alice Slater

• ISBN10: 1613163770
• ISBN13: 9781613163771
• Publish Date: 6 June 2023 (first published 25 April 2023)
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Penzler Publishers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

Yeah, this book didn't deliver. It was creepy and uncomfortable read which was fine. It reminded me of Gillian Flynn especially since neither of the characters were particularly likable. But the ending fell flat and it was as if all the creepiness and obsessions was for naught.

The one thing that the author got right was the day-to-day happenings in a bookstore. Those scenes and some of the discussions about genres were a few of the bright spots in the book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Roach loves nothing more than listening to her favorite true crime podcasts. Well, that's not quite true. She loves to dive into true crime novels, too – especially those revolving around serial killers. She's fascinated. Luckily, her job at Spines gives her access to all the books she could ever want.

Enter Laura. Laura is new to Spines, though not to work in bookstores. She's here to help the store turn a profit. Unfortunately, Laura doesn't look too kindly on those who love serial killers – she has a personal reason to find the whole obsession offensive.

My Review:

I really wanted to read Death of a Bookseller for a few reasons. First, there's the obvious – talking about bookstores and booksellers. I know, low-hanging fruit, but I can't resist! Second, I love a good mystery. Third, I love it when said good mysteries have multiple perspectives.

Truthfully though, Death of a Bookseller made me conflicted. The story was very well done – compelling, dark, and delving into ethical debates everywhere. The problem is that I didn't like either main character. This made it a lot harder to relax and appreciate their side of the story.

I did enjoy all the twists and turns. I wish they hadn't been punctuated with so many scenes that made me cringe. It ended up being a book I was relieved to finish – for various reasons. To be clear! I loved the writing itself. If anything, it was too well done, as the characters became so much by the end.

Highlights:
Multiple Perspectives
Literary Cat-and-Mouse
Booksellers

Trigger Warnings:
Stalking
Obsessive Behavior
Abusive Pasts
Serial Killers

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[pamela]

There's a reason that the old adage of "write what you know" is poor writing advice. It makes for a lot of detail, but very rarely for a compelling narrative, and oh boy, does Alice Slater know bookselling.

I was a lead bookseller for Waterstones for several years, and Death of a Bookseller was basically a blow-by-blow recap of my time there. Every detail was perfectly rendered, from booking in deliveries, the ageing booksellers who are resistant to change, to the internal management politics — it was like stepping right back into that world. I commend Slater's attention to detail, because she nailed it!

But that didn't make Death of a Bookseller a compelling read. The plot was repetitive, with switching PoVs that seemed to repeat the same narrative beats over and over. There was no movement or development, and I found myself getting bored quite often as I waited for something new to happen.

Brogan Roach, the story's antagonist, is an utterly repulsive character. I don't say this as a criticism. Slater made my skin crawl every time Roach graced the page, which was definitely her intention, so she absolutely nailed that. But it didn't make for an enjoyable read (definitely not something I'd reduce a book's rating for, though — more giving this as a warning for other potential readers who might not like that sort of thing). She seemed to ooze, which made me feel more than a little nauseated at times. And when she meets her boyfriend, Sam, I physically felt the bile rise in my throat. It was tough to get through. She's not the kind of character I enjoy reading about, but definite props to Slater to write her so well!

From the title, where the book was going was obvious, but I still felt like Slater took the safe route. The violence was almost benign and sanitised, which seemed to fly in the face of the interesting message of the novel around True Crime's place in our society. Laura's alcoholism almost seemed to be written in a way that made her complicit in her own victimisation, which I'm not sure was Slater's intention. Without some kind of editorialisation, Death of a Bookseller felt like it was falling into the same trap of the True Crime novels it was trying to denounce.

One thing I'm not sure about however is why snails and slugs were so present in this novel. Bleep, Roach's pet snail, and the slugs invading Laura's apartment seemed to exist only as a very heavy-handed metaphor for Roach's sliminess. I needed more from that (unless I missed something?). Like Chekhov's gun, I kept expecting them to matter in some way, but they just never did, which felt lazy and unfinished in my opinion.

Overall, Death of a Bookseller was a fine read, but it didn't blow me away. A repetitive plot, unlikable characters, and a sanitised ending ultimately made me feel like I wanted more. For a thriller, it simply wasn't very thrilling.