Death Of A Bookseller by Alice Slater
In this “utterly unforgettable” debut (Catherine Ryan Howard), a disaffected, true crime-obsessed bookseller develops a dangerous obsession with a colleague.
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.
A darkly funny suspense novel, Death of a Bookseller raises ethical questions about the fervor for true crime and how we handle stories that don’t belong to us.
My Review
Roach is one of the creepiest characters I have ever come across in a book. I have a bit of a thing about personal hygiene so boyfriend Sam’s sweaty, unwashed sheets (I’d have been out of there pronto first time never to return) and her bed smelling of dirty knickers turned my stomach. Plus all the Dark Fruits cider and cigarette breath just add to the disgust.
Laura also smokes continuously and drinks whatever is put in front of her, usually bought by co-worker Eli, who is in a supposed relationship with Lydia. They had a bit of a thing in the past, but he has chosen someone else.
Roach is obsessed with true crime – her favourite department in the bookshop where they all work is the true crime section, obviously. She listens to podcasts by the ‘Murder Girls’, reads books about serial killers and the likes of Ted Bundy and Charles Manson, and regards them as ‘celebrities’. She’s a bit like those women who write to killers in prison and end up marrying them. The most famous of these is Charles Bronson, a violent criminal who attracted a number of women after they read about him and started writing to him. It’s something I’ve never understood.
She is also obsessed with Laura, believing them to have a ‘connection’. Laura, on the other hand, hates Roach. I feel quite sorry for Laura because of her tragic past, but I can’t say any more. Roach’s obsession is seriously misplaced, her ‘understanding’ delusional.
When Roach meets gothy Sam we immediately expected something much darker, but is the darkness only in Roach’s head, or will it ultimately manifest itself for real?
I’m very glad I don’t work in a shop where they go out after work all the time to get drunk. I work in retail (a large department store) and we go out every now and again for the two-for-one cocktails at Turtle Bay – max two each. God we are so posh!!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read. The interaction with my fellow readers was a big part of the enjoyment.
About the Author
Alice Slater spent six years working as a bookseller with Waterstones. She started as a Christmas temp in Manchester Deansgate and worked her way up to bookshop manager of Romford, then Gower Street’s fiction section, and eventually Notting Hill Gate, lending a hand in 20 different branches across the UK on the way. Now a London-based writer, she is a co-host of literary podcast “What Page Are You On?” and writes about short stories for Mslexia.
