Death of a Bookseller

Written by Alice Slater

Narrated by Rachael Beresford and Sasha Higgins

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Apr 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781696612067

Reviews for Death of a Bookseller

[Madison Morris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ended up enjoying this book more than I’d like. If you’re trying to get into the end of the year seasons like Halloween and Christmas with a little bit of a thrill I think you’ll enjoy this. The ending had me in full suspense and took me by surprise. Fun, quick read.

[Selena Wallace · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don’t think i was ever supposed to like either of these characters, from their attention seeking behavior, to their emotional immaturity, and need for approval from the wrong people. It does bring up an important question however, where is the line between gathering information and fetishization (because i do think that’s what it becomes for Roach) of something. Maybe I’m late to the party, but i hadn’t thought of true crime to be rooted in misogyny, but when Laura simply asked “what about the victims?” I will say it made me stop in my tracks for a moment.
Good suspense, and a poetic writing style that uses paints lovely and disgusting pictures with ease.