A review by nanc_282
Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Mixed feelings about this book. The two main characters are both fairly unpleasant people and the peripheral characters are not really developed which only leaves the plot. The basic premise of the book is that Roach, an employee in a tired branch of a high street bookshop chain, true crime obsession twists into real life when she meets Laura. Laura is part of a team of three booksellers who are parachuted in to update the branch in time for Christmas. Laura also writes found poetry about female victims of crime. Desperate to connect with Laura, Roach begins to adopt some of the methods she has studied the true crime genre. 
The story switches narrative voices between the two protagonists. Which works well in this context. It creates sense of a run down part of London well but as most scenes are in the bookshop or bars, the location feels less significant. 
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