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emma_rreads 's review for:

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater
3.5
dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A story of obsession featuring true crime fanatic, Roach and her fellow bookseller, Laura. Death if a Bookseller was definitely a book of two halves for me. 

What I loved was the distinct and creepy narrative voice belonging to Roach. I would struggle to think of a character I’ve railed against quite so strongly, I really did not like her….but I loved not liking her! In contrast Laura’s POV wasn’t quite as impactful - however I really liked that her character was complex and imperfect rather than an innocent.

It was a read that kept my interest, but for me the end was anti climactic and I did feel a bit cheated. It’s not to say it was a bad ending, but speaking purely out of preference it just didn’t deliver for me. 

I would definitely read more from Alice Slater, I found her writing style easy to slide into and her characterisation and narrative voice (especially Roach) were very good.