- 5 stars
- Release date: 27th April
- Buy on Amazon
Dark fruits and giant snails
I know I seem to be loving every book I read, but Death of a Bookseller is another one!
I’ve followed Alice (in a none Roach way) on Twitter for many years and listened to her podcast (again I’m not like Roach).
This was amazing.
If you’re expecting a cosy mystery, Death of a Bookseller is not it.
The story of two colleagues at a bookshop who, Roach is quiet and dark, in clothing, her thoughts, her drinks and loves True Crime, while Laura is bubbly outgoing, always matches at least two things she’s wearing, berets to bags, lipstick to dresses and write poetry from the perspective of victims of serial killers. Roach sees this as a bond between them and desperately tries to befriend Laura, not realising that Laura’s poetry is totally the opposite of the macabre fascination that Roach has.
The story is told from their two perspectives taking a chapter each. Laura is a complex character with a backstory that you can see she struggles with and is responsible for excessive drinking. Roach becomes more and more unhinged and there were parts where I was genuinely creeped out by her actions.
They both have some things in common, difficult parental relationships, unhealthy romantic relationships and a love of books.
What I found interesting was, as I’ve got older, I’ve shifted from thinking like Roach to thinking like Laura. I used to read books about serial killers and watch movies, but now I think more about the victims and their family and friends and have had to turn a few recent things off as they strayed close to romanticising the perpetrator.
dark twist
Even though I was creeped out I didn’t want this to end, but the ending, oh boy, is very creepy and a perfect twist. I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.
I can imagine this being adapted for screen.