Hodder Paperbacks
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Deliciously dark, unsettling and utterly addictive, Death of a Bookseller is a rollercoaster of suspense that will make your skin crawl and your heart pound.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER!
WOULD YOU KILL FOR A GOOD STORY?
'A confident, sassy, pitch-black debut' CAROLINE KEPNES
'Your new obsession' ERIN KELLY
'Savage, witty and all-consuming' ABIGAIL DEAN
'A dark masterpiece. It will work its way under your skin like a splinter' CATRIONA WARD
*****
Roach - bookseller, loner and true crime fanatic- is not interested in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep.
That is, until Laura joins the bookshop.
With her cute literary tote bags and sunny smile, she's everyone's favourite bookseller. But beneath the shiny veneer, Roach senses a darkness within Laura, the same darkness Roach possesses.
And as curiosity blooms into morbid obsession, Roach becomes determined to be a part of Laura's story - whether Laura wants her in it or not.
*****
'A spectacularly creepy debut ... a tense and disturbing read' GUARDIAN
'Tense, addictive and sticky underfoot' JULIA ARMFIELD
'A sharp and creepy debut thriller' DAILY MAIL
'Utterly unforgettable' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD
'Delightfully dark' COSMOPOLITAN, Best New Books
'Engrossing, atmospheric and deliciously dark' WILL DEAN
'Uncomfortable, claustrophobic, and you won't take your eyes off the pages' BELFAST TELEGRAPH
'Impossible to put down' ELIZA CLARK
'A sinister and tense debut that will chill you to the core' PLATINUM MAGAZINE
'Relentlessly creepy and deeply compulsive' HEATHER DARWENT
Snickering, devil emoji, this-Alice-Slater-is-too-witty LOL brilliance that will make you smile every time you step into a bookshop. A confident, sassy, pitch-black debut by someone who really knows her way around a bookshop, as well as our death-obsessed culture. - Caroline Kepnes, internationally bestselling author of Netflix sensation, YOU
Fiercely original and deeply disturbing, Death of a Bookseller is a dark masterpiece of grief and obsession - it will work its way under your skin like a splinter and stay there. This is a book you simply can't put down. - Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street
Alice Slater triumphs in Death of a Bookseller, the story of two frenemies who share an antagonistic obsession with true crime. I love a book that features messy women making very bad choices, and this novel delivers the delicious juice in a surprising, twisty narrative that has you guessing until its unpredictable end. - Chelsea G. Summers, author of A Certain Hunger
Relentlessly, terrifically creepy and deeply compulsive; each point of view was so remarkably strong. This novel blew me away with its incredible characterisation - a one-sitting read for sure. - Heather Darwent, author of The Things We Do To Our Friends
For avid readers, thrill-seekers and disgruntled employees alike; Death of a Bookseller is tense, arch and impossible to put down. - Eliza Clark, author of Boy Parts
Beautifully written and dark as Satan's basement, Death of a Bookseller will have you looking over your shoulder long after the last page is turned. Its characters creep into your subconscious and the plot grips the reader like a sticky pub floor. If you like Caroline Kepnes, then welcome to Alice Slater, your new obsession. - Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key
Add this to your list. A London-set story about true crime, city life, bookshops and friendship. I was sucked in deep. Utterly engrossing, atmospheric and deliciously dark. Hugely compelling. - Will Dean, author of The Last Thing to Burn
I absolutely loved Death of a Bookseller. It felt so fresh and sharp, expertly plotted and also emotionally charged, comic but also pitch-black dark. Roach and Laura are utterly unforgettable. The dread I felt as I turned the pages was not just because of the inevitable collision course I feared these characters were on, but also the threat of the pages running out, of this dazzlingly good read ending. - Catherine Ryan Howard, author of Run Time
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.