Death of a Bookseller the instant and unmissable Sunday Times bestseller and one of the biggest debuts of 2023

Ich habe das Buch wegen dem schillernden Einband gekauft und etwas ganz anderes bekommen als erwartert. Ich habe gedacht, es handle sich um ein Cosy Krimi, mit ein, zwei Toten und einem Paar sehr unterschiedlicher, aber dennoch best-friends Frauen, die diese Morde aufklären werden. Tja, komplett falsch gedacht. Unterschiedlicher könnten die Frauen bestimmt nicht sein, aber von Freundschaft keine Spur, ganz im Gegenteil. Eine unheimliche Faszination, Stalkertum, Angst, Verwirrung, Einsamkeit, Verlorenheit. Der Einband passt überhaupt nicht zur Geschichte, was das Buch für mich noch faszinierender machte. Und ein sehr beklemmendes Ende…

The MC is truly obnoxious, pretentious and all around unlikeable. The same can be said for her obsession aka the other MC. The multiple POVs paint two different stories of two deranged / unwell individuals and their interactions with each other. Despite the characters first impression on me I really enjoyed the story and how the two different perspectives complement each other. I was overall very stressed while reading as if it was really me in those risky situations and even though the ending was not how I expected it to go it was satisfying. Gonna read more books from this author! ~ཐིཋྀ

I was torn on how to rate Death of a Bookseller - it started off strong, but by the end, I had mixed feelings. At first, I was invested, but as the story progressed, it took a darker turn - one that felt more unsettling than compelling. Both main characters are deeply flawed: one shaped by trauma, the other by an unhealthy obsession. Their dynamic is tense and uncomfortable, and certain scenes were vividly disturbing (nauseating). While I understand the intent to explore the ugliness of human nature, some moments felt quite graphic, marking the story’s downward spiral. That said, Death of a Bookseller is well-written and effectively critiques the dark side of true crime obsession. In a way it also explores how unaddressed trauma can fester. It can be a compelling read, but one that left me more unsettled than satisfied.