The cover and description drew me to this book but I found it to be slow and unbelievable. Something felt “off” about the story. Maybe too many questionable characters? Helen’s past did prove to be surprising. Not for me.

Valerie Keogh returns following The Wives with her latest twisty, domestic suspense thriller, THE BOOKSELLER. When a woman is released from prison and opens a bookshop to start over fresh, her past meets the present, keeping you glued to the pages until the satisfying conclusion.

About...

Helen Appleby spent two years in prison and was released, spending the remainder of her sentence on license. Books were her childhood escape, and she decided to use the money her mother had left her to buy a second-hand bookshop.

Helen's past is shrouded in suspense, with a blurred line between pleasure and pain, and a deep-seated childhood issue. Her act of killing Toby, a monster, is a clear crossing of a line, but the reasons behind it are not so straightforward.

On this side, she wasn't sure who she was anymore. A victim? A murderer? An Ex-con or a pathetic fool. Her sentence was reduced to involuntary manslaughter and now she has to ensure a good, perfect life so she is not sent back.

She had not planned to kill. She just happened to have purchased a knife and it was in her hand. She led her sister and others to believe she was trying to protect herself. However, she is hiding dark secrets.

She had a traumatic childhood and for years Helen had harboured resentment for the way her older siblings had excluded her when they were children. There is a ten-year difference between her and her sister, Sarah. However, she is there for her now and offering her support.

As Helen embarks on her new venture, the history of the bookshop she's purchased remains a mystery. The property, which had been on the market for over two years, holds secrets Helen has yet to uncover.

Helen's parole officer, Moira Manson, is a constant source of unease. Her unpredictable behavior swings between friendly and threatening, keeping Helen on edge and unsure of her true intentions. (This was one creepy woman).

Soon after opening the shop, all sorts of mysterious things occur. Her home gets broken into, and there are mysterious noises at the shop and the pizza owners (Alex and Zander) next door. She is unsure of their motives, and some student customers steal her money at the store. Plus a key is missing.

She receives a donation from an elderly woman booklover, Jen, who is moving into an apartment. Later, her grand-nephew, Jared, bugged her that some things were missing and asked her to let him know after she had gone through the boxes. This proves to be the highlight of the book.

In the meantime, Moria is driving her nuts, showing up all the time at the shop, acting weird, and then another elderly woman, Dilly, is selling her many books at a very low price since her ex was a booklover, so she is excited.

However, when she returns to the remainder of the books, the woman's warm personality is different and hostile, leading to another visit from the cops.

Then the gal shows up after she finds out money was stolen, and brings back some of the money, and wants to help her out at the shop, and she winds up allowing her to stay in one of her bedrooms.

But little does she know who is out to make her pay and would love to see her go back to prison. But the past can NEVER stay hidden…

What is going on? Does someone not like ex-cons? How are all the puzzle pieces connected?

My thoughts...

THE BOOKSELLER is highly entertaining (with cozy mystery vibes), with humor, and a flawed protagonist you will root for. I enjoyed the fun literary references, and the bookshop setting —while trying to solve the mystery and how the pieces would come together. Who is trying to set her up and frame her?

When you start reading the story that's about to unfold, it will command your attention—I read in one sitting. You get clues, but you will not find Helen's real secret until she confesses towards the end.

A former prisoner navigates life on the outside while revisiting a traumatic childhood that has carried over into adulthood. Helen is an interesting character for anyone who's ever experienced trauma and wished to turn their life around. Reinvention, second chances, and tackling the obstacles.

Full of characters and all a suspect. Another gripping psychological suspense from Keogh. I like her writing style and the short chapters with tantalizing teaser last sentences.

Helen does not seem like a murderer. She is paranoid and doubts everyone's actions due to Toby. Someone is out to destroy her and her new life. I enjoyed all the side characters: Moira, Jen, Sarah, Jared, Dilly, Zander, Alex, and Jess!

I have read many books by the author, and this was my favorite, with a mix of domestic, psychological, humor, and cozy mystery. I wish it had a little more snark and dark humor; however, still entertaining.

I enjoyed the wicked fun ending and how it all worked out. Funny and smart, twisty and surprising. I would love to see Helen again with more adventures and her charming bookshop in future books.

Recs...

THE BOOKSELLER is for fans of the author and those who enjoy popcorn thrillers and books by Keri Beevis, Freida McFadden, Emily Shiner, Daniel Hurst, and Miranda Rijks.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an advanced digital review copy for my honest thoughts.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 3, 2025
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
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Unfortunately this one was too much of a slow burn for me. I couldn't get into it at all, nothing was happening and I couldn't force myself to continue reading. I had to DNFm

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read one of Valerie’s books for a while and honestly it was like putting on a favourite jumper. So gripping and easy to read, words flowing like water. This was one I knew I wanted to read as soon as I read the synopsis.

Helen leaves prison with her dream of owning a secondhand bookshop still firmly in place. She’s been searching for the perfect property and finally finds it. Her sister’s not too impressed but she can see past the grime and see her exact vision in its walls. Only problem is someone else doesn’t seem to want her there either.

A really good book with some great characters and twists. Having read previous books by Valerie, I can’t wait for the next one.

Another wonderful thriller from Valerie Keogh. When Helen Appleby is released from prison after two years incarceration she is desperate to rebuild her life. Throughout her time inside she dreamt of owning and running a bookshop selling second hand books. Sourcing what she believes to be the perfect building she puts her business plan into action. Someone or some people are hell bent on ruining things for her and she is in for a very bumpy ride.
As is the norm with this author the start of this book is a bit of a slow burner whilst the scene is set but do not let that put you off as it soon pulls you in by which time you do not want to put the book down. There are a number of twists and turns as this thriller gathers pace. Who would have thought the peace and serenity of a bookshop could hide so many thrills and spills
I highly recommend this book.

This was definitely a slow burn of a thriller. The plot was good and original but it was a tad slow moving for me. While I enjoyed the book overall it was hard for me to finish due to the pace.

Thanks you for the opportunity tor had this arc.

Valeries books are always good! I just finished this one and was not disappointed. Helen is fresh out of prison for killing her boyfriend in self-defense, OR WAS IT? We don't know but she is determined to create a fresh start for herself.

She has always dreamed of owning a second-hand bookstore and her dream come true when a run-down building becomes available. Soon after she opens the doors, weird things happen. Are the pizza shop owners next door trying to sabotage her? And why is her parole officer poking around constantly? And the nephew of a woman who donated some books seems to want something too. Can she trust her own sister?

When break-ins occur at both her home and the bookstore, she knows someone is out to get her and sabotage her, but who, and more importantly, WHY?

I read this quickly, its a satisfying suspense!

I always enjoy this author’s books and this, The Bookseller, is no different.
A quick read, with an original plot and an amoral cast of characters

I was so excited when I saw that Valerie Keogh had a new book out and what better title than the Bookseller! This is the story of Helen who while in prison dreamed of opening her own bookshop. Once released, her sister helped her make her dream a reality. But, what’s going on with the guys who own the pizza store? Who are these other strange characters? Is Helen’s dream of starting over needing before it got started and how far will she go to keep it all. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Helen Appleby has recently been released from prison for the manslaughter of her partner. The only thing that kept her going through her two-year incarceration was planning to fulfil her childhood ambition to open a second-hand book shop.

Helen’s dream is about to become reality, she has bought the premises, it’s been renovated and she is purchasing stock for the shop. But her plans to have a quiet life aren’t really coming to fruition. The two guys who own the pizza shop next door are acting strangely, there are some unexplained noises and incidents that occur; and her parole officer is popping by more often than Helen anticipated. There seems to be numerous things causing Helen concern and she isn’t helping herself, putting her freedom in jeopardy with a potential recall to prison for not upholding her licence conditions.

This is a slow burner of a book and I didn’t find Helen to be particularly endearing. However, this is borne out by plenty of underlying subjects that are slowly revealed and explored which make this book addictive. I did enjoy this book overall and raced through it as I wasn’t sure where the story was going. You can never go wrong with a Valerie Keogh book.

Helen has recently been released from prison and wants a second chance so she decides to open a second hand book shop. Only her wishes for a quiet life don’t go exactly to plan when it becomes clear someone wants to sabotage everything she has built. But Helen will do whatever it takes to protect her future.

A thriller set inside a book shop was a definite read for me and had an interesting premise. This was a well written mystery but was less of a thriller than I was expecting as it was quite a slow burn. It took a long while for much to happen. I wasn’t that enamoured with the main character Helen either, finding her frustrating at times. Although I had a few issues, this wasn’t a bad novel overall and ended up being a quick, easy read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Another great read from this author. There are twists and turns galore in this great read. Helen comes out of prison on licence after killing her boyfriend and she wants to fulfil her dream of opening her own second hand book shop. Things keep happening and Helen has all sorts of thoughts going through her mind as to what is happening. If you like psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this book another five star read.

The main character, Helen Appleby, had me intrigued from the beginning. Recently released from prison and going back to her former life, Helen makes reference to her “secret” that should have kept her in prison longer.

I found the book very entertaining and it kept me guessing! Just when I thought I figured out what was going on, I realized I was wrong. I enjoyed the relationship mending between Helen and her sister as well as the relationship between Helen and Jess.

The character development was good, and it made the story more enjoyable. This is the first book I have read by Valerie Keogh, but definitely won’t be the last.

If you are a fan of mystery, I would recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of The Bookseller by Valerie Keogh

Helen is recently released from prison. Her dream was to open a bookstore, which her sisters helps her accomplish her dreams. But Helen needs to be careful with her customers.

I overall enjoyed the book but did not like Helen very much. Pretty sure she was written that way so I tried my hardest to not be too annoyed with her.
This was my first Valerie Keogh book and will read more by her in the future.

This was my first read from Valerie Keogh. I will definitely be reading more from her! In this story, Helen has just been released from prison and is trying to have a nice, quiet life and start over. She decides to open a second hand bookstore but someone out there doesn't want her to be successful. As the story unfolds, we learn some of Helen's past and what she might be willing to do to secure her future.

This is a great psychological thriller.
During her time in prison Helen dreams of starting her life again when she’s released.
With her sister helping her get used to being out, Helen tells her she wants to find a property so she can open a bookshop.
Helen finds the perfect property but it takes a lot of work to get it looking good as it’s been empty for so long.
When Helen opens the shop she has a mixture of customers coming in and she’s pleased with how it’s going.
I won’t spoil what happens but let’s say Helen needs to be careful who she comes into contact with.
This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

3.75/5
This is the third book i’ve read by Valerie Keogh. Honestly, I expected more from the ending. Typically Valerie Keogh’s books leave me shocked. Despite the ending, this book was a very fun read.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Helen has released from prison recently.

She has a dream, that is to own a bookstore, so she buys an empty building so that she make the dream come true.

But, it seems there’s someone out there that isn’t happy, with her and wants to hurt her.

The story kept me turning the pages to see how the it would end, there was some twists along the way.

It was well written with some lovely and not so lovely characters.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! this author is a lot of fun- this was a slow burn of a mystery. Helen, the main character felt grating to me but I was intrigued enough to carry on!

A slightly odd and unsettling main character made this book less enjoyable than I had hoped. I found it really hard to either like or empathise with Helen and the story was unbelievable. It didn't live up to the promise of the blurb.