Let the Bad Times Roll

by Alice Slater

THEN

Alone in New Orleans, Selina is struggling to fit in until a charismatic stranger invites her for a drink. It feels like fate, but who is Daniel, and what does he want from her? Just as the humidity and the hangovers start to take their toll, Daniel vanishes

NOW

Daniel is missing. No one has seen or heard from him in weeks. Beside herself with worry, his sister Caroline hosts an intimate gathering in her London home so those closest to Daniel can come together and compare notes. But what should have been five courses of a Cajun-style feast has now become an interrogation. Those left behind must piece together their shared understanding of the man they thought they knew.

And all isn't quite as it seems: Caroline has invited a stranger to the table, an accomplished psychic who claims to have met Daniel four thousand miles away in New Orleans. As evening turns to night, the dark truth of what really happened begins to emerge...

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, British Literature, Adult Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2025

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Slater has done it again; this is another incredibly gripping novel that I devoured in under 24 hours.

Going in, I was nervous that I wouldn’t enjoy this as much as Death of a Bookseller, which I found instantly captivating because the voice was just so strong. For a start, I didn’t think I was interested in New Orleans as a setting. There are also SO many characters to keep track of here: there’s Daniel, the mercurial missing boy at the centre of the story; his possessive sister Caroline; their downtrodden uni friend Richard; floundering Sage and her washed-up rockstar ex Max; and finally Selina, the psychic Daniel meets in New Orleans, who flits between insecure and steely – and that’s without even getting into the side characters we meet along the way.

Somehow, despite this being borderline ensemble-cast territory, Slater gives everyone enough backstory and nuance to feel like real, complicated people. It’s ambitious as hell and works beautifully. And she also paints a fantastic, persuasive portrait of her setting, coming alive with rich descriptions of food, drink and atmosphere. Both timelines – Selina’s holiday in New Orleans and the dinner party back in London, intercut with flashbacks to explain how everyone knows Daniel – are as absorbing as each other. There were so many threads I wanted to pull on.

It’s a very different animal from Death of a Bookseller, but has a similar irresistible pull – yet again, I skipped lunch to finish it. I could have read a thousand more pages about these characters. Also love that this is coming out in July, it's such a perfect summer book.

I received an advance review copy of Let the Bad Times Roll from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, quite simply, deliciously and perfectly evil. The most fun I’ve had with a thriller in a long time.

The writing surrounding food was divine, the twists were shocking, and I couldn’t tell who I hated the most! Each character in here was a spectacular little nightmare.

Alice has a brain made for dark and f*cked up stories—I’d follow her anywhere.

[Jannelies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was never really very interested in New Orleans… till I read this title. You can almost feel and smell New Orleans while reading and I just loved all the wonderful food that was mentioned. It makes – for me at least – a story so much more lively to read descriptions of the sounds and smells of a location, and see characters prepare real meals instead of the usual salads and pasta dishes. Not to mention the take-away pizza’s.

Anyway, I was hooked from almost the first page on and I loved the way the story unfolded through the memories of Selina, who met Daniel in New Orleans, Daniels sister Caroline, who is ‘not pleased’ when she discovers Daniel went away without her, and Daniels three friends Max, Sage and Richard. All characters have secrets and flaws that they share very reluctantly in their attempt to find out why Daniel was found dead.

It was beautifully written and the pace was such I sometimes didn’t want to put it down. The tension creeps up on you slowly but steadily. The kind of book that asks to be read more than once!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this review copy.

[Kobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alix · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was a slow, multi-POV read that unfortunately didn’t work for me. The story follows Daniel, an enigmatic and charismatic man who seems to have everyone under his spell, but he’s hiding secrets of his own and eventually goes missing in New Orleans. His sister, Caroline, hosts a dinner party with his closest friends, where truths begin to surface about how they really feel about him. As the story unfolds, we unpack each character’s relationship with Daniel and uncover betrayals and long-held secrets. Some characters were likable, others not so much. I especially felt bad for one character who was clearly taken advantage of.

However, I really disliked the reveal and the ending. It made much of the book feel irrelevant and unnecessary. I finished the story wondering what the point of everything else had been. Honestly, this read more like a character drama than a mystery. With all the buildup and exploration of these relationships, I was expecting something more impactful. Overall, while this is well written, I struggled with the pacing and the way things ultimately unfolded.

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW, Slater has dialed it up to 11 with Let the Bad Times Roll. Where her debut was dark and decadent but with a sprinkling of fun and humour, LTBTR is like the cooler older cousin - it draws you in and doesn't let you go, shocks you, engulfs you, and leaves you reeling after finishing the final page.

The whole book is set across a dinner being held in London by Caroline, whose brother Daniel has gone missing in New Orleans. At the dinner are Daniel's closest friends and also the last person to see Daniel who happens to be a psychic and tarot reader. As the dinner progresses, secrets are revealed and the tension rises as the mystery comes to it's head.

What I adored about this book is the setting of New Orleans. Having been to the city myself last year, it was easy to get lost in Slater's vivid descriptions of the streets, bars, tastes and smells. The whole experience of the book completely transports you, and it's easy to see Slater has a deep love and passion for the city which comes across in the writing and knowledge of the area. There was also a real appreciation for Southern culture and writing and the entire book really reminded me of a Donna Tartt novel with the way the main characters interacted. The parts where it flashed back to their time at university together had a Secret History edge, and the cast of characters give of a real vibe of exclusivity which made them all the more compelling. The gothic nature of this novel draws from both the atmosphere of New Orleans but also the Southern writers which have honed the craft before Slater, and she pays homage to them beautifully.

I was worried that nothing would beat Death of a Bookseller but I loved this just as much. Slater's storytelling was absolutely amazing and I adored the way this book moved forward. I already can't wait for her next work as her craft is just getting better and better.

[Jeanie ~ Fables.and.fur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Death of a Bookseller, so I was thrilled to read Let the Bad Times Roll. Although this book is very different from her debut, Alice Slater nailed this one too. The story is captivating and the atmosphere of New Orleans is perfectly captured. I love an unlikable character, and there are plenty of those here. The story is unique and the writing is outstanding. I’m looking forward to listening to it when the audiobook is released. Alice Slater will continue to be an auto-buy author for me.

Cameo alert: Do look for an old friend to appear not once, but twice in the story to let us know what’s been going on in her world of obsession. I gasped in horror at her little update!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this. I was engrossed, rattled through it, and I am now sad to have finished it. I now have the arduous task of waiting for Alice Slaters' next book to inhale. These are the times you wish cloning was available. It's such a good story... read this book!

[Ceri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the author’s debut novel last year and enjoyed so picked this up in the library.
It started well but unfortunately was one of those books I just couldn’t wait to finish. The narrative jumped between people and there were some loose ends left untied. The ending was such an anti climax I had to read it twice. A great premise but just so dull!

The edition I read was poorly edited with missing words and spelling mistakes, and the author absolutely overused the shucking oysters phrase.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'head the size of a MacBook' really had me feeling poor
(idk how big a MacBook is)

[Kayleigh Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-3.75

[Danielle Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alice Slater and the horrible characters she creates. Throughly enjoyed.

[Eleanor]

What fun I had with this! I devoured it in a day. It's a novel about a scammer, of course, my generation's favourite type of crime. Charismatic Daniel is missing in New Orleans; his sister Caroline throws a dinner in London and invites three of his friends, plus a psychic who claims to have spent the past two weeks with Daniel in Louisiana. Between them all, surely, they'll get to the truth of the matter. And they do, although not in the way Caroline expects. This is just so great on detail: the smells, sounds, tastes and emotions of a city that relies on marketing its history to survive; the strange combination of euphoria and creeping inauthenticity that produces. Every character is convincing, though we get much more time with Selina, the psychic, than most of the others, and I'd have liked a more even spread. (That's rare; usually in novels with five point-of-view characters I think at least three are superfluous or badly done.) The third quarter of this book is hard to read if you have traumatic financial experiences in your past, I'll warn you now. On the other hand, when the bad times start rolling—when the violence begins—I gulped it down with pure glee. Which is a morally dubious reaction, I know, but man does Slater do catharsis! This is a dream of a summer read, and deserves to be huge. Source: NetGalley, publishing 10 July 2025

[Laura King · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really vibey mystery, set in large part in New Orleans, where a charismatic young man called Daniel goes missing. His overbearing older sister Caroline hosts a dinner party with his close friends and a psychic (!) he met while travelling to attempt to find some answers, and the novel is structured in the courses that she so meticulously puts together. It's brilliant on New Orleans, the occult (and people who make money off it), food and cocktails, but I wasn't as concerned with the actual mystery.

[char · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit disappointed with this one. I had high hopes but it just seemed to drag on and on. Was not a fan of the ending 🙂‍↔️

[Sasha ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings on Death of a Bookseller, Alice Slater's debut - I loved the concept and opening but as the book went on I found the plot slow and the story a bit frustrating (especially having to sit through Roach's chapters). I was willing to give it some slack for being her first, but I was hoping that this one might be a bit better over.

The first half of this book is a chore, I have to say. There's a compelling mystery about that happened to Daniel while he's in New Orleans, but it takes an age to get to the heart of it and instead there's a lot of boring waffling about the dinner party or Richard being obsessed with Caroline and letting Daniel dupe him into copying his work while they were at university. It isn't until we pass the first 100 pages that it started to get interesting, but once it does and we get all these conflicting accounts of the mysterious Daniel, things do begin to improve a bit.

Selina's chapters were really hard to get through despite her being the one who spends time with Daniel the longest, but she's so very stupid and kind of a whiny buzzkill, too. She doesn't realise Daniel is clearly scamming her, constantly talks about totally unnecessary details and thinks she knows way more than she actually does because "your aura is rancid, you're in a lot of pain" or she's whipping out her tarot cards for total strangers. She thinks she's a "really good judge of character" but she constantly fails to read the room, travels with a man she doesn't know and doesn't even think to ask for his phone number or even his full name. I thought it was funny when Daniel started mocking her, like commenting that her thinking "manifested" him doesn't mean he ceases to exist when she isn't there anymore.

To be honest, I couldn't blame Daniel for wanting to get the hell away from Caroline - Caroline's determination to find her brother is meant to be the driving force of the book but Caroline herself was kind of empty as a character besides being a brittle, intense woman who doesn't really seem to have much of a life outside of fretting over Daniel, I had no idea what Caroline did for work or why she even invited any of the people to the dinner party she did - she hated Sage, tolerated Max, strung Richard along and was obviously suspicious of Selina, who is the last person to see Daniel alive. Richard didn't really have much purpose in this story aside from introducing the siblings and their foibles, and really neither did Sage or Max, they were just kind of...there? It was funny, despite the fact Max was a brooding, self-centred wannabe rockstar, he was such an arsehole that I found his chapters to be kind of entertaining, especially since he's the only character other than Daniel who owns that he's a douchebag instead of constantly thinking he's right all the time (Caroline, Seline, Sage...), and his brutal character assassinations like calling Caroline "rather wet and dull, a piece of loo roll caught on the heel of her more charismatic brother" or Richard "a little dogsbody desperate to please his queen", it was pretty funny because it's exactly what I thought of them as well. I liked the descriptors too, like him referring to one of his ex-girlfriends as a "peachy-arsed angel". If Alice Slater does another book she should follow the whole failing rockstar thing, Max's chapters were pretty entertaining.

(Also why do all the characters in this book call each other "Darling"? It makes sense for Daniel, being a bohemian trust fund kid who drifts about flirting and sponging off people, but Selina doing it too didn't really feel natural, neither did Max saying it.)

I think the actual prose of this book felt kind of clunky. The author seemed to be trying to write the characters sounding middle-class or at the least somewhat educated but it sounds artificial, she keeps using words that sound fancy but they aren't accurate to what she's trying to convey - for example, at one point she describes a man "sprinkling something acerbic" on a pile of vomit to soak it up. 'Acerbic' means "sharp and forthright", not that it is actually acid, and if she meant to convey "sour", how would Daniel know it was sour without being able to taste or smell it? Or at one point Selina describes her morning breath as "sulfurus", presumably because she had bad breath from sleeping so long. That is NOT what that means - sulfurus means "containing sulfur or yellow in colour" OR it means "marked by anger or profanity", none of which has anything to do with bad morning breath. It would make sense if someone not very bright like Selina would make a mistake like that, but Daniel not so much. This happens several times in the book. The characters also will bluntly tell us how they feel and what they think and it makes them feel rather flat - despite the book being about "not knowing people", none of the characters ever do anything I wasn't already expecting them to. It's frustrating because I feel like Alice Slater has a lot of potential as a writer but once you get to the end of this book, there actually wasn't much of a mystery and most of the POV chapters feel irrelevant in hindsight.

Also I'm unclear about a couple of plot elements - Caroline and Daniel talk about their parents dying young, with Daniel saying their mother was a glamorous bohemian and their father died shortly after her, but when someone sees a photo of her, she looks frumpy and ordinary, so either Daniel was lying (why would he lie about that?) or it was a photo of someone else, but I don't know who in that case. I actually kept wandering if there were two Daniels and Selina met a totally different person. Also, what was with that whole thing about the little boy who drowned? It turns out Caroline killed him when she was twelve, but what purpose does this serve? To show Caroline is merciless and will do anything to protect her brother? That doesn't matter, she dies - what did Caroline's willingness to kill matter in the end? Was it meant to make us scared for Selina? I didn't give a flying fuck about what happened to Selina, she could have been impaled on one of her goddamn crystals and that would have been fine by me. Also, who was the woman with dark hair Daniel kept seeing? It wasn't Caroline so why was there so much emphasis put on her?

The final twist of the book was really nonsensical though. It turns out Selina killed Daniel when Daniel was planning on faking his own death. Except, if that's the case...WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU THEN AGREE TO GO TO A DINNER PARTY OF THE DECEASED'S SISTER? To throw suspicion off yourself? That's so dumb, Selina sits there and tells everyone about her misadventures with Daniel, then Caroline dies when she gets Selina alone and nobody thinks it's weird? Caroline's death was an accident, but if it were me I'd be suspicious af that two siblings have mysteriously died while in the company of one specific woman. Also, I feel like Selina bludgeoning Daniel to death after he rinsed her of her life savings (because Selina was stupid enough to trust some random man she doesn't know, psychic my ass) feels out of character. I know the whole book's tag line is "Do we ever really know the people we meet?" but Selina is characterised by one of those self-proclaimed empaths, who cries over Daniel mentioning witnessing the death of a little boy when he was young, who gets all scared and creeped out in a death-themed museum and gets scared of her own tarot cards, and I'm really meant to believe she'd have the balls to kill someone?

Anyway, I think ultimately this was an interesting idea but not executed all that well, the ending twist felt like it was there to shock for the sake of shocking than anything.

Rating: 2.5/5

[Gabbiadini · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twisted dark story with some hideously immoral characters told from various viewpoints and timelines . Properly entertaining even though I still feel guilty for enjoying the dark and dirty lives of these people

[Harry Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably 2.5 stars. I really struggled to get through this tbh. None of the characters are likeable at all so I didn’t care for any of them. I also found the author’s need to describe literally EVERYTHING in such detail very irritating.

I kept reading hoping there was going to be some big twist and although there was to a degree I felt it was a bit predictable and just not very interesting tbh

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed but didn't love this authors previous book Death Of A Bookseller, but this sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go. And I'm sorry to say but I REALLY didn't like this book.
The problems I had with this book started right from the beginning.
It felt like the reader was being dropped into the story halfway through. So much so, I had to check that this wasn't missing chapters or it wasn't a sequel.
Then came all of the tedious backstory of the characters in their university days. I thought this was unbelievably dull and I just couldn't care less.
I also HATED all the characters, especially Daniel. They were all so unlikeable I never once could bring myself to care about them or the story.
The writing felt very flat and dull to me as well. It did seem like the author didn't really care about this book either.
If this hadn't been an ARC I would definitely DNF'd this one. It was DULL, DULL, DULL.
I'm sorry to say but there was nothing I liked about this book and I wouldn't read from this author again.

Thanks to Hodder And Stoughton for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review

[Heather Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to hear that Alice had written a new book - I loved her debut, Death of a Bookseller. When she announced her second book I checked NetGalley obsessively until it was finally available to request. I was so excited to be approved, and this one doesn’t disappoint! It centres around the disappearance of Daniel, an almost 30 year old who has an unhealthy relationship with his sister, a compulsive lying habit and the ability to manipulate everyone around him. His sister throws a dinner party for some of their friends, plus a psychic that Daniel had been spending time with before he disappeared in New Orleans. I don’t want to spoil the storyline but I loved the twists and turns, and I loved how awful all of the characters were. This was such a fun read, and I absolutely tore through it in an afternoon.

[Jennifer Mcarthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The writing here is on the line of over descriptive adjective wise for my taste but the characters of this book are rich in interest. They are all insufferable london types but they are entirely captivating. It is the characters that make this very fast paced despite it not being an extremely plot heavy book. Additionally I really appreciated the split perspectives, this was extremely helpful in building character depth and plot background.

The setting of New Orleans likewise becomes a character of its self which was probably my favourite part. You are transported to the sleazy college party streets, fine dining jazz restaurants, death museums, and the swamps of the bayou. I overall really enjoyed this read but I just wanted a little bit more of a thriller focused ending I was left slightly underwhelmed.

[Ayesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a drag considering it was a murder mystery but I was glad I got there in the end.

[Manisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book in all its extravagant detail. Alice Slater weaves in lavish prose describing her protagonist's hedonistic ways and taste . I feel the side characters also got their due.

I did not think the book being set in chapters by the dinner courses added anything to the structure, but neither did it take away from it . The twists felt well executed till the very end and for someone who's never been to New Orleans, the setting was descriptive and atmospheric to read.

[Danielle Nutter-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Slater, I just love you! I devoured this book just like your first and I can’t wait to see what you do next. The plot kept me guessing and all the characters were so well rounded. The setting, the vibes and the storyline are just chefs kiss. Absolutely remarkable and both of your books are the best things I’ve read in a long time.

[Chelsea-anne Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is a fun paced story with multiple POV. Its set in London at a dinner party but regularly visits the past in New Orleans to propel the story forward. It keeps you interested with characters that are all a bit horrible but in a good way. I was routing for them all to get a bit of karma. The twists were interesting and to be honest I just love Slater's writing, its easy to read and you know you are gonna have a good time.

[Kirsty Craig-Colquhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed! The food and drink descriptions were immense, the story suitably twisty and dark and the New Orleans setting was decadent, hedonistic and delicious. Alice Slater crushes once again!

[robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

well-paced, interestingly structured, wears its talented mr ripley influence confidently while playing with the reader’s expectations just enough to feel fresh. very solid!

[Eve Felstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got through this really quickly mainly cos my AirPods weren’t charged on a train to/from Newcastle BUT it was a really well told murder mystery albeit ending was rushed

[Lynsey B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most excellent book. So griping and I felt like I was in New Orleans myself. I love this author and will read anything she writes.

[Erin Vink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insufferable characters.