Name: The Book of Cold Cases
Rating: 3.793604651162791 (172 reviews)
ISBN: 9781432896027

Simone St James

The Book of Cold Cases

Simone St. James

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel. In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion. Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes. They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

Just read Hunty’s review, co-sign. I just think 1) sun down motel was better and 2) this author loves edging a secondary twist that never bursts forth. Great audiobook though! 

Coley T

Marilyn Vega

Kept me very entertained, I don’t think I will continuously think about this book. Great book though!

Hunty

What if we girlbossified a serial killer?

The Book of Cold Cases was fast paced and I found that I couldn’t put it down but I have a few thoughts: 

- This book tries to tackle how misogyny affects the perception of serial killers but came off like I was supposed to be rooting for female serial killers in a way. It brings up the idea that women aren’t allowed to be cold, we aren’t supposed to be violent, we shouldn’t cuss, we should get married and pop out babies and be quiet and attempts to subvert that but it just fell flat to me.

- I guessed the twist almost immediately and it felt like it was building up to another one but nothing ever happened.

- I would’ve liked a little more resolution on the ghostie front.

Overall still a fun read with a happy ending!

Kenzi Linton

4.5/5 stars

I don’t even know how to describe this book. I liked the mystery of it, the fact that it had me question so many things. I didn’t like the fact that it ended up being a bit paranormal, but that’s just because it’s not a genre I really enjoy. This was a unique book and I truly enjoyed reading it, even when it confused and frustrated me.

Always hate the cop out of using ghosts in a real-world setting with no explanation of how or why they are present. I felt as if there was absolutely no growth or substance to the characters making it hard to read or care about them. The twist of the half sister doing all of the crimes (if you can call it that) came way too early in the book and had no rationale as to why any of the events occurred. Not sure if it was meant to be a twist that Beth killed her sister, but it felt implied before it was revealed. Definitely not what I was expecting with the title and not in a good way. Not sure if I can give St. James another go after this. 

Paige Paul

marie

історія могла б бути захопливою, якби вона була добре написана. ай гесс на кожні «гострі предмети» випадає декілька посередніх одноразових читань, як ця книга.

Victoria

Now that was just sad. First of all, I figured out what was going on before I even got through 50% of the book. Then, the author alluded so much to this one thing and then we never got an answer in the end. Like why even constantly mention that question when you won’t even give us a proper answer?

It was still enjoyable and it was still fast-paced; it just didn’t live up to mg expectations.

Catherine Duplessis

This story was constructed a bit weird. There were a lot of layers to the mystery, a lot of back and forth between timelines and there was also no big reveal that we often see in thrillers or whodunit stories. We read the case unfolding at the same time as the characters. Like reading a movie. 

It was also my first time reading a thriller with paranormal things in it. I didn’t think I was going to like it, especially because I read every night before bed, but it was okay, it fit in the story well. 

It’s not the best thriller that I read, but I enjoyed it.

Alexa M

"Women don't even get to do that, do we? The really bad things. We get to be the girlfriend. 'Oh, he seemed so nice. He seemed so charming. I never believed he could hurt anyone.' Why don't you ever hear of a woman in a clock tower?"

3.5 i think. 

this was hard to rate because i genuinely really enjoyed this and felt it could have been a solid 4 star read. it was very fast-paced and the mystery went in a direction that i was pleasantly surprised with. also, Beth Greer is a badass. BUTTTTTTTT i just could not get behind the paranormal aspect of this, not even sure why it was necessary? like it was just some random, unexplained  thing  in order to further the plot? just really needless in my opinion and that's why i can't give it any higher rating even though i had a good time reading it.

Molly Morgan

** spoiler alert **
           I did not expect this book to go the way it did, and that kept it interesting. I kept waiting for the ghost's mask to be "pulled off", per say.. but turns out it was actually a ghost! For a book that was supposed to be "armchair detective/true crime-eske", I didn't expect it to take an actual paranormal turn. Overall, this book is fuckin' weird, but I did enjoy it! It just wasn't what I was expecting, but maybe that is also a good thing? 

The two MC's, both female, were interesting and dynamic. Beth Greer is fabulous and I want to know more about her! haha

There is also a cheeky little romance plot that is satisfying, I kept waiting for Michael to turn out to be a bad guy, I've been ruined I spose. lol

Interesting.. I did not expect that.

Now I need to pick up Simone St. James previous work.

Courtney

4 star. This is a fun high intensity paranormal horror story. An acquitted serial killer, Beth Greer, decides to tell her story to a true crime blogger in a haunted mansion. Shea, the true crime blogger observes handprints on the windows, cold breezes, opening cabinets, turning on faucets and blood in the sink! 

Things I loved about this story include 
1. the two unreliable narrators: Shea Collins- the true crime blogger who struggles with PTSD from a tragic past that keeps her from living a "normal" life, and Beth Greer, the Lady Killer, a manipulative, cold and calculating woman who lives in the Greer Mansion alone decades after she was brought in for presumable killing two men and decides to finally come clean about the events. 

2. I really enjoyed the dual POVs and how these two woman share damaged childhoods and past trauma. 

3. the way the story hooks you and slowly drops the puzzle pieces you need to figure out the mystery. 


Things I didn't enjoy: 
1. the lack of twists 
2. the slow start and some slow pacing in the middle 

I definitely recommend this novel to lovers of paranormal horror mysteries.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Simone St. James delivers again. Twenty-something blogger Shea is trying to overcome a broken marriage and a traumatic past when she gets the chance to interview Beth, the famous woman acquitted of the Lady Killer murders. 

But once in Beth’s mansion, spooky things happen, and Shea may be in for the fight of her life. 

No one combines the elements atmosphere, thriller, horror, supernatural, and damaged characters like St. James. I loved this.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Allison

3.5
Could have done without the supernatural elements.

I've only read one other book by St. James, but I enjoy her style. I like the mix of mystery and supernatural elements. I was a little worried about the flow of this book since it's told in alternating timelines, but it worked very well. I loved getting the whole picture of what happened in the past, and seeing how Shea reacted to it in the present. I liked trying to ferret out clues and figure out what happened alongside her. I also found her friendship and interactions with Beth interesting because they felt similar at times. They both lived through very traumatic experiences, and it bonded them in some way. As for the mystery aspect, there were certain things I was able to guess surrounding Lily, but there were even more twists that threw me for a loop. Overall, it was a slow build-up, but the payoff was worth it.

The Book of Cold Cases

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