The Book of Cold Cases

Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural

3.6

(9.6K)

Simone St. James

A Most Anticipated Novel by PopSugar * Crime Reads * Goodreads *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?

Horror

Buy now:

More Details:

Author

Simone St. James

Pages

352

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

2022-03-15

ISBN

044000022X 9780440000228

Community ReviewsSee all

"Really wanted to like this because I loved the Sun down motel so much. But with this one, I just kept finding my attention straying. Wouldn't necessarily say it was bad, but I wouldn't reread it. It was alright at best. 2 out of 5 stars."

The Lazy Reader

"I enjoyed this book! The writer does a great job of setting the scene and drawing you in. "

Sandy Lopez

"4/5⭐️"

Bry

"This was a paranormal fiction with a mix of true crime, so I really enjoyed this. "

Olivia Huie

"The was the first Simone St. James novel I have read and I think I might have found a new author to add to my favorites. I truly loved this story- it was dark, twisty, and haunting (literally) which put me fully in the mood for Fall. This novel gives cozy thriller vibes for sure. I also enjoyed the two female main characters, Shea and Beth, for their strength and resilience throughout the story. One plot point I enjoyed in this novel is how we got to uncover the truth about the infamous serial killer right along with Shea as she was putting the whole story together. Another of my favorite styles of novel is a whodunit and I felt like I was getting a little bit of a taste of that with this novel. I also love a thriller with paranormal elements and this book is packed with them. If you loved Riley Sagar’s Home Before Dark then you would love this novel too. I can’t wait to add more Simone St. James to my TBR. "

Lianna

"It was pretty good. The way I want to describe it is “long winded”. You figure it out way before the end but it still goes on and on. I mostly enjoyed it but it wasn’t the best. "

A C

Amanda C

"I kept waiting for a jaw dropping twist, but never really got one. This book is more of a “puzzle-piece” thriller than a suspenseful one. Overall it was a decent read!"

H2000

"⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 There were parts I loved and parts I absolutely hated. If you love the supernatural, you’ll probably love this but I just hated the supernatural parts in it. It was sort of a 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibe, but with murder and mystery. I loved the “who done it” parts that kept me hooked. But the ending was just a miss for and fell flat. I wish I had read it opposed to listening on audiobook because that might be part of my dislike, but it was a solid fun book and lots of people like it"

Carli Walker

"Anti-climactic."

"It was okay. I read the first half over several months so maybe that’s why it seemed slow, though I finished the last half in a couple days and it was better. I feel like there was a lot of details I didn’t need to know. Overall, a decent story - though the title is a bit misleading and it’s not really about a whole bunch of cold cases. "