Book Review for The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

 The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James 

Hardcover, 352 pages

Publication: March 15th 2022 by Berkley

Genre:  Mystery Thriller, Historical Fiction

 

From 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?

My Thoughts:  HUGE FAN!  I am a huge fan of Simone St. James.  With each book of hers that I have read I have been pulled in, taken for a ride, and found a book that I rave about.  The Book of Cold Cases is now on the list of must-reads from her, and I will be raving to all my friends about the story. 

I know that true crime podcasts are very popular right now, but I am not a podcast fan, so I was thrilled to see a book about true crime and by one of my favorite authors.  I love trying to piece together the clues and see if I can figure out of the character is guilty or innocent.  They seem to always have some guilt but not always what they are being accused of.  I was sure Beth was guilty of something but was it of killing those men?  Shea had skills to work the clues, figure out where the truth lay, and get to the bottom of the lies. I love seeing how her brain worked and watching her figure out where the story would end.

The paranormal twists and turns of the story gave me chills.  I am not sure how Shea could continue to visit Beth and how did Beth continue to live in that mansion?  The ghost was definitely not friendly, and I worried about what could happen to those that were in the mansion.

Read this book!  Buy your own copy right now!   This is a must read book but an incredibly talented author.

**Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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