When I read the summary for this book on the Book of the Month website I knew it was going to be a must-read for me. I was certainly right.
"The Book of Cold Cases" is my first Simone St. James novel but it surely won't be the last. How did I not know about one of the most thrilling, interesting 'mystery' novelists? Because that is how I view her at this time. This book was more than I imagined and truly one of the best crime books I've read this year. It wove 'true crime' as a genre from books, podcasts, documentaries with real-life and presented itself in book form. It was so meta and I loved it.
I finished this book within a few days and it has be wanting to read her backlist, including The Sun Down Motel and The Broken Girls.
Publisher's Summary
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
As I said above, this book meshed real world true crime and what you would expect from a mystery novel. In the same breath, there was also a supernatural element to it which was very interesting and unexpected, though I'm unsure how I feel about that part of the book.
Like all good thrillers, "The Book of Cold Cases" goes back and forth to the past and present so you get a really good view of Shea's mindset as well as what Beth Greer was going through. I have to say that the flashback scenes of The Lady Killer were some of my favorites in the book - they were raw, real and spooky.
At some point in the novel, the past and present meet in the middle and everything felt like it came full circle which was really nice and felt like the story made so much more sense.
Throughout the novel you are rooting for Shea to figure out what is really going on with Beth but you also are dying for Beth to reveal all her secrets. It was a really interesting blend of two characters.
The writing in this book was extremely detailed and usually I don't like when there are a lot of unnecessary details because it feels like something is being taken away from the book and the main subplot. I didn't think that at all with this book - everything felt very well paced and interesting.
"A Book of Cold Cases" was the type of book where you're unsure where things are going to go and once secrets are revealed, the hits just keep on coming. St. James kept the explosive parts of the plot close to the chest so I wasn't able to figure out anything which I love!
This book was interesting, fast paced, and kept me on my toes until the last possible second. I loved every moment of it and think all true crime fans need to read it!
xoxo
B
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