The Book of Cold Cases

This is the second Simone St. James book I've read and absolutely loved. The twists in the story and the thrill when everything is revealed is written so well. Being a true crime fan, and an Oregon resident the first thing I did was Google if maybe it was loosely based on a true story i wish I had read this a while ago but I'm happy it did not disappoint.

There was more supernatural in here than I was expecting. It reminded me of The Haunting of Maddie Clare.
Beth was a great character! She did everything for a reason. It was not quite selfish, but it wasn't quite selfless. I liked the character growth in Shea throughout the book. We get hints as to why she is so hesitant about the world and get the story in a couple different chunks. I liked the way that was done. The detective and private detective were good characters as well.
The Lady Killer Murders was much more complicated than I expected. Even when we got the big hint/ answer, there was still so much more to it.
Good mystery, intriguing characters, and string ending.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but I really didn't like this one. I had super high expectations going in, which didn't help, because I loved The Sun-Down Motel. This one was so slow until the middle part. Usually I love a dual timeline, and this one wasn't the best. There's not really a whodunnit but a whydunnit. I didn't like who was the murderer either. I think this would be much better in movie format. The atmosphere, haunted house, and creepy kid vibes were great. 

Hmm, dit was eigenlijk maar zo zo voor mij.
Mijn weinig enthousiaste reactie vloeit voort uit het feit dat een deel van het mysterie in het bovennatuurlijke gezocht moeten worden. Hoewel ik iemand ben die houdt van fantasy en spookverhalen, lijkt het alsof ik daar niet tegen kan als een oplossing in een hedendaagse thriller. Op zich eerder een ik-probleem en niet eentje van dit boek, dat uiteindelijk wel een meeslepend en vlot verhaal vertelt.

It was okay. I loved The Sun-Down Motel, but this one didn't do it for me. It felt slow even though it wasn't really. I kept falling asleep while reading it. The flashback scenes with Lily were the best part. It had moments where I was speed reading because I was scared. I don't understand why the title was chosen. The blog had barely anything to do with the story and it was one of the cold cases. The Lady Killer or The Ugly Greer Mansion would have made more sense. Like I said, it was okay.

I enjoyed this book. It had a good suspenseful presence and kept me intrigued to get to the end. The part where I have mixed feelings on was the supernatural parts. I didn't hate that there was some but I didn't love it either. I would recommend if you want a mystery ride with a few hills (if that makes sense)

I'm a big fan of Simone St. James books. They all have a bit of a true crime feel and a lot of haunted, paranormal vibes. This one was a bit different. The true crime element was much more prevalent and the paranormal aspect was more of a footnote than the main theme.

St. James does an amazing job at making female characters that are just the right amount of likable and tenacious, but I feel like she really outdid herself with Shea. I am a fan of true crime. I listen to the podcasts, read the books, and watch the documentaries. One thing that has always intrigued me are the people behind those podcasts, books, and documentaries. To go through the history of these people to create a story that is accurate and entertaining takes a special kind of person. Though, I have the interest and I believe the discipline, I don't know if I would have the stamina. This book was perfect, though fictional, for me to see what it's like to be someone that hunts for the answers of these cold cases. And not only are the MC's likable and complicated but the “villains” of the story usually are as well. There's always a loop or something that gives them multiple shades of grey instead of just black and white.

While most thrillers wait until close to the end to give you the big reveal this book reveals it in the middle of the book. While it does take away that need to read every page to get to the truth, I think it fit with this book. The big reveal in the middle of the book allowed for the story to take shape and allow no stone to be unturned. When you were finished with the book you had all of the answers and understood the motives. And it helped to understand how something that happened 40 years ago can be brought to the light today.

As I said before the paranormal/ haunting aspects of this book are light and more of a footnote but its done well. It starts right in the beginning that sets the tone of eeriness of the whole plot. It aids the unfolding of the story and the big reveals and helps explain a lot of motive. And makes the revelations of motive so much better.

I would highly recommend this book. If you are a fan of true crime this would be a great read for you. If you have read St. James previous work I would go in expecting some similarities to her previous work but also to keep an open mind.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for giving me an ARC for a fair and honest review.

this book had a really interesting premise but it just didn’t live up to what it could’ve been. the writing was okay, but the plot didn’t grab me, and the "spooky" horror ghost elements were honestly barely there. the mystery was the definition of boring. i lost interest after the 50% mark. the big twist was revealed midway, and after that, it felt like nothing was happening. that lack of twists and plot in the later half made me annoyed. the characters weren’t memorable either. they were just two-dimensional and dull. by the halfway point i was completely bored and just wanted it to be over. the second half didn’t do anything to make me think it was worth more than a 2-star rating.