Sophia Rose Reviews The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Today I welcome back Sophia Rose who's reviewing The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James a timely contemporary thriller about a true crime blogger. Read on and see what she thought.
Enjoy!

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Thriller

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 3.15.22

ASIN:  B097B3MDXJ

Pages:  352

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Blurb:

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?

 

Sophia Rose's Review

Evil!  The thrills and chills of encountering it in a house, a woman, and the past.  My first time picking up a Simone St. James’ book and I can see why others get excited about each new release.  This was a definite reads with the lights on, curl up in my comfy blanket, and get a bit antsy about those creakings in the dark.

 

True Crime blogger, Shea Collins, meets acquitted, but thought to be a female serial killer Beth Greer and gets the interview of her dreams.  Or so she thought.  Shea has her own past baggage since her childhood abduction and Beth Greer is as eerie and suspicious as the old, dark house she lives in.  Alternating with Shea’s narration and side of the story is Beth’s recall of her past and her own narration.  Beth’s past is a real-life horror as it slowly is revealed and it taints even the present.  Shea is determined to bring the story into the light of day and in the process is coming to grips with her own troubling past.

 

Shea is not strong, nor is she put together.  Beth is both, but she is also cold and manipulative.  Their encounters are impactive and that house, gah.  Creepy, haunted place.  It’s a wonder Beth wasn’t stark raving mad.  Shea was intrepid and hesitant all at the same time.  She won’t go near a man or ride in a car and can’t seem to have a normal social life, but she’ll go alone to a scary house and interview a woman everyone is convinced is a serial killer and Shea can’t be for sure either way.  I was figuratively biting my nails a few times when she determined to enter a situation that I thought fraught with danger, but I was glad she had Michael, her private detective friend on standby and somewhat in the loop for most of it.

 

That said, this is a slow-build- which was fine, but the payoff was somewhat anti-climactic.  No, that’s not entirely accurate.  There is a big pay-off scene, but…  It was and it wasn’t.  In truth, there is a lot of time setting up which doesn’t bother me in this sort of story and it spends time, like a regular mystery, steadily pulling in evidence (Shea’s part of the story) or giving a firsthand account of the past (Beth’s POV), there is a big scene, but the truth starts coming out much earlier and not in a big reveal so some of the edginess was gone for me for much of the latter half.  Kudos for that final touch of open-ended spooky, though.

 

To summarize, my first encounter with one of this author’s thrillers went well.  I enjoyed her writing and enjoyed the atmospheric modern gothic feel of this one.  I have already put myself on the library waiting list for a few on her backlist.  This is a strong recommend to those who enjoy atmospheric, slightly supernatural, slow build thrillers.

 

Author’s Bio:

Simone St. James is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel, The Broken Girls and The Haunting of Maddy Clare, which won two RITA awards from Romance Writers of America and an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school, and spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives outside Toronto, Canada with her husband and a spoiled cat.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/simone_stjames

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/simonestjames

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/simonestjames/

 

 

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Sophia’s Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose