The Life & Times of a Book Addict: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Publication: March 15, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

Source: Purchased my own copy

Synopsis:

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?

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“Something about the Greer mansion stifled laughter and killed happiness. It might sound dramatic, but anyone who had lived there knew it was true.”

The Book of Cold Cases weaves back and forth between two POV’s; Shea and Beth. Beth’s POV is the past…we get to see what her life was like when she was younger, and when her parents were alive. Shea’s POV is current day. These two women couldn’t be any more different, yet they each share a troubling past they would like to escape. Shea tries to move forward in her life while running her true crime website when she isn’t working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office. It’s because of her job at the doctor’s office that she runs into Beth. Once Beth and Shea cross paths, their lives will be forever altered.

Shea is very inquisitive. A seeker of justice and the truth. Shea was very determined to find out the truth no matter how long it took or what she had to do. I liked her character at first. Towards the end, her attitude sort of shifted and I didn’t really care for that too much.

Beth is basically living a self-imposed isolated life at her family’s mansion. A place very few people go to outside of Beth’s family and lawyer. She comes across as cold and manipulative. She is not very likable, however as the story progresses, I did find myself empathizing with her plight a little more. The further into the story I got, the more I kept questioning, who the murderer truly was and if Beth really was that good at manipulation.

There is something about a spooky yet lively mansion that just really makes a paranormal mystery even more enticing.

I came into this story, looking for a good mystery thriller, and discovered an entertaining paranormal mystery. There were some good creepy and atmospheric parts, but I wish it would have been amped up a little more than it was. Though the story started off a little slow and dragged in the middle some, it was well written, and my interest was held all the way through.

RATING: 3½ OUT OF 5.

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