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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The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

  

Published: April 6, 2021

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Source: Publisher

 

Synopsis:

Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

 

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“Miracles are not without their price, my darling…”

After checking out the synopsis I was excited to read this book. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and was curious to see how everything would tie into the present day lives of Jax and her family.

Jax feels guilty for not having been there for Lexie when she needed her. So naturally after arriving back at Sparrow Crest, she wants to retrace her sisters footsteps and see what she was working on and discovered before her death. There were some things that Jax found out and that happened during her stay there that I wish had been explored more. I still have some unanswered questions about a couple of things even after finishing the book. 

The Drowning Kind is a creepy and atmospheric tale that is also a little bittersweet…This story perfectly demonstrates that you can never leave the past very far behind. This is a slower paced suspenseful story, that’s well written and entertaining. I enjoyed very much and look forward to reading more books by Jennifer McMahon.

 

RATING: 4 OUT OF 5.

 

 

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Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost

Publication: October 30, 2007

Publisher: Avon

Source: Purchased/Own

Flirting with the Grave... Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father - the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership. In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner - are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

After reading the first two books in the Night Prince series by Jeaniene Frost and loving them, I decided to try the Night Huntress Series. Book one is Halfway to the Grave and tells the story of Catherine Crawfield aka Cat. 

Cat has been basically brainwashed by her mother to think that all vampires are evil demons and need to be killed so the world can be a safer place. So what does she do? She goes out and kills them. Turns out she isn’t just a normal human, she is half human, half vampire. This is one leading lady that can definitely handle her own. She kicks butt and takes names. Cat is very good at what she does and she isn’t really afraid of putting herself at risk hunting vampires. But her world becomes a little bit more dangerous than she expected once she encounters master vampire, Bones.

Bones isn’t your average vampire. He is a master vampire. One who has been around for many many years. And with those years, he has developed knowledge and powers that make him tough to go up against. Bones is pretty badass. He is a unique vampire because he just happens to hunt down vampires himself. And that is how he happens to cross paths with Cat.

Cat and Bones end up working very well together. I loved them both. Bones has this weird sarcastic sense of humor that I enjoyed. And Cat is an impatient vampire killing machine. They are both stubborn and set in their ways, but were Cat is impatient, because of years and experience, Bones thinks things through a little better. And he was smart for trying to get Cat on his side knowing he could use her as an advantage.

Even though I liked Jeaniene Frost’s other series I was a little unsure about this one, but it turns out I was unsure for no reason. I ended up liking Halfway to the Grave very much. So much so that I am already on book five of seven in this series. The writing is well done and there is a ton of action...something is always happening. I never once felt the story lag. If you’re into vampire paranormal romances with a sprinkling of good humor, I would definitely recommend this series and author.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

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Sneak Peek Quickie: The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

Publication: August 18, 2015

Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books / Penguin Young Readers Group

Source: Publisher

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably and unavoidably accident-prone. Some years it's bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it's just a lot of cuts and scrapes. This accident season--when Cara, her ex-stepbrother, Sam, and her best friend, Bea, are 17--is going to be a bad one. But not for the reasons they think. Cara is about to learn that not all the scars left by the accident season are physical: There's a long-hidden family secret underneath the bumps and bruises. This is the year Cara will finally fall desperately in love, when she'll start discovering the painful truth about the adults in her life, and when she'll uncover the dark origins of the accident season--whether she’s ready or not.

Kathy Dawson Books made available a sneak peek of The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle and I knew immediately I wanted to read it. The synopsis looked very intriguing and since I liked We Were Liars I wanted to try it out. The sneak peek was less than 100 pages, but it was more than enough to wet my appetite for the complete book.

The Accident Season is a creepy atmospheric tale revolving around a family with a tragic past.  The story is shrouded in mystery and perhaps some magic as well. Cara and her family fear the month of October aka the accident season. But they have every right to. There have been several incidents and deaths during this time in her family, so there is always a big feeling of unease. 

“Now every autumn we stock up on bandages and painkillers; we buckle up, we batten down. We never leave the house without at least three protective layers. We’re afraid of the accident season. We’re afraid of how easily accidents turn into tragedies. We have had too many of those already.”

Even though I wasn’t exactly sure what to fully expect with this book and still don’t really, I found that the story quickly and easily pulled me in and I knew I had to know more. I was enjoying the first few chapters so much, I forgot the book isn’t out yet, and went to Amazon to purchase it now in order to keep reading it. Luckily The Accident Season releases on Tuesday, August 18, 2015. So I don’t have much longer to wait.

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The Shadow Cabinet (Shades of London #3) by Maureen Johnson

Publication: February 10, 2015

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Source: Bought/Own

The thrilling third installment to the Edgar-nominated, bestselling series. Rory and her friends are reeling from a series of sudden and tragic events. While racked with grief, Rory tries to determine if she acted in time to save a member of the squad. If she did, how do you find a ghost? Also, Rory’s classmate Charlotte has been kidnapped by Jane and her nefarious organization. Evidence is uncovered of a forty-year-old cult, ten missing teenagers, and a likely mass murder. Everything indicates that Charlotte’s in danger, and it seems that something much bigger and much more terrible is coming. Time is running out as Rory fights to find her friends and the ghost squad struggles to stop Jane from unleashing her spectral nightmare on the entire city. In the process, they'll discover the existence of an organization that underpins London itself—and Rory will learn that someone she trusts has been keeping a tremendous secret.

The Shadow Cabinet is the third book the Shades of London series. I was very anxious to see how things would play out with this one.

***HUGE SPOILER BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE SECOND BOOK!!!***

I didn’t really like how the second book ended. Stephen dying really through me for a loop and I did not see it coming. I kept thinking, how could she end it like that?!??  So when The Shadow Cabinet begins, it basically picks up pretty much where the story ended in book two. Everyone is in the hospital with Stephen, mourning over his loss when Rory makes a desperate attempt to bring back him as a ghost.  Not to mention Rory’s classmate is still missing and she is possibly in danger.  

Because of everything that has happened to Rory, her and the team are secluded; more so Rory than anyone else. Callum and Boo attempt to go around town to see if what Rory did actually worked and Stephen became a ghost. Rory is not one to wait around wringing her hands, so naturally she goes out and tries to find some answers for herself.  Which leads to some interesting and unexpected results.

The Shadow Cabinet starts off a little slow for me.  Nothing  major seemed to happen until almost halfway through the book. It wasn’t a struggle to get through the book though. I wanted to see how things resolved and find out the why behind them. 

This wasn’t my favorite book out of the trio….The Madness Underneath is my favorite, but The Shadow Cabinet was still enjoyable. I am curious what exactly this mysterious groups needs from Rory and how major a part she will play in it. And  what is up with those weird and creepy twins? I was curious, but never a big fan of stories involving ghosts and people seeing ghosts before, however Maureen Johnson has made me one. I am looking forward to her announcement of book four.

RATING: 3½ out of 5.

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