Book Review: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twenty-nine-year-old Shea Collins, resident of Claire Lake, Oregon, is a receptionist in a doctor's office by day and a true-crime blogger by night. With a traumatic experience in her childhood and a recent divorce behind her, she mostly keeps to herself, occasionally visiting her sister, but spends most of her evenings devoted her blog ”The Book of Cold Cases” where she researches unsolved cases.

In the course of her day job she meets Beth Greer, the prime suspect of the "Lady Killer" murders of 1977 in which two men were shot dead at point-blank range in separate incidents and one person identified Beth, who he witnessed leaving the scene of one of the murders, as the perpetrator. The case remains unsolved and even though Beth was acquitted she was still suspected to be guilty. Shea, intrigued by Beth’s past and in awe of Beth’s poise and gravitas, requests an interview for her blog to which Beth surprisingly agrees. As Shea is permitted to dig deep into Beth’s world, she passionately pursues the cold case interviewing not only Beth but also the police officer assigned to her case many years ago and other people who figured as a part of Beth’s life. Her research takes her into the history of Beth’s family which has its share of secrets and much tragedy in the past. Her visits to Beth’s home, the Greer family mansion, are also not without incident and Shea encounters more than she bargained for. As she gets closer to unraveling the events from 1977 and unmasking the killer, she becomes more aware of a mysterious presence surrounding Beth and the house – a force that makes its presence felt to her as well, often thwarting her efforts and threatening her in the process.

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

Why did Beth, who refused to talk about herself for so long, agree to talk to Shea? What is the mystery surrounding the Greer family and its house which has been preserved like a “museum” with nothing changed from the 1970s? Will Shea be able to solve this murder case from so long ago and if so, at what cost?

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St.James is an intense and gripping read with a well-paced narrative with an atmospheric setting (with a paranormal element thrown into the mix), well-written characters and an absorbing plot. The narrative is shared between Shea and Beth, with Beth’s narrative split between her past and present. Though much of the mystery is revealed a little over the halfway mark, I did not lose interest and enjoyed how the remaining story played out. This is my first Simone St.James novel and I am duly impressed and do intend to read more of her work.

“There’s a moment where you have the power of life and death, and then you realize it doesn’t make you any different than you were before.”