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albon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Infertility and Terminal illness
basicbookstagrammer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
xlivinglikejen's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape
theidlereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
shadowbearreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, and Pregnancy
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Shea Collins is a receptionist by day and a true crime blogger by night, her passion for crime stories fueled by her own experience surviving an attempted abduction as a child. When she convinces infamous suspected (but acquitted!) serial killer Beth Greer to sit down for an interview about the unsolved “Lady Killer” murders, Shea is unwittingly pulled into a web of murderous secrets and ghosts that won’t stay buried (literally!)
Simone St. James’s The Sun Down Motel is one of my all-time favorite books, so needless to say The Book of Cold Cases was one of my most-anticipated reads of 2022. It’s almost impossible for a book to live up to expectations as high as mine were, but this novel came *very* close. The spooky paranormal vibes were impeccable, and I loved the characters so much—Shea was endearing, Beth was intriguing, Michael was a gem, and Winston Purrchill the cat was, of course, a stand-out favorite. I did wish for a few more twists from the plot, which reveals its secrets fairly quickly (around the halfway point), but I am also someone who likes a lot of closure in a book and this one definitely delivered in that regard.
In short, The Book of Cold Cases definitely didn’t replace Sun Down Motel in my heart, but I also won’t stop thinking about it any time soon!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: true crime vibes; paranormal spookiness; layered and lovable characters.
CW: Death (including death of a parent); murder (including mentions of child abduction/murder); alcoholism; mentions of rape/sexual assault; mentions of infertility/miscarriage/pregnancy.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
Minor: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
ohhthehorrors's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
paisleypetty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Classism
gholdreith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book is 100% plot driven. The characters all have trauma, and some even show growth but they are very two dimensional. The plot is not especially complex or compelling, it’s just withholding of information and drives the reader to continue out of a dearth of information rather than a compelling story. I kept waiting for it to get interesting and for the next reveal to be complex but I was never satisfied.
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Murder