Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

64 reviews

jupiter_01's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• 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

It took me some time to get into the book, but I'm glad I stuck with it! I was always eager to read on, especially with each new tidbit.

I liked the characters and their complicated, interwoven feelings for one another. In my opinion, the romantic connections were given more development than in Sun Down Motel, which enhanced Book of Cold Cases. I was very surprised that Beth didn't nab

her detective!

The one thing that bothered me was how often the female murderer/s were described as 'sexy.' I love a foxy, morally-gray woman, but it doesn't need to be a constant reminder. Otherwise, a good, intriguing read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Rape, Child abuse, and Car accident

ravenpuff's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Death, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Kidnapping, Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Stalking, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, and Misogyny

alisiakae's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Murder, and Addiction

Minor: Car accident

blouviere4's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Car accident, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Murder, Grief, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Cursing, Death, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, and Sexual violence

kylieqrada's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• 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

2.5

2.5 ⭐️s. I liked this, it was creepy, and the premise was really strong. But the mental health representation was not ittttttt, my dudes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Car accident

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

honeywine's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book pulled me in quickly and I enjoyed my time reading it. The mystery felt solved about 3/4 of the way through, however, and the final quarter of the book was more of a long, drawn out afterword. 

There are ghosts, which I love, and the main character is likable and relatable. I’d recommend this book to people who like darker stories and paranormal sprinklings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Bullying, Stalking, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Confinement, Child death, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, and Car accident

elysedc's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Car accident, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Gore, Blood, Death, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

cmaples's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Was disappointed in this after reading the Sundown Motel. The plot was predictable and the atmosphere just wasn't there. Also, the characters are very same-y. You'll see lots of parallels between this and Sundown, but it's definitely the lesser of the two, and those parallels aren't always there in good ways. A lot of the characters are similar and their stories even end in similar ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Car accident, Classism, and Terminal illness

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy

plays into the trope where the child of rape/child given up for adoption is evil

tlynn_07_14_21's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book and cannot wit to read more by this author. This book was definitely dark and mysterious,  creepy and suspenseful. The mansion was so atmospheric. I truly got some Goosebumps at times. The first chapter of this book grabbed a hold of me like no other book of this genre ever has. I was not expecting that paranormal twist at all. 
Beth Greer gave me some serious Evelyn Hugo vibes, but darker.
Lily Knowles 100% Lisa vibes from Girl, Interrupted. 
Even the MC, Shea is lugging around some darkness. 
If you're into Thrillers, this should be on your tbr.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

krys_kilz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

3.0

The first half of this book had me hooked, but the second half started to drag a bit and felt less high stakes. Some of the reveals were made too soon and the reveals towards the end were just lackluster in comparison. The characters relationships also felt unbelievable to me, they were far too convenient and the secondary characters felt so underdeveloped.

I also don't know if the paranormal element worked for me... it just felt like it was more of a plot point than an actual elemental piece of the story. If the house itself had been more fleshed out as a character, it would have been more effective.

The ending was way too neatly wrapped up and the last chapter's attempt to close on a creepy note really fell flat. A lot felt unresolved, and not in a mysterious open-ended kind of way, but in a this was super rushed kind of way. Also, the pro-prison shit, no thank you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Rape