Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

6 reviews

leahthebooklover's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense

4.0

"On the bus, I pulled out my phone, put my earbuds in my ears, and played the audiobook I was in the middle of listening to. A thriller: a woman in danger, most of the characters possibly lying, everything not quite as it seemed. A twist somewhere near the end that would either shock me or it wouldn't. There were dozens of books just like it, hundreds maybe, and they were the soundtrack of my life. The woman's voice in my earbuds told me about death, murder, deep family secrets, people who shouldn't be trusted, lies that cost lives. But a novel always ends, the lies come to the surface, and the deaths are explained. Maybe one of the bad characters gets away with something --that's fashionable right now --but you are still left with a sense that things are balanced, that dark things come to light, and that the bad person will, at least, most likely be miserable." p.7

  These are the words of Shea Collins; doctor's office receptionist, part-time true crime blogger, and child abduction survivor. She is the main character in "The Book of Cold Cases" and when I read this in the opening pages of the book, I wondered if I had just had the main points of the plot summed up for me. It's not too far from the way the book played out, but even with that neat little outline to follow, this was one gripping story. Thriller? Check. Murder mystery? Check. Amateur sleuthing? Check. Creepy haunted house? Check. Family secrets? Check. Morally ambiguous/possibly mentally unstable characters? Check. Throw in multiple POV's and timelines, a dash of romance, and enough twists that what might have been formulaic felt original and utterly readable. This was my February "Blind Date With a Book" selection from my local library, and it was a hit. Because of the supernatural/ghostly aspects of the book, I probably wouldn't have picked this book out for myself, but because I really did enjoy reading this, I will undoubtedly look for this author again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Death, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Car accident

cyndi1966's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Addiction

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Rape

katergirl12's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Pedophilia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

trisarahtopps06's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.5

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It was just good enough for me to want to finish but I didn't love it. Writing was mediocre. Not a fan of paranormal stuff so I was surprised and put off when it showed up in the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism and Misogyny

alyssagirardi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Infertility, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, and Violence

katrinasherise's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Rape

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy