Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

46 reviews

local_hat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, and Child abuse

Moderate: Terminal illness, Violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape

shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

"'You don't always get a motive....That's something you learn in police work. You don't always get the why, especially with stranger killings.'"
This was a fun book, and I'm glad I picked it up. This was my first dip into the true-crime and mystery genres. While I'm not sure if I'll dive into it with more reads, I know I enjoyed this read. It was fun for what it was, and it was nice getting to know all the characters. I think this is a good book for that nice dip of your toes into the waters of mystery and/or true-crime books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

I 100% think that Beth's home was haunted, possibly by her parents' ghosts, and that it wasn't just Beth's drinking problem (although the alcohol almost certainly exasperated it).

prrttyodd's review against another edition

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy

soobooksalot's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

Take my money, Simone St. James!
 The Book Of Cold Cases was one of my most-anticipated books of the year and I'm thrilled to say it lived up to expectations!
 In 1977, Beth Greer was charged with the murder of two men and dubbed the Lady Killer. Though acquitted of the crimes, she was presumed guilty by the public and retreated to a reclusive life in the Greer family's Oregon mansion.
 In 2017, Shea Collins is fascinated with all things true crime and runs a blog called The Book Of Cold Cases. 
 A chance encounter with Beth reignites Shea's interest in the Lady Killer case and she aims to solve that which has remained a mystery for 40 years.
 It's one of those stories you feel like you want to Google for more background because it feels so real. 
 There's some excellent Gothic retro atmosphere here, mixed with a modern feel.
 As with previous books by this author, there are varying timelines and gripping backstories. And a touch of paranormal creepy goodness to round out the traditional thriller. 
 Loved it. 
 Recommended!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

midnightgarden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, Child abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death

Moderate: Rape, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault

toofondofbooks_'s review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

A haunted mansion, a true crime researcher dealing with her own demons, a possible murderer acquitted for 40 years...you know, just regular stuff.

I have so many conflicting feelings on this one so let's go:

Positives! I liked the dual timelines, but I definitely liked the 1970's timeline better. I think that Simone St. James' strength is definitely in period pieces, and while I know that the present day perspective is necessary for the book to work, I just liked the past timeline better. I thought that the spooky scenes were extra spooky and often made me scared to turn my light out, and that addition to the plot made things way more interesting and tragic to me. There was one character who I thought was absolutely terrifying and interesting and I enjoyed every scene with her, but I'm not going to say more than that because spoilers. I thought some parts were predictable, but not in a way that angered me, more in a way where I was glad to have my suspicions confirmed.

That's kind of where my positives end? I feel torn, because there were parts of this I really enjoyed, but then there were so many parts that I thought could've been done better if someone else had written it. Before page 140, I was considering a DNF, but I wanted to give it a chance to redeem itself, and it did, but not as much as I would have liked it to.

Also....why does every book this woman publishes have a romance with a cop??

Overall, I think people who liked The Haunting of Hill House or Haunting of Bly Manor will like this one, but it wasn't my favorite.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Misogyny, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage

marchhare89's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Car accident, and Gaslighting

_savannahreads_'s review

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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Alcoholism, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

Stayed up late to finish this one! It was really good. After DNF-ing The Sundown Motel I wasn't expecting much, but I really enjoyed it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Murder, Alcohol, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Child death

Minor: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Car accident, and Sexual assault

juliaraimondi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse