A review by andie
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 I’m glad I finally got to read this after having it on my TBR for so long! While I was expecting a typical mystery, the fact that it was also a ghost story pleasantly surprised me. 

Ultimately, I felt like the true main characters of this book were indeed Beth and Lily. Their complex and intriguing story captivated me, to the point where I wouldn’t have minded if the book focused solely on them, leaving out Shea’s parts. Beth and Lily were more interesting and well-developed compared to Shea, who seemed to serve mainly as a vehicle to tell their story rather than being a central character herself. 

The ending left me disappointed because I wanted at least one final POV from Beth to understand her thoughts as she was almost caught at the end — I’m guessing not knowing is intentional from the author’s part, but still. But kudos to the author for the haunted house scenes, because they actually gave me chills!