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

adventurous dark 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

Rating: 4/5 stars

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.

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