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

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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