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Book Summary and Reviews of The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

The Book of Cold Cases

by Simone St. James

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  • Mar 2022, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect—a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases—a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. There are multiple instances where Beth's looks are used against her during the investigation and media coverage of the Lady Killer murders. What do you think the author is trying to say about a woman's looks and how they relate to victimhood?
  2. Think about how the Greer mansion is described in the novel. What do you think the mansion's construction symbolizes?
  3. The novel explores the case of a female serial killer. Why do you think the author chose to write about a serial killer who is a woman?
  4. Why do you think Beth and Detective Black believe Shea is the only one who can solve this case? Do you think there are similarities between Beth and Shea that influence them? What are your thoughts on the parallels between Beth...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"When it comes to sending shivers down readers' spines, St. James gives Shirley Jackson a run for her money, and her latest addictively readable novel will have one sleeping with the lights on." - Library Journal (starred review)

"[C]hilling...St. James keeps the suspense high, though some readers will wonder why she reveals a major plot twist in the middle of the book. Horror fans will want to check this out." - Publishers Weekly

"St. James expertly builds tension between the women's stories, indulging in some genre expectations and thwarting others along the way. A twisty and satisfying paranormal mystery you won't want to read alone at night." - Kirkus Reviews

"Lovers of true crime will get a kick out of this thriller that oozes atmosphere." - Silvia Moreno-Garcia, New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night

"Simone St. James knows how to haunt you. The Book of Cold Cases is St. James at the top of her game, expertly weaving the past and the present to reveal a chilling tapestry of real world mystery and supernatural suspense that will have you turning pages well past your bedtime and jumping at every little sound." - Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind

"No one writes a ghost story like Simone St. James, whose uniquely spooky thrillers are as chilling as they are captivating, and The Book of Cold Cases is St. James at her best. Steeped in atmosphere and spine-tingling chills, this gripping mystery will haunt you from the very beginning." - Laura McHugh, award-winning author of What's Done in Darkness

This information about The Book of Cold Cases was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth@Silver'sReviews - Thriller Fans will enjoy this book
Can it really be Beth Greer the Lady Killer?

Is she really granting me an interview after all this time when she wouldn't grant one to anyone else?

Shea Collins....receptionist by day and crime blogger of cold cases by night is thrilled that Beth is going to let her interview her.

She finds Beth to be very odd, and the mansion she lives in even more odd. It seems to have ghosts…things move around, noises appear out of nowhere, voices talk to you, and her parents’ things are still sitting where they left them.

This was going to be a welcome but tough case. Luckily a few other characters helped Shea with the case…Michael…a detective, and Winston Purrchill…a cat that was left on her doorstep.

The research and the book move us back to 1960 when Beth was a child, then to 1977 when Beth was accused of the murder, and then to present day when Beth and Shea become friends and learn about each other and about the case.

Should Shea be careful around Beth, though, since she still wasn’t sure Beth was the killer and wrongly accused but acquitted...you never know.

THE BOOK OF COLD CASES moved slowly along, but the tension and underlying suspense ramped up when we met Lily. And just who is Lily?

Fans of Simone St. James won't want to miss her chilling, ghostly, can't-put-down newest.

Ohhhh so good. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

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Author Information

Simone St. James Author Biography

Photo: Perrywinkle Photography

Simone St. James is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel and The Broken Girls. After years of writing and collecting rejections, Simone's debut novel, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, won two RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America and an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. An Inquiry Into Love and Death was nominated for another Arthur Ellis Award. Simone spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives just outside Toronto, Canada, with her husband and a spoiled rescue cat. She is addicted to sushi, rainy days, coffee, and My Favorite Murder. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest (though not all at once).

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Link to Simone St. James's Website

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