Fans of the work of Simone St. James will immediately recognise the stylistic similarities between The Book of Cold Cases and her previous best sellers, The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel. But once again St. James has created an exciting, creepy, and entirely original tale while still using elements like dual timelines and mysteries with shades of the supernatural in a way that many of her fans see as something of a trademark.
The primary timeline is set in Oregon in 2017, and Shea Collins has a day job working in a doctor’s office, but at night she is a crime blogger. Her passion for true crime stems from events in her past where criminal activity has come much too close to her life, and her current focus is a local case from forty years prior that is technically still unsolved.
Two men were murdered in 1977, seemingly chosen at random, and each had a note left at the crime scene that police believe was written by a woman. The story became known as The Lady Killer case and the primary suspect, Beth Greer, was arrested, went to trial, and was acquitted. Beth became something of a recluse after the trial and retreated to the isolation of her family mansion, where she has lived alone ever since.
By chance, Shea crosses paths with Beth, works up the courage to ask for an interview, and to her surprise Beth agrees to speak with her. Their conversations at the Greer Mansion disturb Shea as items seem to move and other seemingly unexplainable things happen inside that house. Though never quite knowing how much she can trust Beth, Shea is determined to unravel the mystery of the Lady Killer case. The deeper she digs, however, the more something just doesn’t seem quite right.
St. James is at the top of her game with setting the gloomy, unnerving scenes, particularly inside the Greer Mansion. The dread, fear, and unease are palpable throughout the story and will keep readers engaged as the setting alternates between 1977 and 2017, and the narrative shifts between Shea’s and Beth’s points of view.
One fascinating new element here, that I don’t recall seeing in the author’s previous books, is the character in the current timeline verbalising that she was looking at events in the past through a current day lens. Shea acknowledges (but does not excuse) the difference between things that were “acceptable” to say in 1977, particularly regarding females, and how those same words may take on different, often sinister, meanings in 2017, but still have to be examined in the mindset of someone living in the 1970’s. I was impressed with the inclusion of this detail and thought it added great depth and realism to Shea’s ongoing investigation.
Readers who enjoyed the author’s previous books will also love The Book of Cold Cases. Simone St. James has again brought fans a mystery to dig in to that is full of all the elements we love to see in her books!
The Book of Cold Cases is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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?
