The Book of Cold Cases
The Book of Cold Cases
By: Simone St. James
[Fulfilled ‘Book with a school’ for Shelf Reflection’s 2023 Reading Challenge]
[Nominee for ‘Best Mystery/Thriller’ category of the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Reading Challenge]
“I’ve always believed that murder is the healthiest obsession.”
I specifically read this book for its supernatural bent (for a reading challenge) so I knew what I was getting myself into.
Those who are hardcore ghost thrillers and horror readers may find it too mild, but for someone like me who does not particularly enjoy supernatural thrillers (because they’re either demonic or it’s too easy to use ghosts as explanations) I thought this book had just the right amount of supernatural in relation to the rational.
I felt satisfied with the answers I got yet I still definitely felt the spooky vibes and imagined some of the jump scare moments that would have happened had it been a movie. It made for a great October read!
The main character of the book is Shea Collins who moonlights as a true crime researcher and writer on her website- The Book of Cold Cases. I think one of the main things I wish was different in this book was that as readers we would have felt more connected to Shea.
She still experiences PTSD and some paranoia because of a traumatic event that happened to her when she was nine. She is a bit of a recluse— doesn’t have any friends, occasionally sees her sister’s family, mostly just stays at home. Her job is just a way to pass the time in the story so it doesn’t really tell us much about her either. She just feels distant and not much personality other than her obsession with researching murders.
We do see some character development throughout the book, but the connection points were still small.
The premise of the book is this:
Shea stumbles upon an opportunity to interview Beth Greer, the acquitted but suspected serial killer in at least two murders in their small Oregon lake town during the 70s. It’s been many years since then but the murders were never solved.
Two seemingly random men were shot point-blank on the side of the road and found with a note that read:
“Am I bitter or am I sweet? Ladies can be either.”
…. the Lady Killer. Dun dun dun!
As I am writing this I am realizing I don’t think I like this nickname for the killer. It could read as a female killer or a killer of females. But the people who were killed were men. I think I would have thought of something different. UNLESS St. James wanted to tie in the ending. Which then I guess I like it.
ANYWAY.
After spending time with Beth in her creepy old mansion on the cliffs (“It was an abomination, that’s why she liked it.”), Shea realizes she is now involved in something otherworldly. The faucets turn on by themselves. She hears footsteps. Cabinet doors are all open at the same angle. Her voice recorder picks up a whispered voice that says ‘I’m still here.’
She believes Beth didn’t really kill those men, but knows more than she’s telling. Unless Beth truly is the manipulative murderer the public believed her to be...
“You have so many questions, so many things you want to know. You’ve come closer than anyone else ever has. You’ve almost finished the game, Shea. You’ve almost won. Just use your brain and figure out the last part.”
“Even though she never told the end of the story, she knew the sweet girl was the one who got eaten. The bitter girl was the one who survived.”
The book is formatted with chapters told from both Shea’s present-day POV and Beth’s 1970s POV. Then there are a few other excerpts from interviews or newspapers that provide background info.
I agree with some reviewers who wish ‘the twist’ would have been later in the book. I think it was divulged around halfway through. But at the same time, it seems like it needed to be out there so that Shea had leads to follow.
I like some of the other ‘uncertainties’ in the book that added mystery. I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t name them specifically, and they ended up being nothing, but the fact that something COULD have come from them was a nice element in the story to maintain suspense.
I am wondering one thing though— shouldn’t phone calls to prisoners be recorded? Never mind, I don’t think they did back in the 70s.
Recommendation
If you want a mysterious, spooky read that’s not demonic, gory, or over-the-top supernatural, this is a great option!
If you want something more hardcore, you may find this one boring.
There was a handful of swear words, but otherwise a pretty clean book. I think I would read another one of SImone St. James’ books.
[Content Advisory: handful of f- and s-words; no sexual content; no graphic gore other than a description of blood on the floor and the fact that the men were shot in the face.]
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