The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
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 crime scenes. 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?
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This book was creepy and wonderful. For the first two thirds. I feel like, this author was so wrapped up in her great ideas on how to make this book chilling, she carried on too long and because of that, it lost some of it’s punch. I enjoyed it a lot (reading it alone at a cabin on the lake was terrifying tbh) but by the last third I just felt like it was going on and on when it really should have ended. Leave us asking questions. This book went into too great of detail answering things I felt were obvious in some earlier hints and then still leaving loose threads where I really did need explanations (why was there more than one “haunting”? What was the motive outside of the ones killed by revenge?). I felt myself very intrigued by Shea’s childhood story and her coping in her adult life. That was my favourite part of the book. I did enjoy Beth’s chapters up to a point but once the flashbacks started I found it getting a little redundant (there’s a 4 chapter flashback near the end and it felt never-ending). I think the concept was great and this author is great at setting a chilling scene and using sentences that make your blood curdle but it lost some of it’s spice with the extended cut. Sometimes, less is more.
Similar to St. James’ other books, this book takes place from two characters POV and also two separate timelines. Somewhat reflecting one another, Beth and Shea both have a story to tell which leads them to uncanny connections. Beth is the prime suspect due to sexism and classism in a small coastal town in the 70s (and lack of DNA testing). Her story revolves around how she got to that point including her cold and neglectful childhood and her lonely life in old age, stuck in a town that hates her in a house full of terrible memories. It connects well with Shea’s story. Fresh from divorce, still dealing with trauma from her childhood abduction, and obsessed with true crime blogs, it’s the perfect storm when she meets Beth in real life (someone who she has written multiple blogs on).
I love the mix of ghost story with true crime. Even though I know this author likes to play with supernatural elements, it’s so subtly done sometimes that I find myself surprised when actual ghosts or apparitions are felt/seen. The setting of this desolate house that’s part historic and part modern planted at the edge of the cliff where the view seems to drop off the edge of the world provided the perfect haunting atmosphere. As beautiful as I’m sure that view would be, if it’s really that isolated I could see how keeping those windows closed as opposed to being exposed to the world would be something inhabitants there would do. One thing that I really enjoy in St. James’ books are the differing timelines. Especially with the original crime taking place in the 70s/80s (when serial killers were ripe and DNA was an afterthought). Something about that time period just makes true crime extra creepy and the comparison of this Lady Killer to the Zodiac a few years before was really cool. No one expects a woman to be capable of those types of crimes (because statistically it is usually men) and that was really well reflected in this book.
Characterization is a hit or miss for me. I think the main characters were very well developed in this book and I felt like I really knew them and could relate to some of their struggles. However, the side characters were once again extremely one dimensional. I find that every one of St. James’ books seem to have a light love interest in them even if there isn’t much focus on it and that love interest is always an enigma but never delved into. I don’t like that. Friends and family are there as props while the main character finds themselves. I get it, with so little room to get all the plot in, sometimes those side relationships are very one dimensional. But it makes me feel less connected to the book overall because if I’m ONLY relating to Shea, what keeps me hooked when she’s not on scene as often?
Overall, really enjoyed the concept and the writing, I just feel it could have been about 100 pages shorter to provide maximum impact. I’ll definitely keep reading this authors works as I do enjoy their writing so if you know which one is “the best” out of the published list, please let me know! I gave this one 3 stars.