June 2022 Group Read (spoiler thread): The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James.

[Randy]

Hi, all.

Here's the spoiler thread for The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James.

Enjoy!

[Randy]

Forgot to mention, the discussion will be led by Linda.

[Linda]

Hi! I’m Linda and I’m the moderator. This space is for spoilers so beware! And, enjoy.

[Positive Kate]

I finished the book a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to read what you think of the story.

[Linda]

I’m just starting it now and am loving it!

[Leena]

I too finished this one last month and really enjoyed it. looking forward to all the various thoughts.

[Linda]

Wonderful! So far, sooo good! 😊

[Laura | laurarosereads_]

I finished this book last month! I liked it overall!

[Linda]

Thanks, Laura. I’m enjoying it so far!

[Patty]

I finished this book too and I'm curious to see how everyone felt about this book. the combination of crime and paranormal was interesting. I did enjoy this read.

[Linda]

Thanks, Patty. I wasn’t sure if it was really going paranormal, but it is!

[Patty]

Linda wrote: "Thanks, Patty. I wasn’t sure if it was really going paranormal, but it is!"

I agree! I was expecting a little more, but then again I wonder if there was more...would it have been too much? Overall though I did enjoy the suspense.

Did any one have a favorite part?

[Linda]

The Book of Cold Cases
Simone St James
Berkeley
Publication: March 15, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Book of Cold Cases is a paranormal mystery that centers on the relationship between Shea and Beth.

Shea works as a doctor’s office receptionist by day and is a crime blogger by night. The name of her blog is The Book of Cold Cases. Since she was abducted as a child, she has lived in fear and as a result isolated herself from the world and researches cold cases at night.

Beth is a beautiful heiress who was acquitted of the murder of two men, although she is still thought of as The Lady Killer. She, too , has insulated herself from the outside work remaining in the house that she hates. The Lady Killer case is what brings Shea and Beth together. You see Beth has never granted interviews to anyone and now, after forty years, she agrees to be interviewed only by Beth.

The interviews take place in Beth’s home, Greer Mansion, where things move mysteriously, strange sounds and smells emerge, and cold breezes appear from nowhere. The house is a main character in the book, casting cold, doom, and gloom to anyone inside it or on the grounds.

Other characters include Mariana and Julian, Beth’s neglectful parents; Detective Black who worked on the Lady Killer case; and Michael, Shea’s researcher friend who she has never met in person. Lesser characters include Beth’s lawyer, Ransom and Esther, Shea’s sister. Lily appears later in the book.

I really wanted to love this book as it had an old-timey vibe to it, but when it dipped into the paranormal, I was disappointed. I haven’t read any other books by St. James and if I had, I probably wouldn’t have read this one.

There is great character development as we watch the two women confront their past horrors through the interviews and late night phone calls. But, Beth and her family are so cold and miserable, I just couldn’t feel any compassion for them. And so wanted to. Shea is a great character, I looked forward to the characters she narrated.

I give the book three stars. If you love paranormal mysteries this book is for you.

[Kristina]

I read a little over half of it and gave up. I wasn’t gripping/suspenseful enough to be a page turner for me. I thought the characters less interesting in the book than her previous ones. I really enjoyed Sun Down Motel and The Broken Girls but I have to say this one was a DNF for me

[Leena]

Patty, more than a single incident, I really liked Shea acceptance of her past and the steps she takes to get Iver them. The fact that the various incidents t Greer House and /or her meetings with Beth made it better. For me, the best part was when she decides to meet Micheal. That is the start of the many deciding factors to her character.

[Linda]

Great comments, ladies. I agree Beth confronting her fears was a highlight of the book. I really loved that character.

[Linda]

I have heard that the other books are better. I might take a look at them.