The Book of Cold Cases
Ratings147
Average rating3.6
this book had a really interesting premise but it just didn’t live up to what it could’ve been. the writing was okay, but the plot didn’t grab me, and the "spooky" horror ghost elements were honestly barely there. the mystery was the definition of boring. i lost interest after the 50% mark. the big twist was revealed midway, and after that, it felt like nothing was happening. that lack of twists and plot in the later half made me annoyed. the characters weren’t memorable either. they were just two-dimensional and dull. by the halfway point i was completely bored and just wanted it to be over. the second half didn’t do anything to make me think it was worth more than a 2-star rating.
I enjoyed this book. It had a good suspenseful presence and kept me intrigued to get to the end. The part where I have mixed feelings on was the supernatural parts. I didn't hate that there was some but I didn't love it either. I would recommend if you want a mystery ride with a few hills (if that makes sense)
This is my fav of Simone St james so far but I have many more to binge yet! Loved the edginess in this one and dual time lines
Richly atmospheric murder mystery.... Dare i say it?! I might have found a new favourite author. Qui vivra verra...
this was a 5 star until about 80% of the way the ending felt rushed and almost lazy but aside from that it came together well and the epilogue was gokd. i just loved the rest of the book so much i am still giving it 4 stars
First off, I love that our main character is a true crime writer. I instantly wished that her website existed for real.
Of course there had to be an ex-cop love interest! I wish that we had gotten to learn more about Michael and his past.
There were also quite a few story lines to follow and I was waiting for it to all come together. About 3/4 of the way through I was getting a little restless and then BOOM everything sped up and I couldn't put it down.
As I neared the end, I found myself wishing it was a series and that I could find out more about all of the backstories that are woven throughout the book. Simone St. James is quickly becoming one of my favorites!
Read if you like:
.the paranormal
.true crime
.messed up families
This book had so much promise. I was really hooked! And then Part II came along and it became a boring onslaught of time hopping and ghost stories. I with it had stayed more in the true crime realm and didn't delve into the paranormal.
This is the second Simone St. James book I've read and absolutely loved. The twists in the story and the thrill when everything is revealed is written so well. Being a true crime fan, and an Oregon resident the first thing I did was Google if maybe it was loosely based on a true story i wish I had read this a while ago but I'm happy it did not disappoint.
Hmm, dit was eigenlijk maar zo zo voor mij.
Mijn weinig enthousiaste reactie vloeit voort uit het feit dat een deel van het mysterie in het bovennatuurlijke gezocht moeten worden. Hoewel ik iemand ben die houdt van fantasy en spookverhalen, lijkt het alsof ik daar niet tegen kan als een oplossing in een hedendaagse thriller. Op zich eerder een ik-probleem en niet eentje van dit boek, dat uiteindelijk wel een meeslepend en vlot verhaal vertelt.
There was more supernatural in here than I was expecting. It reminded me of The Haunting of Maddie Clare.
Beth was a great character! She did everything for a reason. It was not quite selfish, but it wasn't quite selfless. I liked the character growth in Shea throughout the book. We get hints as to why she is so hesitant about the world and get the story in a couple different chunks. I liked the way that was done. The detective and private detective were good characters as well.
The Lady Killer Murders was much more complicated than I expected. Even when we got the big hint/ answer, there was still so much more to it.
Good mystery, intriguing characters, and string ending.
I'm in the murder mystery. I'm in the ghost story. I'm in the combination murder mystery ghost story.
What was the point of this book? I really liked St. James's other book, The Sun Down Motel, but this book was just...nothing. There are few reveals or mysteries, so I suppose it's an extended character study, but it really fell flat for me.
It was okay. I loved The Sun-Down Motel, but this one didn't do it for me. It felt slow even though it wasn't really. I kept falling asleep while reading it. The flashback scenes with Lily were the best part. It had moments where I was speed reading because I was scared. I don't understand why the title was chosen. The blog had barely anything to do with the story and it was one of the cold cases. The Lady Killer or The Ugly Greer Mansion would have made more sense. Like I said, it was okay.
Maybe I'm being too critical, but I really didn't like this one. I had super high expectations going in, which didn't help, because I loved The Sun-Down Motel. This one was so slow until the middle part. Usually I love a dual timeline, and this one wasn't the best. There's not really a whodunnit but a whydunnit. I didn't like who was the murderer either. I think this would be much better in movie format. The atmosphere, haunted house, and creepy kid vibes were great.
Great supernatural thriller! Never fully expected where it was gonna go and it made for a fun read with some spooky moments.
3.5 ⭐
Not my favorite SSJ but a good read anyway. The story was too disjointed, or maybe too disconnected is a better word, for me. I could be over exaggerating things, but the spooky bits for once seemed unnecessary and even separate to the mystery. IMHO