The Book of Cold Cases

by Simone St. James

Overall: a solid thriller mashed with a ghost story, told by two narrators.  One is Shea, a recently divorced true crime blogger (the Book of Cold Cases is her website) and survivor of a childhood abduction.  She’s drifting through her life, a prisoner of many understandable fears, when she accidentally meets Beth, who was acquitted of a double murder charge in the 1970s.  Beth, the second narrator, gradually relates her isolated childhood with a pair of emotionally distant parents and how she came to be accused of killing two strangers.

Pros: The narrative has a lot of twists and turns.  Both Beth and Shea are complicated, at times sympathetic and at other times frustrating, which makes them believable.  An easy, enjoyable read if you like thrillers and/or ghost stories.  There’s a GREAT cat!  And there are some genuinely scary bits, if that’s your jam.

Cons: If you like the supernatural, you will LOVE this book.  If you’re like me (a skeptic), it might be a bridge too far. 

FYI: This book contains graphic descriptions of murder.  There is one reference to a possible sexual assault (not described) and one to a murdered child (not described).