Beth arrives at Shea’s office and wants to take her to lunch. Shea asks Beth about Mariana’s mental illness, and Beth angrily says Sylvia is lying. Shea has dinner with her sister and also agrees to have a drink with Michael … in person. Beth POV 1977 In 2017, Shea is currently a receptionist and a true-crime blogger with the intentions of writing a Book of Cold Cases. As a child, she was lured into a car by a stranger and escaped, so she understands real fear. She was particularly fascinated by the lady killer and why the cases were unsolved. When she follows Beth out of curiosity, she is surprised she says "Yes" to an interview after turning down reporters for 40 years. Beth is searching for Lily and comes across one of her murder victims. That’s why a witness saw her at the scene. Shea POV 2017 But when they meet in Beth's mansion, Shea immediately senses something isn't right. Things start happening she can't explain. And she could swear she keeps seeing a figure lurking outside the window . . . In 1977, the people of Claire Lake, Oregon, feared for their safety when 2 family men were murdered by the same gun and notes were left on them steering towards a lady killer. The wealthy Beth, 23 years old at the time, was tried and acquitted and remains at her mansion isolating herself from the community.

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel. Surprisingly, Beth agrees to be interviewed but only if Shea comes to her mansion-because the house is going to help tell the story. Nothing has been changed since Beth’s parents resided there-not the furnishings-not the bills on her father’s desk, or the clothes hanging in her mother’s closet. And, a PRESENCE seems to be making itself known, helping to whisper the secrets which have been kept behind closed doors.Something had been in the kitchen right before I left -- something that thumped heavily as it moved around, something that hit the floor hard enough to feel it. I hadn’t had the guts to go look at whatever it was”. Shea and Beth have another interview. They discuss the fact that the handwriting analysis comparing Beth’s handwriting to the notes left by the killler was inconclusive. They discuss the witness who says he saw Beth at the second scene. Beth lets Shea see the bedrooms in the house which she has left unchanged. She’s finds a note that says I’m Still Here. Then a bunch of ghostly/spooky things happen. Shea asks Beth: who is she? And Beth says Shea has almost figured it out. Beth POV 1977

In 2017, Shea Collins is a receptionist in a doctor’s office, while writing a true crime blog called The Book of Cold Cases in her spare time. As the victim of an attempted abduction, she fuels her anxieties by writing about unsolved crimes. One day, Beth Greer walks into the doctor’s office where Shea works and seizes the opportunity to interview the infamous “Lady Killer.” Sherry Haines– the girl killed by Anders when Shea got away. Shea was known as Girl A, both to protect her identity, and I think also because she was the first intended victim. Something about the Greer mansion stifled laughter and killed happiness. It might sound dramatic, but anyone who had lived there knew it was true."Is she working with a manipulative murderer, or is there an even darker secret lurking in Greer house? Read more Look Inside Details The effect was supposed to be sweeping, breathtaking, but like most of Julian's life, it didn't work out as planned. The windows fogged and the view was bleak. The lawn was flat and dead, and the ocean beyond the cliff was choppy and cold. Julian had done the renovations in hopes of pleasing his new wife, Mariana. But instead the relentless view from the windows unsettled her, and she kept the curtains closed. She decorated the rest of the house dutifully but listlessly, which was a harbinger of their marriage. Something about the Greer mansion stifled laughter and killed happiness. It might sound dramatic but anyone who had lived there knew it was true. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St.James is an intense and gripping read with a well-paced narrative with an atmospheric setting (with a paranormal element thrown into the mix), well-written characters and an absorbing plot. The narrative is shared between Shea and Beth, with Beth’s narrative split between her past and present. Though much of the mystery is revealed a little over the halfway mark, I did not lose interest and enjoyed how the remaining story played out. This is my first Simone St.James novel and I am duly impressed and do intend to read more of her work. In 1977 several men were killed, and Beth Greer was charged with the murders. She was eventually acquitted, but has lived under the cloak of suspicion ever since.

Overall, I loved this. It's intriguing start to finish, nuanced, with beautifully fleshed out main characters. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed any of St. James' previous works. The true-crime aspect was an appealing element of this storyline, however it didn’t carry the weight I had expected and wasn’t something that pulled the story forward. It held potential that never quite amounted to anything for me. I enjoyed to read both POVs. The connection between the characters: the mutual resemblances about their pasts including damaged childhoods, tragedies tainted their souls. Why did Beth, who refused to talk about herself for so long, agree to talk to Shea? What is the mystery surrounding the Greer family and its house which has been preserved like a “museum” with nothing changed from the 1970s? Will Shea be able to solve this murder case from so long ago and if so, at what cost? Reid's interrogation method is the most widely used method in the USA. As the novel's story is happening in the USA, the author indirectly mentions a few steps of Reid's method in this novel. The alternate interrogation techniques used by the investigating officers are Preparation and Planning, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluate (PEACE), method used in England, and (2) the Kinesic Interview, a method that focuses on recognizing.Shea meets Beth and to her surprise, Beth agrees to an interview. Is Beth a cold killer who got away with it or is the true killer still at large? The story alternates between the past and the present as the story unfolds. Simone St. James does a phenomenal job of dishing out some disturbing - and frankly freaky - imagery, while balancing that with a level-headed mystery that spans decades and timelines. I will read whatever she puts out after discovering her previous novel, The Sun Down Motel, which is one of my favorite books. Although that one is still my personal favorite of hers that I have read so far, I truly loved this one as well. On the lawn, something moved across the surface of the grass. The touch of a footprint. Inside the house, one of the cupboard doors opened in the dark kitchen, groaning softly into the silence. The narrative alternates between Shea and Beth, with Shea’s chapters taking place in 2017, whereas the majority of Beth’s chapters take place in the 1970s. Shea is a solid, likable narrator. I was intrigued by Beth, but she is cold and distant, with good reason, unlike Shea, who is warm and relatable. Receptionist by day, true crime blogger by night, Shea Collins is on a mission to find the truth behind the Lady Killer Murders, a cold case that took place in her coastal hometown of Claire Lake, Oregon in 1977.