The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

 Well, it's January in Texas. The anything can happen month for weather, and it appears that is about to happen. Another polar vortex. Three in three years I believe. Sigh. I have been here 38 years and I don't remember these cold events being this cold or lasting this long. I guess it is the climate change.

For our January Mystery Book Club, we read The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. 

You may have read other books by this author. The Sundown Motel. The Broken Girls. There are others. I have read The Broken Girls and it was very good. If you like a little spookiness in your mysteries, give this author a try.

About: "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 crimes. 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?"

Shea is a woman who has a fascination with true crime. She is also a woman trying to put her life back together. When Beth comes into the doctors office where Shea works, everyone knows Beth immediately. She is a local celebrity but not for a good thing. As above, she was accused of murdering a man when she was 23. And maybe more than one man. Shea and Beth, meet. Shea wants to tell Beth's story and Beth agrees. Once in the mansion where Beth lives alone, Shea notices some strange things. Everything is as it was in 1977. Even the magazines are from 1977. There are some strange occurrences when Shea is there but Beth doesn't act like there is anything unusual. Is Beth trying to scare her? Does someone else live there after all? The more Shea finds out, the more questions there are.

We also meet the detective that was on the case in 1977 who provides valuable information. Shea has a detective friend in 2017, that helps her with research for her cases she researches for her website. There is a story to tell about Beth and her family, and in the end, Shea is able to do it. 

The author did a good job of distracting me from what may be going on, and what happened, with a ghostly twist. If you like mysteries with maybe a ghost, maybe not, I think you will like this book. Everyone one in the MBC finished the book and seemed to like the story, despite some saying they don't like books with ghostly things. (As a person who in 7th grade read every ghost story in the school library that year, I don't quite understand. It's like people who say chocolate is too rich. Huh?) But several even said they would read another book by this author, which says it really was a good read.

All in all a thumbs up.