The title led me to believe that this was to be about someone who is obsessed with cold cases, those murders that go unsolved. Yet that is only where this story starts, leading the reader into a cold case-supernatural mashup. Not my favorite, usually—I prefer my crime novel set firmly in the land of the living and discernable facts, more hard-boiled. Here we have the killer leading our intrepid detective to the facts, despite her death years ago.

No negative Nancy here— I totally got into this novel, in spite of the ghost and haunted house. Shea Collins, working her dead-end job as front desk receptionist at a busy doctor’s office, has one great passion in life, her blog, The Book of Cold Cases, where she writes about unsolved murders. Shea digs deep, employing a private detective, Michael, a former cop, to do the background research. Her current obsession is the case of Beth Greer, acquited of an unsolved series of murders taking place back in 1977 in her hometown of Claire Lake, Oregon. Greer has refused to speak to anyone, until now, 40 years later. But why now, and why Shea? Shea herself has kept quiet about her attempted abduction as a 9-year-old child. Might that be part of why Beth selected her?

St. James has set up a perfect situation here— alluring, mysterious suspect, enormous house in a remote setting, an imperfect detective with her own unresolved past, and a believable cast of supporting characters such as Michael, Ransom, Beth’s lifelong family attorney, Beth’s parents, and the mysterious appearance of Beth’s unknown “cousin” Lilly, a twelve-year-old Christmas guest from nowhere. I don’t wish to give anything further away, since that is the deliciousness of this genre. While I personally wish this novel had not moved to the otherworldly for its action and resolution, the novel did not disappoint. St. James is quite adept at sustaining the tension, building and resolving with great satisfaction for the reader.

I recommend this as a perfect summer read. Take this on vacation for a page-turning day at the beach.