A Book A Week

It’s a late summer night in 1995 when newlyweds April and Eddie take a wrong turn. Their honeymoon isn’t off to the smoothest start. They’ve been driving for hours, struggling to find the small resort town where they’re supposed to be escaping from the world. Still, they’re basking in the glow of newlywed bliss, content to be lost as long as they’re together. A little detour will just be another story to laugh about someday.

Then, in the glow of their headlights, they see her—a lone hitchhiker standing by the side of the deserted road. Against their better judgment, they stop. What’s a little more of a detour, after all? But as the young woman climbs into their car, April and Eddie notice something chilling: blood is seeping through her jacket. Before they can ask what happened, a pair of headlights appears in the rearview mirror. A truck is coming—fast. And whoever’s behind the wheel isn’t stopping.

By the time the night is over, the hitchhiker is dead, April and Eddie are shaken but alive, and the local police have more questions than answers. A string of unexplained murders has plagued this stretch of road, and now, with no one else to blame, the honeymooners find themselves at the center of it all. Determined to clear their names, April and Eddie begin digging into the town’s shadowy past, only to uncover something far worse than a killer. There’s something unnatural at work here, something that has haunted this road for years. And if they’re not careful, it won’t just take the town’s secrets to the grave. It’ll take them, too.

I was first introduced to Simone St. James through The Broken Girls, and I was immediately drawn in by her ability to blend a gripping mystery with a supernatural touch. Executed with such skill, that combination made me an instant fan and eager to read more of her work. Over the years, she’s released two more novels—each intriguing, though with diminishing returns. The supernatural elements that once captivated me started to feel formulaic, more of a gimmick than an organic part of the story.

Would Murder Road fall into the same trap? I’m happy to say it didn’t. From the start, St. James pulls readers into a deceptively simple setup: a couple wrongly accused of murder. Setting the novel in the 1990s adds a nostalgic, retro feel that heightens the atmosphere, making it easy to sink into the eerie, slow-burning tension. And while the supernatural is still present, it feels more naturally woven into the narrative this time. Ultimately, Murder Road plays like a classic B-movie. It may not be the most groundbreaking thing I’ve ever read, but it is undeniably entertaining. With its ghostly murder mystery and cinematic feel, it delivers precisely what it promises: a chilling, fast-paced thrill ride.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2025, 19)

Does the time of year influence the books that you read? I've always been a mood reader, motivated to read whichever title strikes my fancy at any given moment. That said, my reading preferences also shift with the seasons. Summertime is filled with fast-paced thrillers, while I gravitate toward literary fiction and non-fiction in the fall. I try to fill October with spooky-themed reads, and I can't resist a holiday-themed book in December. I guess it is safe to say that I'm a mix between both mood and seasonal. This week I was in the mood for something with a twinge of horror in it. Simone St. James's The Book of Cold Cases seemed like the perfect candidate. Her previous two books The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel both managed to thrill and frighten me, so I had high hopes for her latest effort. 

In 1977 the quiet town of Claire Lake, Oregon was rocked by a horrific killing spree. The Lady Killer Murders, as the two homicides became known, were unique in that the witnesses of the crimes stated that they were committed by a mysterious woman. In both cases, a long-haired individual dressed in a trenchcoat stepped forward and shot the victims at point-blank range. The list of potential suspects in the small town was short. Beth Greer, the twenty-three-year-old heiress to a family fortune, fit the bill as the most likely perpetrator of the crimes. She went to a lengthy trial that saw her acquitted of all charges. The court of public opinion, however, never forgave her for her alleged misdeeds. 

Flash forward to 2017. Shea Collins toils away at her day job as a receptionist at a clinic. She never thought this would be the life she lived, but it pays the bills. It is after hours when Shea truly has the time to follow her passion. She runs the true crime website, The Book of Cold Cases. Her zealous obsession with true crime stems from her own childhood trauma, a past that saw her escape from the hands of an abductor. These days, she works tirelessly to shed a light on those cases that time has long forgotten. Chance puts her in the presence of Beth Greer, the only suspect in one of the most notorious cold cases in the area. Beth has notoriously stayed quiet about that time but surprisingly agrees to Shea's request for an interview. As Shea begins to dive into Beth's past, she can't help but feel a sense of unease. Could Beth truly be the murderer that got away, or is something more sinister at play?

As with her previous books, Simone St. James imbues every page of The Book of Cold Cases with a sense of dread and unease. The book alternates between past and present, slowly revealing the truth behind the murders being investigated. St. James's ability to place the reader into the world she conjures remains unparalleled. The gothic atmosphere in this book is palpable. I was instantly drawn to the idea of a true-crime investigator digging into a cold case and found that the book worked best when focusing on the investigation. Supernatural and haunted elements have become a kind of signature for St. James, though I found them to be more unnecessary to this story than I have when reading her other books. The characters and their story were tense enough to hold my attention, and the overtly supernatural occurrences were more of a distraction than anything else. That being said, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy reading this one. I'm a sucker for a mystery, and The Book of Cold Cases more than satisfied my hunger for a head-scratcher. I only wish the ghost story was as intriguing. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 17)

What are you afraid of? As October comes to an end, we celebrate the one night a year where ghouls and goblins are actually welcomed. As I set out to celebrate Halloween this year, I decided to listen to one more horror audiobook. Knowing my love for all things horror, the fine folks at Macmillan Audio sent me a review copy of Cassandra Khaw's new ghost story Nothing But Blackened Teeth. I was happy to accept it and listen to one final spooky book for the year. With a gothic setting in a faraway land, a group of characters with a multitude of secrets, and a chilling legend of a ghost, it was easy to fall under the spell of Khaw's work. 

A group of five young people has gathered in the most unlikely place imaginable to celebrate the pending nuptials of a couple in their midst. The thrill-seeking quintet has forgone the usual wedding venues in favor of an ancient Japanese mansion, long abandoned to the past. As if the setting isn't creepy enough, the legend of its history certainly takes things over the top. Years ago, a bride-to-be was buried beneath the home left to eternally lay in waiting for her missing husband. She's said to have haunted the building ever since. Throughout history, multiple women have been sacrificed to keep the bride company. As the group begins their stay in the mansion, their own personal histories begin to come to light, waking the sleeping bride. Her pale face has no features beyond the dark black teeth that peek out from her mask. A haunted smile welcoming the newest guests. 

In Nothing But Blackened Teeth Cassandra Khaw weaves a traditional haunted house story through the lives of five friends grappling with their personal love and loss. I loved the way that Khaw's legend of a lonely bride mirrored the hope and heartbreak of the present-day characters, both coming together into a new kind of nightmare. The audiobook is narrated by Suehyla El-Attar whose voice perfectly captures both the quiet intensity of the character dynamics and the more propulsive horror elements that drive the plot. Oddly though, I found myself more invested in the plight of the book's monster than the people living through the terror. Khaw doesn't delve much into their past, electing to have much of their motivations remain hidden. The monster, however, is given a full back story that reads like something out of a tragic historical legend. With the brief length of this work, all of that amounts to a story that promises something more impactful than it actually delivers. Still, the unconventional setting and truly scary monster are more than worth the price of admission. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 43)

It has been a while since I truly could not wait to get my hands on a book. I think back to the days of waiting for the next Harry Potter novel to publish, grabbing up a copy at midnight, and breathlessly reading into the early morning. That's the level of anticipation with which I approached Simone St. James' latest novel The Sun Down Motel. You see, The Broken Girls, her previous release, was THE book of 2018 for me. Something about combining a cold case mystery with a dash of supernatural horror entranced me to no end. Even as I write this review, I can't escape the spell that novel cast upon me. Seriously, read The Broken Girls! Anyway, I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this novel pretty much since finishing her last. I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advanced copy of the novel from the publisher (I sought out this review copy, something I rarely do!) and am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book too.

The small town of Fell, NY is beyond the place that would be considered "off the beaten path". It is the kind of place that only the locals seem to truly be aware of. Aside from the local college, there isn't really anything else to draw someone to stay. As such, the local Sun Down Motel has seen better days. The year is 1982, and the motel is only drawing drifters and locals who are up to no good. Despite the ramshackle appearance and questionable occupants, Viv Delaney sees the motel as the ideal stepping stone to her future aspirations. If she can just hold down a job as a night clerk for a few months, she'll have enough saved to make the big move to NYC.

In the present day, the old motel is still standing and operating, a little more run-down than before, but a fixture of the town nonetheless. Looking for a reason to escape her life, especially after her mother succumbed to cancer, Carly decides to follow in the footsteps of her aunt Vivian and move out to Fell. Decades ago, Viv disappeared without a trace. The mystery of her vanishing has haunted Carly's family ever since. Determined to retrace Viv's steps, Carly takes on the same job as a night clerk and does some amateur detective work of her own.

Like The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel finds great success in immersing the reader in its sense of place. The titular motel is presented in such detail that I could feel myself getting lost in its decaying surroundings. St. James writes alternating chapters of past and present day, the two taking on a mirror-like quality as Carly retraces the journey of Viv all those years ago. At times, I did find myself jumping back to the beginning of the chapters to remind myself which time period/perspective I was in. The two girls' stories are so similar that it did get a bit tedious to keep track of who I was reading about. Still, I eagerly raced through each page to see what would happen next. Ultimately, The Sun Down Motel is a novel about haunting. The place is haunted by the ghosts of the town's horrific past, and Carly is haunted by the questions surrounding her aunt's disappearance. The two threads come together in a beautiful, albeit a bit rushed, conclusion that left me stunned at the sheer magnitude of emotions I was feeling. Simone St. James has a way of leaving me haunted by what I experienced at the end of her works to the point that I'll find myself reflecting on them for days and weeks after finishing. Count this one as another win from an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 7)

I've had a busy summer keeping up with a reading schedule of mostly new releases. I have a few weeks before my next ARC hits the shelves, so I've decided to take the next couple of weeks to catch up on some of the books that have been languishing on my shelf. To kick things off, I turned to a book that has been on my shelf for nearly a decade. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters first caught my eye when it appeared in the top spot on Stephen King's best books of the year list in 2009. I was just starting my undergraduate degree and was turning to fiction as an escape from my other course reading. I quickly bought a copy of the novel, and it has sat on my bookshelves ever since. Nine years and hundreds of books later, I finally decided to give it a read.

"We see what punishing business it is, simply being alive."

Following the end of WWII, the once sprawling estate of Hundreds Hall has turned into a disheveled remnant of a time that is soon to be forgotten. Most of the rooms sit vacant, in fact, the entire estate is empty save for an elderly mother and her two adult children. Each child does their part to keep the home running. The daughter tends to the home as best as she can while keeping her mother occupied. The son, injured from the war, does his part to keep the farm afloat. The mother spends her days thinking back on the way things used to be.

Things seem to be looking up for the family when they are finally able to gain the aide of the young housemaid. Sure, it is not the large staff that used to keep Hundreds Hall buzzing with activity and prestige, but any help is welcome. When the young girl falls ill, the family decides to ring Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who worked his way to become a successful country doctor. Faraday quickly surmises that the girl's illness is not a physical ailment but rather simple homesickness. Faraday prescribes a day off and is on his way. But something keeps drawing him back to Hundreds Hall. The more time he spends there, the more sinister it seems.

I went into this one expecting a novel filled with shock and horror. What I got was a more straight-forward work of historical fiction with slight tinges of understated suspense. That's not to say that The Little Stranger isn't scary. Rather than the pure horror of the traditional sense, Waters writes a nuanced character study that brims with a dark undertone that is far more unsettling. After making it through the rather laborious opening portion of the book, I found myself completely enthralled with the characters who inhabit it. The decaying home of Hundreds Hall becomes a physical representation of the characters as they erode into the hysteria of paranoia and unrest. I don't know that The Little Stranger will end up making my own year-end list of best books, but I do know that it provided a chilling read and different pace from my usual summer reading.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2018, 31)