Simone St. James

Simone St. James
OccupationTV producer, author
LanguageEnglish
NationalityCanadian
Period2012–present
GenreMystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Romance
Website
www.simonestjames.com

Simone St. James is a Canadian author of mystery, historical fiction, and romance novels. Simone lives outside of Toronto, Canada and had twenty years of experience in the television business before leaving to write full-time.[1]

Simone has always written for fun before she decided to try and get published. She was inspired to write her first book because she wanted to read a ghost story that was creepy but not gory, and that had a romance in it. Since she couldn't find it, she wrote it herself.[2]

The themes in Simone's novels often include ghosts, crime, and an investigation. Although Simone claims never to have seen a ghost personally, her books are all about the possibility, and specifically about the "what if" moment.[3] The first books written by Simone were set in the 1920s. She decided after that to write for other time periods like the 1950s.[4][5][6]

Selected texts

Murder Road (2024)

Murder Road, which was published on March 5, 2024.

The Book of Cold Cases (2022)

The Book of Cold Cases, published March 15, 2022 by Berkley Books, is a thriller novel with two intersecting timelines (2017 and 1977) in Oregon.[7]

The book received a positive review from Publishers Weekly,[8] and Goodreads named it one of the most anticipated books of 2022.[9] The book was also nominated to the Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller (2022).[7]

The Sun Down Motel (2020)

The Sun Down Motel, published February 18, 2020 by Berkley Books, is a mystery thriller novel set in 1982 New York. It was a New York Times best seller.[10]

The book received a starred review from Booklist,[11] as well as a positive review from Publishers Weekly.[12]

It also received the following accolades:

The Broken Girls (2018)

The Broken Girls, published March 20, 2018 by Berkley Books, is a mystery novel set with two intertwined timelines in Vermont (1950 and 2014).

The book received a starred review from Booklist,[14] as well as a positive review from Publishers Weekly.[15]

It was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2018).[16]

Silence for the Dead (2014)

Silence for the Dead, published December 1, 2014 by Thorndike Press, is a mystery novel set in 1919 England.

The book received a positive review from Publishers Weekly[17] and was nominated for Goodreads Choice Award for Horror (2014).[18]

The Haunting of Maddy Clare (2012)

The Haunting of Maddy Clare, published March 6, 2012 by Berkley Books, is a mystery novel with paranormal and romance elements.

The book received a positive review from Publishers Weekly[19] and Kirkus,[20] as well as the following accolades:

Publications

  • Murder Road (2024)
  • The Book of Cold Cases (2022)
  • The Sun Down Motel (2020)
  • The Broken Girls (2018)
  • Lost Among the Living (2016)
  • The Other Side of Midnight (2015)
  • Silence for the Dead (2014)
  • An Inquiry into Love and Death (2013)
  • The Haunting of Maddy Clare (2012)

References

  1. ^ "About". Simone ST. James. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Interview with Simone St. James". The Gloss. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  3. ^ "An interview with… Simone St James". kate-braithwaite.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Simone St. James". Good Reads. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Women in Horror Month: Simone St. James". SCLS New Jersey. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Wednesday, January 24, 2018: Maximum Shelf: The Broken Girls". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b "The Book of Cold Cases". Good Reads. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Mystery/Thriller Book Review: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. Berkley, $27 (352p) ISBN 978-0-440-00021-1". PublishersWeekly.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Goodreads Members' Most Anticipated Books of 2022". Goodreads. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  10. ^ "The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James". Penguin Random House Audio. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  11. ^ Verma, Henrietta (1 January 2020). "The Sun Down Motel". Booklist. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Mystery/Thriller Book Review: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Berkley, $26 (336p) ISBN 978-0-440-00017-4". PublishersWeekly.com. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  13. ^ "The Sun Down Motel". Goodreads. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  14. ^ Verma, Henrietta (1 January 2018). "The Broken Girls". Booklist. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Fiction Book Review: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James. Berkley, $26 (336p) ISBN 978-0-451-47620-3". PublishersWeekly.com. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  16. ^ "The Broken Girls". Goodreads. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James. NAL, $14 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-451-41948-4". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Silence for the Dead". Goodreads. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Fiction Book Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James. Penguin/New American Library, $14 trade paper (336p) ISBN 978-0-451-23568-8". PublishersWeekly.com. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  20. ^ "The Haunting of Maddy Clare". Kirkus Reviews. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Past RITA Winners". Romance Writers of America. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Arthur Ellis Awards: First Novel". Canadian Books & Authors. Retrieved 28 December 2021.