Back in 2022, Berkley published the novel The Book of Cold Cases, written by Simone St. James. Now, Deadline reports that MGM Television has come out the winner of a multi-studio bidding war over the chance to turn The Book of Cold Cases into a TV series.
Steve Stark and Stacey Levin will be executive producing the series for Toluca Pictures, with St. James also serving as an executive producer. Colleen McGuinness, another executive producer on the show, is writing the adaptation. McGuinness’s previous writing credits include 30 Rock for NBC, Ramy on Hulu, Forever on Amazon, Friends from College on Netflix, and Life & Beth on Hulu.
The Book of Cold Cases has the following description: 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? Sounds like a set-up for some good thrills to me.
Deadline notes that St. James is no stranger to the world of television, as spent twenty years working behind the scenes in the TV business before shifting her focus to full-time writing. Her first novel was the 2012 paranormal mystery romance The Haunting of Maddy Clare. Since then, she has written An Inquiry into Love and Death, Silence for the Dead, The Other Side of Midnight, Lost Among the Living, The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel, Murder Road, and, of course, The Book of Cold Cases.
Have you read the works of Simone St. James and are you interested in seeing a TV series adaptation of The Book of Cold Cases? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
