Simone St. James is a Canadian author of

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

, and

romance novel A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...

s. Simone lives outside of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and had twenty years of experience in the television business before leaving to write full-time. 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. 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. The first books written by Simone were set in the 1920s. She decided after that to write for other time periods like the 1950s.

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 Berkley Books is an American imprint founded in 1955 by Charles Byrne and Frederic Klein owned by the Penguin Group unit of Penguin Random House. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Compa ...

, is a thriller novel with two intersecting timelines (2017 and 1977) in Oregon. The book received a positive review from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', and

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named it one of the most anticipated books of 2022. The book was also nominated to the Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller (2022).

''The Sun Down Motel'' (2020)

''The Sun Down Motel'', published February 18, 2020 by

, is a mystery thriller novel set in 1982 New York. It was a ''New York Times'' best seller. The book received a starred review from ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'', as well as a positive review from ''

.'' It also received the following accolades: *

Goodreads Choice Award The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most books that Good ...

for Mystery & Thriller nominee (2020) * Ladies of Horror Fiction Award for Best Novel nominee (2020)

''The Broken Girls'' (2018)

''The Broken Girls'', published March 20, 2018 by

, is a mystery novel set with two intertwined timelines in Vermont (1950 and 2014). The book received a starred review from ''

,'' as well as a positive review from ''Publishers Weekly.'' It was nominated for a

for Mystery & Thriller (2018).

''Silence for the Dead'' (2014)

''Silence for the Dead'', published December 1, 2014 by

Thorndike Press Gale is a global provider of research and digital learning resources. The company is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, United States, west of Detroit. It has been a division of Cengage since 2007. The company, formerly known as Gale Research a ...

, is a mystery novel set in 1919 England. The book received a positive review from ''

'' and was nominated for

for Horror (2014).

''The Haunting of Maddy Clare'' (2012)

''The Haunting of Maddy Clare'', published March 6, 2012 by

, is a mystery novel with paranormal and romance elements. The book received a positive review from ''

'' and ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, non ...

,'' as well as the following accolades: *

RITA Award The RITA Award, presented by the Romance Writers of America (RWA) from 1990 to 2019, was the most prominent award for English-language romance fiction. It was named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. After not being awarded in 202 ...

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...

for Best First Book (2013) *

for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (2013) *

Arthur Ellis Award The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards, are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing published in t ...

for Best First Crime Novel (2013)

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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:St. James, Simone Living people Novelists from Toronto Date of birth missing (living people) Canadian women novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian historical novelists Canadian romantic fiction writers Canadian mystery writers Canadian women mystery writers Women historical novelists Canadian women romantic fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people)