Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection: Unidentified Serial Killers, Unsolved Kidnappings, and Mysterious Murders

by Cheyna Roth

Discover the fascinating true crime stories of JonBenét Ramsey, the Black Dahlia, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft, the Amber Alert case, the Cleveland Torso Murders, and more—a must-read for murderinos, armchair detectives, and online sleuths of all kinds!

From mystifying heists to shocking murders, Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection features case file facts, fascinating details, and chilling testimonies of the world’s most famous cold cases. Written for true crime junkies who love to speculate on the facts and theories surrounding their favorite cases, this book reads like you’re having a conversation with a friend or listening to your favorite crime podcast. Each chapter delves deep into the facts, while also illuminating the many theories surrounding these mysteriously fascinating cases:

- The Zodiac Killer
- The disappearance of Natalee Holloway 
- The murder of JonBenét Ramsey
- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist 
- The Kingsbury Run murders, aka the Cleveland Torso murders 
- The Black Dahlia murder
- The Freeway Phantom murders
- D. B. Cooper’s airplane heist
- The Amber Alert case (the death of Amber Hagerman)
- The Golden State Killer
 

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Audiobook

280 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2020

Reviews

[Cassandra McGraw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a true crime addict, and this book wasn't what I expected. The author stated the facts really well and the cases are interesting ones, but it was written in a "blog posts" kind of thing. Not my type of true crime books.

[Mary O'Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time..not only did I read this, I also was on a WebEx with the author...more concerned with being “woke” than covering crime. Postured that the “Black Dahlia” was only a big deal because she was white.
Perhaps it had something to do with the savagery of the crime? Way she was bisected & posed? Glasgow smile carved in her face...throw on side on road by trash dump? Had nothing to do with her “privilege”. Elizabeth Short was a poor, sad, victim. Short was not “privileged” in any way...
The entire book has a preachy, condescending air...as well as not being very well researched.....author uses John Douglas “true crime” books as references...does NO fresh research, no victim interviews..same ole rehash.
If you want an “expert” opinion, go to John Douglas directly...at least he interviewed both the perpetrators as well as surviving victims.
Same can not be said of this author....she’s the “Cliff’s Note’s” for John Douglas with HEAVY editorial comments.
When I read True Crime, I don’t want “woke” social commentary on crimes which happened DECADES ago...please, take in consideration the times in which the people lived.
Hard pass on this fiasco.
Save your money.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of ten cold cases which was written in an engaging casual writing style. It was like listening to podcast, and I flew through this book. I am familiar with most of the cases - e.g: Zodiac Killer, Natalee Holloway, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist, Black Dahlia murder, etc and it is always good to revisit them.

This is one true crime book with minimal gore details except for the Kingsbury Run Murders (Cleveland Torso Murders) and Black Dahlia cases due to the nature of the crimes. I would recommend this book if you're new to this genre - the cases are fascinating, and the depth of each cases discussed is just right, not overwhelming.

[cecilia (kaz brekker’s version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest issue with this book is clearly that most cases are not explained in detail as I would have hoped for. The cases are often overshadowed by the author's personal commentaries and opinions, sometimes fitting, other times extremely distracting and not fitting at all.

However, the writing was quick and easy to read, but lacked some depth in most places.

It's on Kindle Unlimited, so it's perhaps worth a read if you want to read something short and simple about Cold Cases.

[Jess Twibey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw someone refer to this book as written as blog posts and honestly I agree, but rather than it be a disappointment I loved this style, you got all the cold hard facts but enough personal touch to not make it feel like a technical article which tend to drone on

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to rate. Every chapter is a new story, which was good. Some were interesting and others not as much.

[Edmond Gagnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I'm disappointed that I had to pay the full purchase price. It was a decent read for those who like to follow notorious serial killers, but most of the content in the book is already public knowledge.
I did learn some new things, where the author had dug up parts of the old investigations that weren't made public. And although she is a former district attorney, the book reads more like a gathering of media clippings presented as short stories by a former journalist - which the author is.
For those who've never heard of the cold cases in this book, I'm sure they'll find it more interesting than I - a former police investigator who is well aware of most of the cases in this book.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNR. DNF.
I was incredibly excited to dive into this one. I, like many, am fascinated by all things true crime - especially the unsolved and unexplained. Unfortunately, this book was more of one woman's opinion inter-mixed with citation upon citation of other people's work. Her obvious bias against police and constant need to make cases about race was distracting and ultimately off-putting. I don't subscribe to true crime for personal opinion - stick to the facts and maybe do some of your own original research instead of piggy-backing on those before you.

[Eric Parsons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give fewer than 1 star if I could. Unreadable trash. Author keeps diverging into racist claims and makes many unsupported statements. I gave up, truly, which is very rare. Even when there is a minimal effort at telling a story, the information is organized poorly, presented worse, and of lesser quality than a quick internet search.

Avoid.

[Mary Smith (Boal) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a true crime junkie. I enjoyed this book, but I felt it read as either a blog or a college research paper with opinions thrown in. I felt like it pulled quotes from other books and articles too much. I personally felt like the author could have done more; could have written more in her own words instead of quoting other people’s words.

With all that being said, it was an okay read. If you like true crime, I think you’ll like this book.

[Bianca Bevevino · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was my first time reading a true crime book, and i thought this one was pretty good. it included many cold cases, which were interesting to learn about. however, i think i’d personally like a book better that dives deeper into one specific case. in the end, this book was still a good first true crime book for me.

[Nicole Laverty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re interested in true crime, but not the gory details - this is the book for you! I appreciate the way the facts of these unsolved cases are told in a factual, but witty way. So interesting!

[chlo ? · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The assumption of powerlessness is automatic, and that is one of our biggest tragedies.”

[kylah · Rating 2 out of 5]

the cases were interesting but it was written like a gossip novel to me

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK NOW: "Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection." I'd heard awhile back that @Cheyna_R oth was writing a book about cold cases so I kept an ear and eye out for it. Then I heard that @diealoguepod was interviewing her about her career and the book (go listen to that now). "Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection" is extremely well-written--reading it felt like she and I were in conversation over coffee. Ms. Roth covered a wide range of cases--old and newer--sharing facts I'd long-forgotten or never knew. "Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection" is a sensitive and respectful telling of these cold cases and an insistence that we remember the names of victims, not just the newspaper account of their death, injury or disappearance.

[Hannah Kline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Each chapter read like the author was attempting to make a grand statement about society but missed the mark every time. If anything, it’s a very subjective overly broad simplification of each case. Would not recommend

[a r i a n a · Rating 1 out of 5]

This "book" is definitely not what I thought nor expected it to be... instead it turned out to be an extremely amateur blog type publication.

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

wasn’t that good just felt like a blog post

[kia · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf at 25% i got bored

[Gracie]

Pyscho serial killers, Brutal murders, Crazy crime cases and much more wrapped up all in this intense book. The title is Cold cases, a true crime collection written by Cheyna Roth. Every chapter deeply explains the facts and personal lives of suspects from the most popular unsolved mysteries.One of the techniques used in the book that was effective was how the author explains the steps and whereabouts of the victim before they get killed. One example is the murder of betty lou and attempt to murder mike, and how their plans changed from going to a christmas concert to then spending their last evening on lake herman road aka “lovers lane. This technique is effective because it lets the reader know about how one little tweak in their plans changed their lives forever. The overall conflict is killers vs the rest of the world. The conflict is kinda the main focus of the book. Just different times of the killer winning. An example of Killer vs the rest of the world is the Zodiac killer vs the whole town. This was when he was killing multiple people in a 6 month span all in the same area. Not much humor is found in this tragic book. It is more realistic and has some suspenseful parts. The whole book itself is realistic because murders and kidnapping happens all the time in real life. When it went into detail about how Elizabath short got murdered it was suspensful to know who was the killer and how brutally she got her life taken. Any true crime junkies or people that don't mind gruesome details would absolutely love this book. To say the least it's an entertaining book.

[Moza Al-Kharji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me tell you how spooked I was when I read the title of the first chapter.........
The Zodiac Killer. Earlier on the day, before I picked up the book, I was watching a video titled " Zodiac Killer's Code, Finally Cracked." I was haunted by the description of some witnesses who claimed they saw him. *Gets up to open her room's door* It's terrifying to think about living in that time with a loose serial killer who plays mouse and cat with the people, the press, and the police.

The Golden State Killer was very intriguing. The fact that with the improving technology they were able to get a lead and eventually catch him was so satisfying. Here was one thing I don't really understand. Why do some people think that using websites like ancestor.com to find a criminal is controversial?? Think about it, a criminal on the loose, you have something that you can pinpoint who's that person. But, you don't have enough records on your database as a police officer ( relatively because its early on, or they only have records of criminals/ sex-offenders.) On the other hand, you have this website with millions and millions of people's DNA, come on.

So, this book was thrilling. I had fun reading it, it kept me on my toes, and a good read by the swimming pool😄

[Bill reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was familiar with most of the cold cases here and did not learn anything new. The Zodiac killer is one of the stranger ones, with cryptic coded messages which taunted the police. Son of Sam did likewise but was caught. Elizabeth Short has provided material for books and films since being cut in half in 1947. Natalee Holloway vanished in Aruba and her killer was most likely a privileged Dutchman who has never been prosecuted. Jonbenet Ramsey was found strangled in Colorado and I have always suspected the parents. The stage mom was a disgusting human being who paraded her daughter at numerous "beauty contests" for small children. D.B. Cooper is included and the parachuting passenger has never been identified. The Cleveland Torso killer of the 1930's was never caught and the unsolved case destroyed Elliot Ness. Amber Hagerman's abduction and murder would lead to the "Amber Alert" system. The final chapter covers the Golden State Killer. I have read "I'll be Gone in the Dark" and the killer was still at large at the time of publication. DNA through an ancestry website caught the killer and Joseph DeAngelo was a prolific rapist and murderer who remained free since 1979; a remarkable feat. Cold Cases is a quick and entertaining read.

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this book for the first time as a goodreads friend marked this as to-read and thought "hey this is right up my alley!". I enjoy true crime and while there  are definitely cases I know a LOT about, I know there are some pretty famous ones I know very little about. I keep putting mental notes to read up on these, and when I saw this collection, thought it would be a great way to dip my toe in without committing to several books. 

For the cases I knew about, I found myself a little disappointed in what I think are huge details left out (the ransom letter being printed within the home! SO MUCH left out of Zodiac chapter!), but know logically that in order for these cases to each only be a chapter, editing had to happen SOMEWHERE. Surprised I'd not even heard of the Freeway Phantom.

Written very conversationally which is an interesting departure from other true-crime books I've read, but I could see being a bit jarring as the tone is usually a bit lighthearted when juxtaposed against the mostly gruesome crimes detailed. 

Overall, would recommend to those interested in quick summaries of some of the most famous unsolved crimes in a conversational tone.

[Raya goulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, cold cases, a true crime collection, by Chenyna Roth is a compilation of the most infamous true crime cases of the past. Ranging all the way from the sixties to the two thousands. This book contains unidentified serial killers, unsolved kidnapings, and mysterious murders. I found this book when I was looking for a nonfiction book for my class assignment. I am not an avad non fiction reader, mostly sticking to fiction, but I have always loved to listen to true crime so this book piqued my interest, and I thought I would give it a try.
This collection of true crime cold case stories is full of many of the most infamous killers, kiddinapings, and heists of our world. We follow the cases of the Zodiac killer, a serial killer who loves control and leaving mysterious clues, the Black Dahlia murder, a young girl hoping to make it big in the 1950s is slayn in a very gruesome way, Natalie Holloway, a high school senior goes missing on her spring break with her pears, the Mad Bucher of Kingsbury run, a serial killer who leaves amputed body parts laying out to dry all around Ohio, the kidinaping and murder of Jonbenet Ramsey a young pagent queen taken from her own home, DB Cooper, a plane hyjacter, and the Freeway Phantom, a man who abducted little girls off the street and left their bodys along the highway. All of these cases have a few things in common but the most striking is that all of them were never solved. The families of the victims never got closure, some didn't even get to bury their loved ones.
“The assumption of powerlessness is automatic, and that is one of our biggest tragedies.”This quote is one of my favorites because it calls attention to the human instinct of feeling powerless when things get hard or challenging. It's easy to feel trapped in awful situations. The author of this story draws attention to the victims more then the killer. Chenyna Roth takes her time on each one and fleshes them out to show that they were real people and not just a number in the killcount of these terrible people we read about. Roth also approaches each case like a detective would as they recount the events of each crime, giving the writing style a sort of ¨blog¨ like tone. Roth looks at all the angles and different perspectives. Each chapter's ending is wrapped up very respectfully and leaves readers with thoughtful questions and pieces of information to chew on.
Anyone who is interested in true crime would love this book. Although I had already known of most of the cases that were being told, I loved hearing Roth retell the events from the information she gathered. If you like this book I would recommend Bailey sarians youtube channel where she also disects the world's most terrible people. I found that she and Roth have very similar storytelling techniques.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book. I got about 100 pages in and decided to put the book down. The author spends a lot of time speaking about the appearance/race of the victims. The author talks about how people only cared about these victims because they’re “pretty” but then spends the entire first few pages of each chapter going into great detail about their appearance. Almost as if a creepy man wrote this. Then the author also goes down unrelated rampages that sound like ADHD thoughts lol. I felt I was constantly being distracted by the actual story and it was easy to get lost in all the side tracking. I thought at first I was being too critical but was then validated by all the other reviews.

[Lynn Laughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating as it covered a very wide variety of cold cases. There was a murder case or two, an unsolved hijacking of a plane that has kept experts and amateurs alike puzzling over it for decades, a serial killer (finally solved after decades), and my favorite, a famous art theft with many twists and turns! I especially liked that the author did not limit her subject matter to just one type of unsolved case, but several types. This book is also well written and sometimes her wry sense of humor shows itself (but never inappropriately so). She shows great sympathy for victims of crime. I hope to be just beginning my journey with this author.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt as though a friend was throwing back some drinks and recounting 10 prolific and less heard of cold cases. Loved the casual style of writing though everything was well cited and documented. Especially enjoyed reading about the art heist and the others view on why stories without a victim and more particularly, an attractive white female victim are less known. Would recommend for anyone interested in true crime!

[Lydia Hedelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say 3,5 is a more fitting rating of this book as this is nothing like my other 4 star reads. But the book is really interesting and picks up cold cases everyone have heard of like the Zodiac Killer or the Golden State killer but also "smaller" cases in the sense of knowledge. It's well written and the author don't take up a lot off space like I have seen happen on similar books. It's over all great and something I would recommend reading.

[Meg Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a quick, fast-paced read! It gave a comprehensive overview some of the most infamous true crimes cases. I loved how the author explored some of the nuances of true crime such as the victim-blaming of victims, the way the media reacts the the tragedies of white people versus people of color, and the way law enforcement handles vulnerable cases. This book was a great start to my 2024 reading challenge!

[Evelynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the fact it could cover a few different cases in one book. I feel like the author may have been putting too many personal comments that were inappropriate for the content of the material and would be better if it was just factual. If you are to read this, beware of the kind of content, it is difficult to read at points, which furthers my point on the unnecessary commentary on race, or "jokes" being made. Overall, very interesting and informative for those interested in true crime.