A Box Full of Darkness
Author: Simone St. James
Reviewer: Sophia Rose
Rating: A-
What I’m Talking About:
Nothing could be more terrifying than their memories of the house they grew up in and nothing more tragic to them than the loss of their brother in that very house. However, when Ben calls, “Come Home,” they all return- to finish it once and for all.
Simone St. James came on my radar when I was riveted by The Book of Cold Cases and returned to her backlist and new releases time and again for her unique brand of hair-raising suspense tales that dance along the border between paranormal and horror thrillers.
One of those backlist titles I read, The Sun Down Motel, introduced me to Fell, the macabre small town in Upstate New York, where the unusual is the norm and local secrets tend to be dark and gritty. This latest, A Box Full of Darkness, returns to Fell with an all-together new spine-tingling tale involving all-new characters and situation.
Three siblings- Violet, Vail, and Dodie lived scattered lives now and all struggle and have their own coping mechanisms and ways of avoiding the tragedy and abuses of the past. Violet is a substance abuser who’s been institutionalized because she was honest about seeing ghosts and lost the chance of shared or sole custody of her daughter in a divorce. Vail traverses the country interviewing people who seemed to have had alien encounters and hiding that he’s seen lights and manifestations standing over him in the night, and Dodie models her hands and her hair, remaining elusive as a one-date only gal on the social scene of New York City, while struggling to forget the recurring nightmare of being drowned in water that has something nasty in it.
Then, the landscapers at the old family home back in Fell quit because a ghost spoke, “Come Home!”
They all go back because they know it’s the voice of their younger brother Ben, once the only light of their dreary childhood before he disappeared and was never found. This time, they will find Ben and get to the truth of what happened in the past and what is going on in that haunted family home back in Fell, NY.
Simone St. James tells the story in alternating points of view from all three siblings and takes her time introducing their present situations and memories from the past. They are dysfunctional and grew up as such, barely holding on to their sanity at times. They have a deep connection to each other and to their lost youngest brother, Ben, that they never had to their substance abusing and neglectful parents who barely tolerated each other let alone their children who were left to fend for themselves most of the time in that strange, quirky house, neighborhood devoid of other kids, and town.
I love how this was suspenseful and a nail-biter, thrilling and intense at times, but doesn’t dip into the slasher-style of horror. There is a mystery weaving in, relationships that are complicated, even hints at romance. All along, there is no certainty that all of them will survive what they are up against. So many layers and it all builds to a breathtaking climax and a well-written denouement that summed up all those parts into a whole and showed the after-effects.
All in all, a riveting, manifestly marvelous new standalone release to thrill fans and newcomers alike.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot
Sophia Rose
About the Book:
Strange things happen in Fell, New York. A mysterious drowning at the town’s roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks. For the Esmie siblings—Violet, Vail, and Dodie—the final straw was the shocking disappearance of their little brother. It started as a normal game of hide-and-seek. The three closed their eyes and counted to ten while Ben went to hide. But this time, they never found their brother—he was gone and the ongoing search efforts turned up no clues.
As their parents grew increasingly distant, Violet, Vail, and Dodie were each haunted by visions and frightening events that made them leave town and never look back. Violet still sees dead people—spirits who remind her of Sister, the menacing presence that terrorized her for years.
And now after two decades running from their past, it’s time for a homecoming. Because Ben is back, and he’s ready to lead them to the answers they’ve longed for and long feared. If the ghosts of Fell don’t get to them first.
Release Date: January 20, 2026
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Fell, NY #2
Genre: Horror, Paranormal Thriller
Format(s): hardcover (352 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley