A Box Full of Darkness

By Simone St. James

Book Overview

"From the book's chillingly creepy setting, which previously appeared in The Sun Down Motel (2020), to a nerve-jangling plot that effectively borrows from a mix of genres to the writing itself, which shimmers with a dazzlingly sharp sense of wit, everything about St. James' latest is done to perfection."-Booklist (starred review)

Simone St. James, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel, returns with her scariest, most shocking novel yet in this pulse-pounding story about siblings who return to the house they fled 18 years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request: Come home.

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.

A Box Full of Darkness is another propulsive thriller from the author of The Broken Girls and The Book of Cold Cases, a surprising horror story from a writer who is "particularly gifted at doling out twists" (The New York Times).

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593200411
• ISBN13: 9780593200414
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Loved It!

I am a die hard Simone St James fan, and A Box Full of Darkness did nothing to change that. Her stories are unique, her characterizations are on point, and there is just the right amount of supernatural to be good but not too scary or too over the top. I liked the fact that this took place in the same town as The Sundown Motel and it is even mentioned in the story several times. I like the ending, although it left me with some unresolved questions. Perchance we can visit Fell again in another story. I look forward to more from the pen of Simone St James.