A Box Full of Darkness - by Simone St James (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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)"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"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).

Review Quotes

Praise for the Novels of Simone St. James

"As creepy and unsettling as a rain-faded wreath and teddy bear found by the side of the road to mark a missing person, Murder Road lingers like a ghost long after it's finished."--Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

"From its terrifying opening to its jaw-dropping conclusion, this thriller has it all."--Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Kiss Her Goodbye

"Simone St. James knows that true terror, as she effectively illustrates in The Sun Down Motel, goes beyond things that go bump in the night. . . . St. James deftly melds an engrossing mystery with a tense supernatural thriller. . . . Keeps the tension high with myriad surprising twists."-- The Associated Press

"An exhilarating, haunting ride."--Isabel Cañas, USA Today bestselling author of The Possession of Alba Díaz

"From its nerve-shredding start to its thrilling end . . . it's a trip well worth taking."--Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of With a Vengeance

"Murder Road hits the gas and doesn't let up! Full of secrets, twists, and turns. Simone St. James takes you on a supernatural road trip you are unlikely to forget!"--Carissa Orlando, author of The September House

"[A] truly nightmarish trip back and forth in time and into the supernatural . . . guaranteed to keep readers rapt. . . . What a story!"--Booklist (starred review)

"There are very few novels that leave me feeling genuinely spooked. . . . Simone St. James's The Sun Down Motel is very much one of those books, taking twists and turns that are equal parts compelling and creepy."--PopSugar

About the Author

Simone St. James is the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel and The Broken Girls. She spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time.