Review: A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

Author: Simone St. James
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: January 2026

Siblings return to the house they fled eighteen years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request to 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 Violet, Vail, and Dodie Esmie the final straw was their little brother's shocking disappearance, which started as a normal game of hide-and-seek.

As their parents grew increasingly distant, the sisters were each haunted by visions and frightening events, leading them to 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. Now after nearly two decades 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.

I am a big fan of this author and have enjoyed more of her books than not.  Murder Road and The Sun Down Motel are among my favorites.  Unfortunately, A Box Full of Darkness will not be among my favorites.  The story follows three siblings who return home to figure out what happened to their little brother years before and maybe put his ghost to rest.

I wish I could say that I loved this one, but I just didn't.  All three of the siblings were boring characters.  I didn't like the multiple points of view. Their voices all sounded the same to me.  The solution to what happened to their little brother came together way too quickly.  Maybe I wasn't paying attention enough to how they put the pieces together because I was bored. It all didn't make sense to me. The story wasn't spooky, wasn't creepy...it was boring.  Honestly, I don't really have much else to say about this one.  I just didn't care for it. Hopefully the next one will be better.