Editorial Content for A Box Full of Darkness
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Reviewer (text)
Simone St. James has become quite a sensation, developing a cult-like following for her novels that feature elements of the supernatural, horror and dark fantasy. Her characters are complex and relatable, which makes her books highly successful and absorbing.
St. James’ latest release, A BOX FULL OF DARKNESS, has all of the above elements (and more) and is destined to become one of her most beloved works. It begins in 1989 with Violet Esmie, the middle child of three (she has an older brother, Vail, and a younger sister, Dodie). Violet is living and working on Long Island as a house cleaner for homes that were left unclaimed after the most recent resident passed away. This plays into her unique abilities as an empath and psychic who has been able to connect in various ways with the dead.
"A BOX FULL OF DARKNESS is a magnificent and mesmerizing read that easily should be one of my top book picks of 2026. May fans of Simone St. James rejoice in this masterful novel!"
While working on a job, Violet receives a phone call that is potentially life-changing. The caretaker for her family home, which is still left untouched in the small upstate New York town of Fell, tells her that she needs to come up there and take command of the property as his company is dropping them immediately. None of his workers will return there after experiencing supernatural events that culminated with the appearance of a small boy who referred to the Esmie family and uttered the words “Come home.” Violet takes a leave from her job and walks away from her daughter, Lisette, with whom she has visitation rights following her divorce and time spent in an asylum. She reaches out to Vail and Dodie to request that they join her in Fell.
Vail is a UFO investigator, while Dodie has a lukewarm career as a model. Of the three siblings, Dodie is the most reluctant to return to the place that has nothing but bad memories for her. Once Violet shares what has gone down, they all recognize that it can only be the spirit of their younger brother, Ben, who vanished mysteriously in their home at the age of six while playing a game of hide-and-seek with them and was never found. Gus Pine, the former detective who worked on the case, is not very willing to assist them in reopening the investigation.
The Esmies realize that they have been called back to determine what really happened to Ben and to cleanse the property by giving him the peace his spirit is seeking. Pine reluctantly decides to allow Violet to have access to his private case files and lets her go to the storage unit with his unemployed son, Bradley, to look at them. What Violet finds is both inconclusive and eye-opening.
Meanwhile, strange occurrences continue at the house, like the wall that is crayoned with the words “Wake Up.” All three siblings recall being haunted by various forces, including a frightening woman who wanted to control them. Violet is especially tuned into these spirits. While at the house, the nightmares they all experienced have returned, along with the feeling that Ben is always there trying to guide them.
There is a lot at play in Fell, and the secrets it harbors have infected not only the Esmie property but most of the town as well. Violet, Vail and Dodie will need to look into the past for the answers they seek, and they may not like everything they find. A BOX FULL OF DARKNESS is a magnificent and mesmerizing read that easily should be one of my top book picks of 2026. May fans of Simone St. James rejoice in this masterful novel!
Teaser
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 10 while Ben went to hide. But this time, they never found their brother. 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.
Promo
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 10 while Ben went to hide. But this time, they never found their brother. 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.
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 10 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).
Audiobook available; read by Anna Caputo, Saskia Maarleveld and Ari Fliakos
