A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
Simone St. James is the queen of writing supernatural thrillers. This one is told from three siblings’ points of view, and them going back to their home where their brother mysteriously disappeared years ago. It’s time to find out what really happened to him. While reading this, we get snippets about each of the siblings’ lives and how they interconnect, along with how their upbringing led them to where they are now. Their interactions could be humorous, and it was interesting how they each knew a reveal or found something out in a unique way that brought the story to justice. You’ll get the perfect amount of creepiness from this story! If you’ve read any Simone St. James book, you’ll find a ton of Easter eggs and nods to her other books in this one, especially since this one takes place in the same town as the Sundown Motel! Such a fun read that I didn’t want to put down!
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James, (List Price: $30, Berkley, 9780593200414, January 2026)
Reviewed by Brooke, Spellbound Bookstore in Sanford, Florida
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“I am obsessed with old Hollywood. I used to love Nick at Night and all the old classic TV shows. I’ve always been fascinated by that, but I’ve also always been fascinated by the fact that we all have a behind-the-scenes. And when I was touring for All the Bright Places, which is a young adult book I wrote years ago, the thing I heard most from my readers was, “Thank you for letting me know that it’s okay to be messy. It’s okay to be me, that, you know, I feel seen, and I matter.” And I just kept thinking about the fact that it’s so sad that so many people, well, all of us actually, have a behind-the-scenes that we aren’t always comfortable showing or sharing with other people. And so I wanted to write something about that. And then I thought, oh, I could combine it with my love for Hollywood because God knows there’s a lot going on behind the scenes there.”
“I had what feels to me like a bizarre, non-linear experience in the movie business. I was never a part of any union, and worked all kinds of non-union assisting jobs to finance my own projects, which had small crews and shot on film in a very guerilla fashion. I didn’t go to film school, so everything I learned about telling stories in that way came from asking a lot of questions of crew members on various sets, watching a lot of movies and interviews, and making things up as I went along.”
