Simone St James is back with a delightfully ominous and atmospheric story, with a healthy dose of family secrets. Readers follow along with three adult siblings when they're called back to the house they grew up in - a home with memories of neglect and fear - to try to figure out what happened to their six-year-old brother who disappeared during an innocent game of hide-and-go-seek decades before.
In typical St James' style, this Canadian author pulls readers into a sinister small-town story with supernatural vibes and a malevolent presence that will leave readers looking over their shoulders as they turn the pages. It's not all dark an ominous though, the banter between the adult siblings adds some levity and fans of this author will enjoy how St James subtly incorporates people and locations from a couple of her previous books (The Sundown Motel, The Broken Girls).
This slow burn story is filled with family drama and trauma, and readers witness how the neglect the trio of siblings endured in childhood left scars and how the loss of their younger brother Ben continues to haunt them. Darkly haunting and thoroughly entertaining for suspense lovers, this is a story with a high creepy vibe and lingering uneasiness that doesn't waver and will have you both eager and reticent to turn the page and see what else St James will throw at you.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Berkley Publishing for the complimentary digital advanced copy that was given in exchange for my honest review.
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Author: Simone St James
Genre: Suspense, Canadian
Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Berkley
First Published: Jan 20, 2026
Read: Dec 9-15, 2025
Book Description from GoodReads: 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.
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