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 received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

This was my third Simone St. James novel, and while I enjoyed it, it didn’t quite hit the same high note as Murder Road or The Sundown Motel. That said, it’s still a solid, engaging read that leans heavily into atmosphere, family trauma, and mystery, even if the scares take their time showing up.

The story centers on the Esmie siblings, Violet, Vail, and Dodie, who are pulled back to the town of Fell, New York, nearly eighteen years after they fled it. Their return is prompted by the ghost of their long-missing brother Ben, who vanished during a childhood game of hide-and-seek and was never found. Fell is a familiar setting for St. James readers, and I liked being back there. The Sundown Motel pops up multiple times, grounding the story in a shared universe and giving longtime fans a sense of continuity.

Much of the book’s first two-thirds is setup. We spend a lot of time unpacking the sibling’s childhood, their dysfunctional family dynamics, and the lingering trauma they carry into adulthood. This worked for me on an emotional level. The relationships felt messy, strained, and painfully realistic. Each character carries guilt and resentment differently, and seeing the story unfold from all three perspectives adds texture and depth. Their voices are distinct, and the shifting POVs help build a fuller picture of what really happened all those years ago.

The mystery surrounding Ben is the strongest element of the book. St. James does an excellent job keeping the reader slightly off balance, constantly questioning what’s real, what’s remembered correctly, and what might be supernatural interference. There’s a steady sense of unease, even when overtly creepy things aren’t happening yet. You’re always aware that something is wrong in Fell, even if you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Where the book fell a bit short for me was in the pacing of the horror itself. The genuinely scary moments don’t really seep in until the final stretch. There’s a lot of buildup, and while I don’t mind a slow burn, I found myself wishing the dread had been threaded more consistently throughout. The character of Sister is introduced early as a menacing presence, and we’re told repeatedly that she’s dangerous, but we don’t truly see how terrifying she can be until much later. By the time her threat fully materializes, I wanted more. More scenes. More escalation. More payoff.

I also struggled a bit with how neatly everything wrapped up. It felt a little too tidy for a story rooted in long-term trauma and unresolved grief. Personally, I don’t think we needed every question answered or every thread tied off so precisely. Some lingering ambiguity might have better matched the eerie tone the book works so hard to establish.

Still, there’s a lot to like here. The writing is polished and immersive, the setting is vivid, and the emotional core of the story feels sincere. The themes of memory, guilt, and the ways families fracture under the weight of loss are handled thoughtfully. Even when the scares didn’t fully deliver for me, I was invested in the characters and curious enough to keep turning pages.

While this may not be my favorite Simone St. James novel, it’s far from a disappointment. It’s moody, mysterious, and emotionally grounded, with strong sibling dynamics and a compelling central mystery. If you’re a fan of her work or enjoy atmospheric ghost stories that prioritize character and setting over nonstop scares, this one is still very much worth a read. Just don’t go in expecting it to be her scariest outing.