In The Boy in the Box [Flame Tree Press, April 2020] a group of childhood friends with a dark secret set out to make amends for the sins of their past only to discover that some dark deeds don’t stay buried.

Ten years ago, lifelong friends Jonathan, Gene, and the Braddick brothers—Michael and Conner—took a hunting trip deep in the Adirondack Mountains to a remote piece of land known as Coombs’ Gulch. What was meant as a weekend getaway to celebrate the last days of singledom for soon-to-be-wed Jonathan culminated in a night of drunken machismo wherein Gene accidentally shot and killed a young boy. Despite the men’s questions—What was the boy doing wandering alone in the woods at night? How did he get so deep into the forest? Did they all see the same thing?—they buried the boy’s body in a makeshift tomb and swore to take their secret to the grave.

In the end, that termination point is exactly where the four men in the woods that night will find themselves—but not until the strange force that inhabits Coombs’ Gulch is ready to bring them home. After Gene’s untimely suicide, the Braddick brothers and Jonathan decide to return to the woods and relocate the boy’s body, otherwise they risk their secret being brought to light in upcoming construction. The three remaining members of the ordeal are already haunted men; they don’t want their darkness exposed to the people they love most—their families.

Once back out in the woods, the sleeping terror of that long-ago night stirs again, but the accident that seemed so straightforward before doesn’t seem to make sense now and the guilt-ridden trio finds themselves ensnared in a supernatural trap that transcends time and place. Like all ancient gods, the being in Coombs’ Gulch requires a sacrifice, and Jonathan and his friends are just the beginning.

Reminiscent of Neville’s The Ritual (2011), Fitch’s journey into the dark unknowns of ancient forests builds at a measured pace, pushing you forward in slow-building horror that exhibits all the stamina of a hike out into the woods. For all its narrative pontifications and redundancies, Boy in the Box is nevertheless still surprisingly creepy—one of those books that might not be too intimidating in the daytime but will have you leaving a light on at night, just in case.

OMG WHAT A READ!!!! A brilliant piece of horror. Scary as hell, atmospheric and utterly gripping. Ten years ago something happened in the woods when four friends went on a hunting trip. Their lives were never the same again. As I said before horror but SO much more. How these four friends dealt with the despair and guilt of what they did on that fateful night. How what they did has impacted on their lives and now they need to go back. And how one man will do the unspeakable to save the ones he loves. At first I was intrigued but the more I read I just HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH. I read this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. A new author for me and I can't wait to read more of his work. An easily deserved five stars and so Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Cosmic horror at its finest. Marc Fitch! Where have you been all my life and how lucky am I to have been allowed to read this generous ARC from the good folks at Flame Tree and Netgalley. Folks, this story is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings and scare the crap out of you. To tell more would ruin the discoveries that wait ahead. Highly recommended.

An absolutely brilliant piece of horror! This author is new-to-me and I can't wait to read more from him. He pulled us deeply into his characters lives, made us feel the stark, haunting loneliness of each character and created a brilliant and intriguing world. When a book makes me feel like I should be sleeping with a nightlight on, the author has certainly done his job. Would definitely recommend to horror lovers

I did find the plot of this story intriguing, but as I read on, the passive sentences and extra descriptions started to make me lose interest. I really did not connect with any of the characters and found the two brothers Conner and Michael not too believable.
The four friends, Gene, Jonathan, Michael and Conner go on a hunting trip. They spend the evening drinking and joking and later go out to hunt. Gene is not successful, so goes out to try his luck again and sees what he believes to be a deer and takes his shot. To the horror of his friends he had killed a little boy. They put the body in a box and bury it. Years later a developer purchases the land and Gene, riddled with guilt, commits suicide. When the remaining 3 friends go to his funeral, they decide they need to go back to where they buried the body before it is discovered.
I do thank the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this novel because it had an underlying meaning we need to be more aware of.
However I just did not find the story interesting at all.
It could be an age thing as I am still transitioning from YA novels to adult-appropriate novels...but I just could not enjoy as much as I thought I would.

Jonathan is getting together with his three friends for a bachelor party. They are going hunting. They are all successful getting deer except one person — Gene. They are celebrating with drinks and ribbed Gene for not getting anything. Gene even though drunk, gets angry and decides he is going to get his trop even if it is night. When Gene sees a pair of eyes, he shoots. He goes to get what he shot. However the other guys go to where Gene went. Gene has shot a young boy. He didn’t know — none of them knew. Who would let a young boy wander around outside at night? They all agree about what to do with the boy’s body. They bury him inside a storage box i the ground. Afterwards, they go back to tir cabin to sleep as they will leave for home in the morning. The men after Jonathan’s wedding all go their separate ways. As time passes, Gene kills himself. Why? At the funeral, Jonathan learns that the state has bought the land to put a highway through the area where the boy was buried. His friends say they have to go back and take the boy’s body to be “buried” in the lake. Will they?

In this novel, the friends stand together backing each other up as needed. All the men are haunted by what happened. They can’t seem to escape from that one mistake they made. They are not the same when they return from burying the boy. Relationships are never the same between themselves or with others. There is a supernatural aspect in this story that starts withe boy being killed. This novel is so much more than a mystery, it is also psychological horror.

I really enjoyed the overall feel of this novel. This is as much a psychological thriller as it is a horror novel. It had a very good slow build up of dread. On the other the build up was a bit too slow for me at times.

The characters were fairly well developed, especially Jonathan. And I have to say the cover and synopsis really drew me in!

But in the end I felt as if this story would have done a lot better with some editorial tweaking overall. Overly dragged out descriptions and a repetitive prose really brought this whole thing down for me.

But! If you are looking for an original horror novel that has a slow build, and is highly detailed - this could very much be for you!

We all have regrets - moments or situations that we remember uncomfortable for years. But for most of us, one incident does change the way we view ourselves forever, or permanently alter our piece of mind. Finch's characters don't have that luxury. Ten years ago, on a hunting trip, four buddies make a fateful decision that haunts them forever. This book is well-written, with compelling characters but it is also incredibly disturbing and indelibly sad. It was a good read, but a really hard one, from a psychological perspective. Do not read this if you are already feeling depressed!

In life, we must all make decisions; some decisions are easy and some, not so much. And then there are those decisions that send ripples throughout the rest of our lives and haunt us until we are forced to come face-to-face with demons of our own creation.

In Boy in the Box, a group of four friends go on a hunting trip and suddenly become enslaved by a fateful choice. In the years that follow, specters of the past follow the friends and influence every other decision in their lives until they are forced to face the past and to deal with the consequences.

Using strong character development and creepy, claustrophobic settings, Fitch explores the psychology of regret and how our lives are influenced by our choices. With each chapter, the tension builds, leading up to a conclusion that you will not see coming.

Fitch’s The Boy In The Box is a difficult read not due to narrative text nor by the excellent way it is written but more to do with the emotional anguish of death and guilt and aluminates off the pages. This is an excellent novel and shows how Flame Tree Press really have their finger on the pulse of unique and interesting novel.

Opening on a fateful accident that had to be covered up, we deal with how this affects four men and the ten years that follows. This is exceptionally done and although it seems that they are getting on with their lives, the guilt is holding them back. Fitch has written a character study that is richly woven around the tragedy and how this affects them down to the minute fractions of their life.

The plot moves at its own pace and though this may seem like a slow read for some readers, it is full of details and nuances that lift this to another plateau. There is a creeping factor that ebbs and flows through the text to get into the heart of the matter. The lead up to the revisiting of old crimes works extremely well and the conclusion, let’s just say it is not an easy read and is a haunting tale that will leave the reader cold but works within the confines of the story.

The characters are very strong and three dimensional. Reading like an Aaron Neville story, which is a good thing to be compared to, the characters each have their own personalities and act with the constructs of these. We spend most of the story with Jonathan but we do get glimpses and narrative text that deeply delves into the rest of the characters in equal measures. Each character is fleshed out wonderfully and adds to the mythos of the story involved.

Overall, this is an excellent book and although I am not familiar with Fitch’s work to date, this has given me an invested interest in this author. Richly woven tale that works on a psychological level but, at the same time, rewards the reader of horror on an equal footing. Strong characters who stay truthful to their constructs and with a rewarding payoff. This is a book that will haunt the reader long after they read the final words. This is a must read for all lovers of psychological horror and hauntings. A strong five star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flametree Press for letting me check this one out.
The cover and the synopsis intrigued me when I requested this one. Then some time went by and when I dove in, I’d almost completely forgotten what this one was even about.
This thing is a demented showcase of why I love manic stories set in the woods. For me, personally, there is no creepier place than uninhabited, unexplored densely wooded areas.
The majority of this story is set in Coombs Gulch and boy was the wilderness a character all on its own.
What I liked: This book had so much of everything I love in a horror story. Heart, soul, shock, creeps and downright scary sections. The book opens with four adult males, going on a hunting trip. During that trip they can feel that something isn’t quite right with the area, but they drink and have fun and enjoy their time together. Of course, this wouldn’t be the book it becomes if they didn’t decide to go hunting at night and something horrible happens.
It’s from here that Fitch begins to have the group unravel. I loved how realistic it felt. The weight of guilt and sorrow eating and festering at each of the men’s minds. Trying to be husbands, fathers, colleagues, when all the while their minds are miles away, thinking of something they buried in Coombs Gulch.
This story had some of the most unnerving moments I’ve read in some time. It’s really hard to not gush about those moments specifically without playing total spoiler jerk, but wow, Fitch has a whole other level of making you think twice about reading this book late at night.
What I didn’t like: The only reason this wasn’t a five star read for me was the moments of excess. There are a number of areas where it just felt like the random descriptions of work and daily life went on and on. Too much extra. If those were tightened up then it would have been a five star. When the story centres on the men and when they are in the forest, it’s a page-turner and you feel like you have to remind yourself to breathe. When it’s describing money issues or work difficulties, it was tough to stay engaged.
Why you should buy this: Again, some of this is impossible to fully state without playing spoilers, but as the story unravels and things tie back around and get connected, it just hummed along. If you like super creepy wooded horror with creatures, bumps in the night and psychological unravelling, you’re in for a treat. I suspect many people may compare this to The Ritual by Nevill, and while I’ve seen the movie but still haven’t read the book (I know!), I would say the comparison is close but different. Similar feelings at times, but most books will have that when set in the woods.
Overall, I had a blast with this one. This appears to be Fitch’s debut novel and if it’s any indication of what we are in for in the coming years, I can’t wait to buy my ticket for this ride.
** This review will feature on Kendall Reviews! **

A slow start to a book that is worth sticking with. It definitely has a lot of creepy moments that won't be forgotten in a hurry.

Jonathan, Michael, Connor and Gene are out at Coombs Gultch hunting. Michael and Connor are brothers. Jonathan and Gene have completed the foursome for years They like getting away. Hunting, drinking, and camping are a good way to spend that time. They've never been to this area so it's all new to them. The bonus is that they will have a cabin to return to as homebase.
They have been told to be careful. If an accident should happen it would take a good two hours for any help to arrive.
After a successful trip for three of the friends, Gene still hasn't had a kill. They decide to go night hunting using lights to startle the game, making them easier to target.
Drunk and exited the start out for the woods. Near a stream they see two yellow eyes staring out at them. Gene takes aim and fires. They hear the body hit the ground. Filled with excitement, Gene races to his hunt. The others are trailing behind when they hear an anguished cry of despair. Running over to Gene they discover the body of a ten year old boy, shot through an eye. A perfect kill shot. Adrenaline runs through their veins as the discuss what to do. Their lives and the lives of their families lie in their decision.
They place the boys body in a military container and bury it near a stream at the back of a plum bush.
What they have done haunts the men in a myriad of ways. When it is discovered that the area the buried the boy in is to be developed, they know the body must be moved.
They decide to make one more trip to Coombs Gultch.
They cannot not imagine the horror that awaits them or the destruction their families will face.
An excellent read. Insidious horror. Creeps up and grabs you, sending silent screams coursing through your system!!

I seem to be the first person to review this one and that always kind of makes me wish I loved the book, but in this case it was more of an appreciation sort of thing. Which is to say objectively speaking this is a very decent work of dark psychological fiction. And subjectively speaking it didn’t quite work for me. The decent lays with the overall quality, the writing was uniformly good, the character development was well done, which is good because this was very much a character driven story, the wilderness was rendered appropriately atmospheric and eerie. The story is one of those familiar fictional scenarios where a past comes back to haunt the present, in this case a tragic death of a young boy and a hunting party of four responsible requires revisiting ten years later when the land where they buried the boy gets sold and the body needs to be relocated. Mind you, this hasn’t been an easy ten years for the four friends, in fact the book begins with a funeral, the shooter himself, no longer able to cope with the guilt, commits suicide. Now it’s up to the other three friends to take care of the situation so that nothing disrupts the fairly orderly lives they have built for themselves since, guilt or not. But this time the trip to the woods doesn’t quite go as planned, actually it goes complexly off the rails. Turns out the area has some pretty dark and creepy past (think cults, occult, etc.), turns out there’s a corpse waiting for them when they get there, turns out there are things in the woods, things best left alone. And so slowly, too slowly some might say, the trip turns into a living nightmare, once from which there may not be any waking up. It sounds intriguing, doesn’t it. Not especially original, maybe, more like a slightly different arrangement of familiar scenarios, but still. One of those descent into madness stories. But…but…some descents are slower than others, and here it’s almost in slo mo. Maybe the main reason it didn’t work for me is the pacing, so very measured, which is kind of a polite way of saying lagging, leaden, positively ponderous at times, the characters may be weighed down by their guilt, but the story seems to be weighed down by its own heavy load. It’s starkly bleak, which is of course perfectly appropriate for a story about guilt, but it’s almost exclusively starkly bleak, there’s barely any tonal diversity to it. Kind of exhausting in its own way. So in the end…despite all of the book’s numerous good qualities, the pacing sinks the ship. Or the boat. You know, like if someone puts too many heavy stones in a dingy and…say…get rid of a body. Ok, ok, that’s going to far. If you’re in a mood for some dark psychological scares, this just might do the trick, it’s plenty disturbing, especially the epilogue. Just make sure to wear your patient pants, because this ride goes slowly. Oh, and the lights never come on. Read if you dare, read if you care, judge for yourself. Thanks Netgalley.

Nothing remains buried forever, especially guilt….

I’ve read many novels published by Flame Tree Press since their impressive splash on the horror scene a couple of years ago and rank Marc E Fitch’s Boy in the Box very close to the top of their pile which involves some heavy-hitting writers. Upon starting, I knew little of what to expect and that lack of detail only added extra power to an already gripping and startling read. I had no idea which type of horror lay ahead; either supernatural or that inflicted by man. In the end, it was a combination of both and the balance between the two was quite superb and I doubt I will read many better horror novels in 2020. Box in the Box was a complete triumph and deserves to be very widely read, even beyond the horror genre.

If you’re looking for examples by ways of comparison Boy in the Box stands tall against the best the genre has to offer; including the likes of Adam Nevill and Ronald Malfi, which it is slightly reminiscent of. Marc Fitch should take that reference as a major compliment. Instead of Adam Nevill’s remote Swedish forests four lifelong friends head to the Adirondack Mountains (upstate New York) for one last party of drinking and hunting before Jonathan Hollis gets married. The novel is written in the third person and although it drops in on several different characters it spends considerably more time with Jonathan than the others.

One of the real strengths of Boy in the Box is its exquisite pacing. Fitch is never in a hurry to tell the story and takes its own beautiful time laying the cards on the table, remaining very difficult to predict, right up to its outstanding ending. If you do choose to read this book, hold onto your hat and prepare yourself for one of the most brutal of finishes. The last sentence remains imprinted on my brain and the spiderweb of deceit which leads to that horrific final page is hard to shake off. The story takes its time taking us back to the original events in the Adirondack Mountains and opens with the funeral of Gene Hendrickson who was one of the four best friends who visited the mountains first time around. It is revealed that Gene, a broken alcoholic, took his own life and the other three men are 100% certain they know why.

At the funeral Jonathan Hollis meets his two former friends, brothers Michael and Conner Braddick, whom he has drifted apart from since the events in the mountains all those years earlier. They share with him a shocking revelation which brings the earlier incident back in full focus, being seen from Jonathan’s point of view. He has also thought about it every day since the accident changed his life forever.

Boy in the Box is drenched in guilt and you will not read a better novel where one single moment can define, blight and ruin lives; Jonathan Hollis and Gene Hendrickson more so than the others. The man who returns from the mountains is not the same person who was weeks away from getting married. The developing family dynamics are another incredible powerful aspect of the novel with his disassociation from both his wife Mary and his young son, Jacob. On the other hand, his obsession with the secrets he cannot reveal to his wife continue to eat him up from inside. You will feel his disintegration, I certainly did. I could taste it. Occasionally the story is seen from the little boy’s point of view and they were equally emotional, especially those in which he viewed his father.

Coombs’ Gulch is an outstanding location, even before anything goes up the crapper it just feels wrong. Its descriptions are perfectly pitched; from the lack of wildlife to the warnings the locals give to the holidaymakers. The men stare into the darkness of the forest and although nobody says anything; none are prepared to wander far from the safety of the cabin. The return to Coomb’s Gulch ten years later was gripping writing. This time the three were weighed down with the baggage of the past, frayed nerves and when things go from bad to worse, the unravelling was a terrifying read. As I hurtled into the closing sequences, I was unable to put the book down, overwhelmed with the sense that something truly nasty lurked around the next corner and that escape was not an option.

The supernatural element was handled subtlety and beautifully worked. Not everything is revealed, but the writing is so skilled it does not need to be, with the reader looking between the lines for further answers or clues. With lesser writers you might look for plot holes, or feelings of being short changed due to lack of information, this is not the case with Boy in the Box which leads the reader on a nightmarish journey. And just when you think things cannot get any worse, they do, and sometimes the nightmares are very real.

This was an outstanding horror story where the sense of deep dread slowly tightens around the reader like slow strangulation. Jonathan Hollis was not perfect, he made mistakes, but he did not deserve this. A perfect blend of thriller, character study of guilt and horror. A cracker of a novel.

5/5

I've been enjoying reading the books released through Flame Tree Press and this is another example of why - supernatural horror in the woods with some creepy kids thrown in for good measure. For me, this book misses out on 4-stars just due to a lot of information about hunting (no issue with this, just heavy on detail about hunting in general) and lots of scenery building. Good read though!

Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for an advance copy of this book !
Boy In the Box
by Marc E. Fitch

No Spoilers.
Solid 4.5 Star review

A later in life coming of age tale of four young men who encountered a tragedy during a camping trip 10 years ago. Each of the main characters are normal guys, who, due to their tragic experience have become flawed adult men with some serious emotional issues.

Main character Jonathan is the leading protagonist and while he has managed to cope and try to achieve a normal life for the past 10 years, the cracks are starting to show.

I started this review before even finishing the awesome horror novel because I didn't want to lose the excitement I felt about the book. Had to take a break at 72% in to get ready for work so there was no sleeping last night. Could not put this book down, that's how good it is. .

The ending was jaw dropping. So unexpected. There is so much to consider in the last several chapters that can be viewed a different ways depending on how you think or what you believe. Either way, I am grateful to have read it and I will be thinking about it for awhile.

Well written, great characters, unique plot that keeps you interested. It's great, I love it and strongly recommend it. to anyone who enjoys the horror/mystery/ thriller genre.

The author must be able to read into my mind because this book had everything I love to read. The book starts out with men hunting in the woods and spooky forest, with lots of action, camping, hiking, snow, mountains, death, and plain terror! But then it also has family, love and lots of friendship. There is also some really creative nightmares, both supernatural but real too. How could anyone not enjoy this and I will probably read it again. If anyone wants to recommend books similar to this please let me know and I possibly can tell you a few choice ones that I have enjoyed reading. Hopefully this author will keep writing more suspenseful books like this one. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this!! I highly recommend it and will be sure to give a review

Free ARC from Net Galley

A great "your sins will find you out" story. King-Esq to be sure but a fresh take on the angle with the kids and the cameras. that was a high point. Through in guilt and the "road of progress and I think you will all enjoy!