Boy in the box by Marc E Fitch.
Ten years ago a mysterious and tragic hunting accident deep in the Adirondack Mountains left a boy buried in a storied piece of land known as Coombs' Gulch and four friends with a terrible secret. Now, Jonathan Hollis and brothers Michael and Conner Braddick must return to the place that changed their lives forever in order to keep their secret buried. What they don't realize is that they are walking into a trap -- one set decades earlier by a supernatural being who is not confined by time or place: a demon that demands a sacrifice.
A good read with some good characters. It ended weird. It was creepy and eerie. 4*.

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.

Good read slow at times but not so much that I wanted to stop reading. This is definitely a tale of your past will come back to haunt you, be careful what you do in life.

Ok so where to start.
First off, thank you netgalley and flametreepress for allowing me an ARC to review. I am eternally grateful!
I think this book has some potential. It truly had me spooked at certain points and I will certainly remember that for days to come. I think it took a good while for this novel to get moving. A slow start for sure. There was a lot of metaphor, simile and allusion references throughout the book, which lead me to being a little bored. But eventually some action would happen and I'd be brought back into what I was reading. I cant say you should run to grab this one, but maybe check it out if you like supernatural, spooky, isolation, and well described scenery. A hard book for me to review honestly.

I wanted to love this thriller so much. A book where the dark always comes to light. A character driven story, sufficient plot, and psychological twists that leave you wanting more. However, the ride is slow. Very slow. It took me days of coming back here to get through it. Although, it was a great read, it was heavy and not entirely captivating.

The usually story: the past comes back to haunt you. Four friends in the woods, and the death of a young child. Bleak at times, and almost anachronistic. I had trouble with it. Maybe, I couldn’t visualize it effectively.

I will say it’s worth a shot, and I would recommend giving it a try.

*Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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!!

If I were to describe this book in one sentence, then I would say Blair Witch meets The Ritual. It's not a found footage type of story. But I got Blair Witch vibes from it.

I want to say I loved this book, but unfortunately, I cannot. But that doesn't mean it didn't have its positives either. The author is very descriptive about the scenes he is writing. If your gore hound like myself, then you're going to be very satisfied with this novel. The characters are, however, a double-edged sword with this novel. They're well written and believable. But they're so very unlikable with no redeemable qualities about them that you find it that you don't want to spend any time with them. Which, in turn, means you don't particularly care what happens to them either. Meaning you lose interest in the story unfolding.

Be warned this book has a slow start and doesn't get going in this reviewers opinion until about 25% into it. If I had bought this book and not received an ARC version for review, I would have more than likely DNF it. At times the plot felt a little muddled in places. I would have liked a bit more work put into the history of the surrounding area the story predominately takes place in as I think it would have elevated the story more.

Finally, after mulling it over for a while, I give Boy in the Box 5/10.

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.