by Brad Meltzer
First published 2013
A young reporter in Waco receives what seems like routine coverage of lost-and-found boxes, but her assignment reveals a sinister crime lurking beneath the mundane task. Across twenty-one stories, writers explore containers that conceal deadly truths. A newlywed man finds himself trapped in a macabre wager involving a coffin during his honeymoon. New homeowners face a manipulative neighbor who spins disturbing stories about treasure buried on their property. A scientist working in a Leipzig laboratory during wartime guards secrets within his research. Each tale centers on a different kind of box: strongboxes, empty coffins, prison cells, or the locked chambers of human minds. The stories span from Mount Fuji's foothills to Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, from wartime Europe to a fitness club in Florida. Characters discover that opening these mysterious containers demands courage, as the contents often prove more dangerous than expected. The anthology reveals how ordinary people react when confronted with boxes that promise answers but deliver consequences they never anticipated.
Genres: short-stories, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, mystery, unexpected-consequences
Setting: Florida, Georgia, Leipzig, Mount Fuji, Okefenokee Swamp, Waco
Period: Wartime Europe
384 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing