Pandora's Box

by Scott R. Howe

Emily is running. She quit her job, ended a two-year relationship with her boyfriend, and fled to Rochester, New York, hoping for a fresh start. But this new chapter is more than she bargained for. Unbeknownst to Emily, the old woman who once lived–and died–in her new apartment, apparently never really left.

Emily finds ever more disturbing connections with the woman. They seem to share a secret and she feels compelled to uncover it. The longer she stays, the more strange and eerie things are happening in the apartment, making Emily scared and uneasy. She can’t explain these occurrences, but they deeply affect her. She had hoped the apartment would be a sanctuary, but now she’s terrified to spend a moment longer inside this space. But in order to move on, Emily must confront their shared truth. A truth that might change how she sees herself. However, exploring what haunts this space could be more dangerous than she expected.

232 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2022

About the author

Scott R. Howe lives in Sacramento, California with his wife and two adorable cats. He spent his formative years watching horror and Sci-Fi movies and this eventually grew into a broader interest in film history where he discovered a passion for Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and what would become a lifelong obsession with the silent film actress, Louise Brooks. Beyond the silver screen, Scott has always been intrigued by the unknown, from the paranormal to Bigfoot. He’s also a graphic designer, painter, filmmaker, and musician, channeling his eclectic passions into every aspect of his work.

Reviews

[Susan Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m biased because my brother wrote this book, but putting that aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was a page turner for sure with lots of spookiness mixed in. The author has done his research regarding the early film actress Louise Brooks and has woven the truths of her life into this fictional account. I really like the friendship between the characters Emily and Chloe. Have fun reading it!

[Miss December · Rating 4 out of 5]

This needed a good professional editor. Badly.

The glaring amount of easily fixable errors took away from the story- which is a shame, because the author can write and had a good concept with an interesting historical person.

It's solid work, but one thing I'd suggest is having him focus on a paranormal story or a serial killer story, because the tone dramatically shifted in the last sixth part of the book with the introduction of Emily's repressed trauma.

Another thing: Emily seeing a vague receipt from a restaurant causes her to pack up and leave her sane-sounding boyfriend as a plot device to get her to the apartment didn't hold water for me. Alex is a communicative partner who otherwise treats Emily great and everything is going well, then Emily finds one receipt that details nothing and *BOOM* rushes to move into her own apartment with no confrontation after spending years together? Not buying it. I'll buy ghosts manifesting themselves in apartments before I buy that.

Glad this brought light to Louise Brooks though- I'll be watching her movies because of it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky twists and turns. Pick up this novel for a great, ghost filled mystery (or mysteries?). What shadowy truths lurk between its hallowed pages? One way to find out! Muhahahahaha! Seriously, you’ll enjoy it 😎