WORRY BOX by Chris Panatier – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Worry Box by Chris Panatier
Published by Angry Robot on September 22 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Chris Panatier captures the slow collapse of a close-knit family in Worry Box, a tense, terrifying horror story steeped in emotional heartbreak.

“Whenever he tried to visualize what family meant, he saw the woman who he’d loved as his mother strobing in and out of existence behind the roller rink wall. Family was a block of ice shattering on the floor. Family was a belt buckle. Family was not knowing who would leave next. It was a string of rooms, never ending, and him a mote of dust blown from one to the next.”

Worry Box is a clever take on the haunted house trope, but because it’s a Chris Panatier book, there’s a lot more bubbling beneath the surface. With short, punchy chapters, multiple points of view, and thriller-like pacing, this is a story that will appeal to horror and thriller fans alike. The plotting is meticulous, the misleads are brilliantly done, and the tension is the slow build kind where you don’t realize the hatchet is aimed at your neck until it starts to fall. I do have to mention a trigger warning for animal cruelty (mostly off page as a narrator is telling the reader what happened in the past, but it was very hard for me to read). But there’s also a very good dog named Midnight who is just fine. This is an insanely quick read, and I did not know where the story was going until late in the game. 

The Martin family—Nathan, Alison, nine-year-old daughter Dru and eleven-year-old foster daughter Lailah—have just bought a new house. It’s a perfect house, the place where Lailah will finally become a permanent part of the family. It’s always just the right temperature, and there’s enough space for everyone. Never mind that there’s a bad smell in the dining room, or that they sometimes hear scratching in the walls. Even when Dru and Lailah see proof that a ghost seems to be protecting them, everyone is happily adjusting to their new lives, and what kid doesn’t want to live with a friendly ghost? The family does have to deal with Lailah’s “intrusions”—bad thoughts that crop up now and then, thoughts she has no control over (Smash a glass. Mix the shards into Alison’s yogurt.). But she’s in therapy, and she’s still a good person, right?

But then Alison gets pregnant, and when baby Evan is born, things begin to change. At first, the changes seem normal. Evan has colic and Alison and Nathan are barely sleeping. Alison is understandably cranky when someone turns down the thermostat in the nursery, nearly freezing Evan to death. But little by little, the occasional odd occurrences start to escalate. Could Dru’s sleepwalking incidents be responsible? Or is Lailah finally acting on her intrusions? Dru and Lailah claim to know nothing about what’s happening and blame it on the ghost. But Alison and Nathan refuse to believe a ghost is threatening the family and begin pointing fingers at their children.

Panatier sets Lailah up for the fall, of course. Lailah is the outsider, the unknown, the unpredictable, mentally disturbed and possibly psychotic child. The reader gets glimpses of her intrusions during her point of view chapters, and folks, they are very disturbing. Her therapist suggests she uses a “worry box,”—write her intrusions on slips of paper and put them in the box, metaphorically ridding herself of them. And it seems to work. The thing is? Lailah is nice. She cares for her new family and wants nothing more than to finally leave foster care behind. She and Dru love each other, and she knows Alison and Nathan love her as much as Dru. So when bad things start to happen, Lailah becomes the main suspect. It’s tough to watch, because the reader loves her too.

In the middle of all this drama is another character named Andy, and to avoid spoilers I’m not going to tell you who he is. Andy’s chapters are critical to understanding what’s going on, and they’re also some of my favorites. Andy has quite the story to tell, and his presence changes from comforting to threatening as the story goes along. But is Andy telling us the truth or manipulating his audience? This idea was so much fun and a great way to add some bonkers twists to the story (and bonus points to the author for a nice Stephen King Easter egg!)

Panatier explores what it means to be a family, and I loved that he uses the foster care system as a jumping off point (I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that dealt with foster care before). Not only is Lailah’s future hanging in the balance, but Nathan was also a foster kid and has lived through some traumatic experiences, which color his feelings for Lailah. He’s the one who is determined to make things with Lailah work—he’s desperate to save at least one child from his own fate—but this causes tension between him and Alison. Several beautifully written, emotional flashbacks added so much depth to the story, and Chris’ writing talents shine brightly in these sections in particular.

Worry Box is tightly focused on the Martin family and what’s happening in their house, with only a few side characters making appearances here and there. I personally love stories with a smaller cast of characters, it helps the tension and keeps the focus on what’s important. From the ghostly events to the possibility of Lailah’s intrusions manifesting, the threat (whatever it is) becomes more and more menacing. Watching the family implode was both uncomfortable and very emotional, and it made for a thrilling reading experience. The final showdown was immensely satisfying and the perfect ending for this excellent horror story. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy. Above quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.