Chizmar returns to Castle Rock, Maine, after the 2017 novella Gwendy's Button Box, co-written with Stephen King, in this appealing chiller. Now 37 years old, Gwendy Peterson is shocked when the button box, a mysterious mahogany device that dispensed intricate gifts in exchange for acts of service and derailed Gwendy's childhood, reappears in her Washington, D.C., office in 1999. Gwendy has always wondered if the presence of the strange box during her formative years had something to do with the charmed life she's lived since, including a loving marriage, a stint as a bestselling author, and now a chance to shape her country as a congresswoman. During a holiday visit with her parents in Castle Rock, the return of her mother's cancer and the mysterious disappearances of several young local girls move Gwendy to give herself over once again to the dark temptation of using the button box, hoping that she can wield its power for good. Short, punchy chapters keep the pages turning, but the mystery of the missing girls lacks the urgency of the first book in the series. Still, the charming protagonist and thrill of temptation will enthrall fans and new readers alike. (Nov.)

In the follow up to Gwendy's Button Box (with Stephen King, 2017), Chizmar sets the stage for Gwendy's alternative 1999 and gives some background on what happened to her as a child. Gwendy, now in her late thirties, is a congressperson representing her hometown while living in DC. When the Button Box spontaneously appears in her DC office on the eve of Christmas recess, Gwendy and the Box return home to a town in turmoil. Young girls are being kidnapped, her mom is recovering from cancer, and a paranoid Gwendy cannot stop looking over her shoulder. The story is told in classic supernatural thriller mode with all of the unsettling, creeping dread of horror but none of the gore. The compelling crime plot moves the story along quickly, but ultimately, this is the story of Gwendy finding her own power to shake the demons of the box. An easy choice to hand off to fans of King's Castle Rock mythos (who will love all of the easter eggs here), Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas books, and Charlaine Harris' supernatural series.--Becky Spratford Copyright 2010 Booklist