“Locked in a Box” by Sheila Sharpe

Locked in a Box  

Sheila Sharpe
Redwood Publishing, LLC (2026)
ISBN: 978-1966333333
Reviewed by Joan Kirschner for Reader Views (07/2026)

The compelling mystery Locked in a Box, part of The Kate O’Dade Art Crime Series by Sheila Sharpe, is set in 2009 and will immediately grab the reader’s attention. Thirty-three-year-old Kate O’Dade is a La Jolla, California psychologist trapped in her own trauma. She suffers from severe claustrophobia and experiences flashbacks and horrifying nightmares. Her childhood was tragically marked by her father’s sudden death, followed by a terrifying incident she can’t recall. Decades later, these unresolved issues continue to plague her daily and influence her choices and decisions. Separated from her husband, she lives with her young son and their dog.

The thrilling opening scene is laced with hints of Kate’s inner conflict. Immediately following, she experiences a harrowing, ultra-anxiety-producing flashback in the company of an unknown woman – who turns out to be Elise Devereaux, her new client.

Elise has come for help coping with the stress brought on by her son Tommy’s recent disappearance to what she calls a cult. She and her husband have hired a private detective to locate him, so far without success.

Tommy dropped out of college to enlist in the military. He was sent home from combat, experiencing PTSD. When treatment at the VA hospital fell short, his parents brought him to Max Hartman, a psychologist working with veterans, who is also Kate’s godfather and her neighbor. Max has suggested Kate’s practice to Elise.

At Max’s house, Kate describes her earlier flashback to him. Max finally reveals devastating information he’s been hiding from her since her childhood. Prior to his death, Kate’s father was a handsome and successful New York Metropolitan Opera star soloist, and Kate, already displaying a beautiful singing voice, was about to debut in the opera’s children’s choir. Her traumatic experience of the night he died was buried deep in her consciousness, kept from exploration by both her mother, who had recently died, and Max. Kate is furious, and while the greater portion of her wants a complete accounting of what transpired, another part of her wants to remain unaware, in a safe space where these events do not exist.

Locked in a Box then sends Kate on several quests: to uncover her past and her father’s, to assist in locating Tommy, to explore a new romantic entanglement, and ultimately to understand her present.

Kate is a very real heroine whose suffering will touch readers, and when the truth of her family relationships is revealed, it would be difficult not to feel sympathetic towards her. At the same time, the complexity and ambivalence of those relationships prove that families are complicated, and the needs of the individual members are often at odds. How will Kate overcome her past?

Author Sheila Sharpe has mastered the genre of the mystery thriller, building the tension and excitement that made me want to keep reading. She is also subtle, adding surprises but giving nothing away that would make it easy to guess the outcome. These developments occur at a pace that spins ever faster, and the unexpected twists encouraged me to closely follow the clever plotting – and the action – as it unfolds bit by bit. While ultimately the conflicts and complications are satisfyingly tied up, the author adds a tantalizing end note that will leave readers hoping for another installment in Kate’s adventures.

As the story unfolds, the various locations are also vividly described. Readers can visualize the beauty of the Pacific coastline, in contrast with the harshness of the California desert, along with graphic depictions of wartime violence that provide a significant backstory.

It must be noted that Locked in a Box includes sexual content, physical violence, and psychological issues that make it suitable for adult readers who are comfortable with these topics.  

Final note: The novel’s epigraph, from the Greek myth of Pandora’s box, reads, “Out of the box came misery, out came death, out came sadness, all shaped like tiny buzzing moths [that] stung Pandora over and over again…” Most readers know that part of the tale, but there is more to it: Pandora closed the box of horrors, but when she and her husband opened the box for a second time, they found what remained: the healing spirit of Hope. It is a well-chosen and enticing prelude to Kate’s story, which will be skillfully told in the subsequent pages, and subtly suggests, yet is careful to reveal nothing, of the outcome. What a masterful touch!