The dead have stories to tell. Are you listening?On a sunny August morning, in 1935, thirteen-year-old Sophia Gray finds her friend, Rosemary wandering in the woods. Rosemary’s yellow dress is tattered and stained, she walks with a strange lurch, and her eyes are vacant and glassy. She beckons to Sophia, desperate to show her something, and Sophia follows.In an abandoned cabin, beneath a tattered … abandoned cabin, beneath a tattered blanket, Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body.
It was not Rosemary who led her there, but Rosemary’s ghost.
Step into the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane
Twenty years after Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body, she finds herself trapped in the sprawling, and eerily beautiful, Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane, in the hands of a malevolent doctor who preys on patients who exhibit paranormal abilities.
Sometimes the dead don’t rest
In present day 1965, Hattie, much like her mother, thirty years before, is led by a ghost. A newspaper hidden in an attic reveals a secret that has shaped the lives of Hattie and her siblings. Hattie with her sister, Jude, embark on a crusade to remedy the wrongs of the past and discover the tale of deception that stole their mother a decade before.
Hattie and Jude are in a race against time to discover a murderer and save their mother from a horrific fate.
Get lost in a uniquely chilling story that spans the life of a family and the ghosts who haunt them.
more
(Audiobook)
Thirteen-year-old Sophia Gray is already in shock when she finds her friend, Rosemary Bell, brutally murdered in an isolated cabin… because it was Rosemary who led Sophia to the body.
Traumatized and confused, Sophia does all the things frowned upon at crime scenes. She touches the body, walks in the blood, and removes the knife protruding from her young friend’s body. However, it’s 1935 in a small Michigan town and forensic crime scene investigation is decades away. Yet, Sophia’s actions that day will affect two families and span generations.
The evidence, along with “crazy” Sophia’s unwanted gift of seeing and communicating with the dead, makes her the only suspect in the eyes of Rosemary’s family, and her family hides her away with well-to-do family friends. But Sophia’s past will not stay buried, and twenty years later when Sophia is recognized on the street, she and husband, Jack Porter, come up with a ruse to start a new life. Family betrayal will leave the three Porter children orphaned and introduce a new evil deep inside the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane.
Though a slow-starter, once it hit its stride, Some Come See pulled me in deep. The story is told in multiple points of view and three different timelines–1935, the year Rosemary is killed; 1955, the year Sophia and her husband, Jack, died; and 1965, the year Sophia’s daughters, Jude and Hattie, realize there’s more to the story behind the loss of their parents.
The characters are all beautifully flawed, stunted by the manipulation and control that shaped their lives. Seen as delicate and flighty by older sister, Jude, it’s Hattie who’s my favorite character. A medium like her mother, Hattie also has strong empathic abilities. Though Jude did the investigating—and is almost killed, it’s Hattie who turned the story in a new direction that brought me to the edge of my seat. Great plot twist and excellent writing!
The narration is steady with a smooth flow and good voice characterizations that enhanced the story without pulling me out of the moment.
Some Can See is book one in the Northern Michigan Asylum series. All books are standalone stories.
Enjoy!
This was not what I expected. I thought it would be full of ghastly asylum terror, but it wasn’t. I struggled with the change of POV and timeline- it was hard to tell what was happening when. The beginning seemed to give information that was useless to the conclusion of the story, and the writing was average. I’m giving it 3 stars because the story was unusual and entertaining, but if the transitions were cleaner, it may have been a 4.
betrayal, ghosts, family-dynamics, murder, paranormal, evil, suspense
A tale of individuals in a family line who seem to be punished for their gifts of contact with the dead. Each generation suffers in related ways, but the common denominator is the asylum. The tale of each is woven into a fabric of lies and cruelty. Don’t try to make sense of it while driving the freeway if you have the audio. It is related as narrative by Allyson Voller who is a good voice actor, but it would have been easier to follow if there had been a different narrator for the three major times.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway!
Loved this book! If you like a good story with twists, realistic characters and a strong paranormal element, you’ll love this novel. Will be reading more from this author!
Some Can See, the first installment in J.R. Erickson’s Northern Michigan Asylum collection, takes you down a dark path. This is a new author to me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was definitely not disappointed. While the story did jump around quite a bit it gave you the viewpoint from several different characters. The storyline was fairly well paced, filled with murder, mystery, intrigue and dark secrets. The characters were well developed and engaging. I look forward to reading more in this series.
****** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ******
This started out super creeptastic and it carried on with that vibe for the most part. JR Erickson flips back and forth between several perspectives and even timeliness. I have found that this writing type has become quite popular and it leaves me feeling confused through 70-80% of the book. I say that without it being a negative thing. I was able to slowly piece things together and there were several times that I was so lost that it was nearly like two storylines. This isn’t a bad thing, I’m able to put a detective hat on and see if I can place it all together.
I really enjoyed the narrator, Allyson Voller. She has a pleasant voice to listen to. She sets good pace and gives some good emotion. I did have a slight issue with the narration. Since the storyline had multiple POVs, I really wish it would have had at least two narrators. Like I said above, there’s a lot going on and with the double POVs it would have helped me keep the characters in their own box. Even with my brain going a million miles to keep it all together, I couldn’t get enough of this story… I loved the creepiness of it!
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by J.R. Erickson. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
This was my first J.R. Erickson’s book. This is the first book in the Northern Michigan Asylum Series, an amazing psychological paranormal thriller! This story is a standalone in the Series. Sophia’s story is tragic, and heartbreaking. I love Hattie and Jude’s determination to discover the truth about the disappearance of their mother, and the identity of Rosemary’s murderer. They are both wonderful characters, strong, intelligent, and capable. They are totally opposites. Hattie is sweet, gifted, and compassionate. Jude is feisty, skeptic, and hardhearted. The cast of supporting characters is impressive, and all characters are expertly well developed. The world building is dark, mysterious, and chilling. The storyline is well written, intricate, original, captivating and intriguing, filled with unpredictable twists and turns. Impossible to put it down! The mystery unfolds at a great pace. The back and forth, past to present, is well executed, and it help to better understand what happened. Allyson Voller is a fantastic narrator! She has a beautiful voice, easy to understand. The audio quality is great. This story exceeded my expectations. This is a GEM, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Looking forward to listen to the next book in the Series, Calling Back the Dead. #AudiobookWorm
It seems like such a good idea but I got lost with all the flipping back and forth between characters and times and places. I couldn’t get connected to the plot or characters because of this writing technique. Since each book is a standalone I will read the second one in hopes of connecting better.
Sophia can see things. Dead people mostly. When she’s accused of the murder of her friend, she’s locked in an asylum. Fast forward to modern day, Sophia’s daughters are left to uncover the truth about their mother’s death. What they learn sends them down a rabbit hole of mystery and danger.
I admit, it took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I did, I was glad I really gave it a chance. Past and present are given to us in a steady way that slowly feeds us the story and mounts the tension. There were plenty of twists, just the kind a brilliant psychological novel needs to keep you on the edge of your seat. The visuals in the story were a particular favorite of mine.
The narration was okay. Allyson had a light voice. Easy to listen to and added to the tension of the story in a way.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
After reading Rag Doll Bones, I had to pick-up the first book in the series. Great decision! With a mixture of mystery, suspense, horror, and ghosts, Some Can See did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this novel and will definitely have to continue reading this wonderful series. I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
A fast read and enjoyable book – I felt like I was really there with the characters.