The sprawling Kerry Manor has stood abandoned for nearly a century.But that hasn’t kept the darkness at bay. Stories about the cursed house trickle out. Violent deaths, strange sightings, and always the chilling sound of a little girl’s song permeates the murky halls.Today, Kerry Manor is restored to its original grandeur. Corrie and Sammy Flynn, and their daughter Isis, move into the house for a … Flynn, and their daughter Isis, move into the house for a winter retreat. As they settle into the dim, gothic rooms, they cannot imagine the terror that awaits them.
Kerry Manor houses a malevolence that spans a century. A twisted tale that began when a little girl went into the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane and emerged as something dark – something evil.
Kerry Manor is the second novel in a series of stand-alone stories in the Northern Michigan Asylum Series. Start your chilling journey today.
more
By the time I finished Calling Back the Dead, I was not only considering the validity of paranormal activity, but I was also questioning my own sanity!
Lover of all things macabre and horror-related, Sammy Flynn jumps at the chance to move his family into the century-old Kerry Manor for the winter. The rumors and stories of mysterious singing and violent deaths only heighten Sammy’s excitement.
When Corrie Flynn wakes up in Kerry Manor, the morning after the mega-Halloween bash she and Sammy hosted, she’s hungover, covered in blood, and Sammy is dead at the base of a tree… murdered.
As the police track down and question all those who attended the party, their focus is on Corrie but they lack physical evidence, much of it unwittingly destroyed by Sara, Sammy’s twin sister, the morning after his murder.
While Sara believes in Corrie’s innocence, she recalls conversations she had with her brother about changes in Corrie’s behavior since they moved into the Manor. Sammy shrugged off his concerns at first, but his concern grows until he decides to move his family away from Kerry Manor, but he’s killed before he can make it happen.
Annoyed by the police, Sara searches for her own answers and meets Will, a teen who attended the Halloween party and has a tragic connection to Kerry Manor… his father was convicted of killing his mother there and sent to prison where he committed suicide. Will still believes in his father’s innocence and that something dark and evil dwells inside the Manor.
Brokenhearted Corrie knows something is wrong with her and believes she’ll stop seeing the little girl and hearing the singing… if she can just bring Sammy back.
As the police close-in on Corrie, her search for the man who wrote a book on calling back the dead, and Sara and Will’s search for the truth about Kerry Manor will lead them all to the abandoned Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane where evil still survives.
This one got me!
The closer the story got to the truth, the tighter the suspense!
Unmasking Sammy’s killer answered many questions… and opened a new can of worms.
The story kept me on edge right up to the ending… and left me there! What just happened?
Well-written with good narration, I definitely recommend Calling Back the Dead. Just leave the lights on!
Enjoy!
Calling Back the Dead
A Northern Michigan Asylum Novel
By: J.R. Erickson
Narrated by: Kelsey Navarro
Calling Back the Dead is the perfect fall listen. This stand alone, second book of the Northern Michigan Asylum series captured my attention with this psychological thriller. Meet Corrie and Sammy. They have rented the well-known cursed house, Kerry Manor. Sammy loves horror, authoring a scary comic. Little did he know, this house would be his demise. And what happens next is frightening! From haunting creepy nursery rhymes to having that feeling of being watched, the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. And just when you think you have the answers, another twist will lead you in another direction. It has all the elements of a great horror story! I was hooked and will go back and find the first book in the series now.
Kelsey Navarro is an amazing narrator. She adapts to this genre with such ease, building the suspense and creating the personalities of all the characters perfectly. I love her creepy little girl nursery rhyme voice, the kind that you will hear in the middle of the night! She creates the atmosphere with her voice and kept me riveted.
https://adbl.co/32O2hWL
Calling Back the Dead is J.R. Erickson’s 2nd installment in the Northern Michigan Asylum collection. I enjoyed the first book, but this one is much more organized and the story is more concise. I liked the author’s use of “then” and “now” vs. jumping between dates. The story was well-written and fast-paced, filled with ghosts, mystery, memories, murder and even a little side romance. The characters were well-developed and engaging. Corrie’s grief was so heartfelt it was almost real. Maybe you have to experience a similar grief to relate, but, to me, her loss was so profound it almost caused me physical pain. It surely invoked memories. I look forward to future books and many more trips to the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane.
A spooky and unique paranormal thriller
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
This audiobook surprised and entertained me with its unpredictable, emotional, scary, and romantic story. Yes, there have been famous novels about a haunted house or possession by an evil spirit or about making the dead return. This book has all of those elements, but it is far from being an awkward hodgepodge. J.R. Erickson has brilliantly written something subtle and extraordinary with realistic details. It is about love, life, and family. It can break your heart and send chills up your spine. It has a bittersweet tone threaded through with a sneaky evil. The deliberate pacing sucked me in and made me yearn to return to it every time I had to leave my audiobook. Although there are brief bursts of violence, the story does not linger on any graphic or bloody details. I do not remember any bad language. There is hardly any sexual content, just a little making out and a few closed door love scenes.
This is a standalone book in a series of related books. The setting is 2001-2002 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It starts with a murder on Halloween, and the timeline switches back and forth to what happened before the murder and what happened after. The story is told in present tense first person perspective of two characters, Corrie and Sara. Corrie is a young woman about 31 and mother of a toddler whose beloved husband, Sammy, was brutally murdered after a Halloween party at the large historical house that they rented for six months. Sara is Corrie’s sister-in-law and the twin sister of Sammy. The narrative choice of having these two characters’ perspectives really opened up the possibilities and increased the tension. I also appreciate the fascinating minor characters in the book.
This “Calling Back the Dead” was further enhanced by an expert performance by Kelsey Navarro. At first I didn’t really like the voice/accent that she had for Corrie, but I soon realized that it was perfect for the character. I am not familiar with accents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so I am not sure if the accents were accurate. She did make every character’s voice distinctive. The narrator provided excellent pacing, especially with the most thrilling scenes. She also was perfect at the wide range of emotions present in this story.
This is my first book by J.R. Erickson, and I can’t wait to listen to more in this series. It blew my mind. I totally recommend this book to everyone who likes paranormal thrillers, light horror books, or tragic romances. In addition, everyone who likes haunted house books should try this one.
I requested and received a free audiobook copy via #AudiobookObsession, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
#AudiobookObsession Reviewer
This is the second book in the Northern Michigan Asylum Series, a chilling and gothic psychological paranormal thriller. This story is a standalone in the Series. Wow! This story is scarier than the first book in the Series! I wasn’t prepared for it. The story is set in Kerry Manor, a grievous haunting gothic house. The world building is devilishly fantastic, haunting, intriguing, and captivating. Coorie’s story is sorrowful. The supporting characters are intriguing. The ending is unexpectedly twisted, and mournful. Kelsey Navarro did an outstanding job with the narration. She is a fantastic narrator, versatile, and professional. The audio quality is perfect. Looking forward to listen to the next book in the Series, Ashes Beneath Her. If you like gothic thriller, this one is for you! 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.
Corrie, Sammy and their daughter Isis rented Kerry Mansion thinking they had it all to themselves. But lurking within the walls was another spirit, who likes to be known. This is not a typical haunted house story. This story will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, that you cannot get off of. I could not put this book down. I was hooked from the minute I opened the book. This was my introduction to the Northern Michigan Asylum series and I cannot wait to read more. It is a very haunting tale, that seemed so real to me.
Kelsey Navarro narrated this story wonderfully. She has an easy to listen to voice that draws you into the story. Kelsey keeps all the characters distinct so the narration is easy to follow. I cannot wait to hear more from Ms. Navarro.
A well written haunting story of love, possession, mystery, twists with a surprising turn at the end.
Kelsey did a wonderful job narrating.
Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession
This is not a standalone.. You need to the first one before this one.