Come Home, Katie: A Dear Celeste Novel: Dear Celeste, Book 1

Dear Celeste #1

by J.R. Erickson

What if you died and brought the dead back with you?

A terrible hit and run accident took Celeste Cleary's life until doctors managed to bring her back. But now she's... different. Once a respected scientist, she walks the thin veil between the living and the dead.

As she struggles to return to her former life, Celeste receives an email-a heart-wrenching letter from a stranger, a woman begging for help locating her seventeen-year-old sister, Katie, who vanished a year before.

Celeste's first impulse is to say no-what does she know about finding a missing person?

But late one snowy night Celeste is drawn into the forest where the spectral form of Katie awaits her and, though the girl does not speak, the message is clear. Katie wants Celeste to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.

As Celeste delves into the mystery surrounding Katie's vanishing, she is ensnared in a sinister labyrinth of secrets and lies. Someone doesn't want her to find out the truth and there's nothing they won't do to stop her.

Get lost in a dark paranormal mystery that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Paranormal, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Supernatural

Audible Audio

Published July 1, 2024

About the author

J.R. Erickson writes novels that blend murder mysteries with haunted houses. Her Northern Michigan Asylum series are novels of paranormal suspense inspired by a real former asylum in Traverse City. Her current books, the Troubled Spirits series, are all inspired by real crimes, which she covers in her true crime podcast, Bitter Endings.

Jacki is a lifelong lover of all things spooky, and started penning scary stories in childhood. She grew up in Mason, Michigan and is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.A. in Psychology. These days, Jacki resides near Traverse City, Michigan with her husband, son, and three cats.

Reviews

[Samantha Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily a five-star read.

This book was a great way to kick off a series. First, the main characters’ situations are compelling. I found them relatable and they felt like real people. Second, there were characters I liked and characters I genuinely disliked, maybe borderline hated. Third, there were several plot twists, some of which I didn’t see coming. And lastly, the book ends with a great cliffhanger. I can’t wait to read more in this series!

[AmBerGUR · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I went in completely blind. I knew absolutely nothing about this book. And omg I loved it I loved the supernatural stuff I had no idea it would be ghosts in this book. Kinda reminds me of the shows Medium and Ghost Whisperer combined. Anyways I think the middle of the book kinda dragged on a bit otherwise it would be higher rating.

[Lyndsey Gollogly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me completely hooked from start to finish. The story and characters just draw you in and have you invested. Celeste is changed after having a NDE and these changes bring a former sceptic and scientist to believe the spectral appearance of a young girl who missing means she need to help find her. There are a few times in this book where I thought hell no I’d be out of there I honestly wouldn’t have coped. It was really good, when I wasn’t reading I was thinking of who could have done it. I was so wrong up until 2 chapters before it was revealed! Highly recommend.

[Hannah Ruth Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celeste is hit by a car and has a near-death experience that alters her life forever. She writes an unofficial advice column, responding to one letter in particular about a woman's missing sister. She embarks on the case, using her unique perspective to help track down the missing woman.

I thought I had it figured out, then I wasn't sure, then I thought I had it figured out, but the twists and turns kept me guessing!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow!! and to end the book like that....
This book was amazing and highly recommend. If you want a good mystery/thriller/ghost story this is a must read! I couldn’t put the book down. The twist and characters were so well written.

[Amber K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the mystery, the creepy vibe, and the plot twists! Terrific audio narration.
J.R. Erickson is becoming a go to author for me when I'm in the mood for a great ghost story!
Recommended!!!

[Kayla Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book by this author, but definitely won’t be my last!

[Stefanie Silvestri · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.R. Erickson's latest book is a must-read for fans of the thriller genre. The story grips you from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the final page. Celeste, the main character, has an incredible ability to connect with spirits, which she uses to help solve the mystery of a missing girl. The twists and turns in the plot will keep you guessing until the very end. This is the first book in a new series, and I can't wait to see what J.R. Erickson has in store for us next.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the very first chapter. I enjoy books that intertwine the lives of the characters while keeping the plot flowing. The plot twist in this book was not what I had predicted! This story had it all- mystery, love, tragedy, a sense of community only living in a small town can give you. This was my first book by this author but definitely will not be my last!

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

New series by one of my favorite authors!

There's so much to love about a J. R. Erickson novel. The plots are meticulously thought out. The characters are so realistic, as is their lives, that they could be your neighbors. Then, they are touched by the supernatural. Not in an over the top way, though. These events feel as based in reality as the characters. Phenomenal murder mystery with an otherworldly twist.

[Leanne Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book, I was literally hooked by the first page! The intertwining stories of the woman in this book is extraordinary. Plot twists everywhere!! I wouldn’t be surprised if this was adapted into a movie or a series that’s how good it was.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She suffers a bad accident and she died before the doctors brought her back. She is no longer who she was and she now see the dead. They come to her for help and she wanted to say no until she was led to their child presence in a forest. What happened? Can she find out? See how she gets on

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional, suspenseful plot, palable tension, engaging characters, and exhilarating twists. The author never disappointed and had me on the edge of my seat, anticipating the mind-blowing ending. I love her books. Highly recommend

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing start to what's sure to be an unforgettable series. This author is still relatively new to me but is quickly becoming a fav.

As soon as I started this one I knew it was gonna to be a page turner, and I wasn't wrong. I found it impossible to put down and when I did, I couldn't wait to get back to it. I was sucked into the story right from the beginning.

[Marie Wikle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling… creepy…. Couldn’t put it down! What a wonderful introduction to Celeste! This mystery grabbed me from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down.

I loved everything about this book and can’t wait for more

I was selected as an early reader and leave this review voluntarily

[Karen Dandurant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of J.R. Erickson for some time now. This story was really good, well written, and is the start of a new series I will happily follow.

[Deb Barringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come Home, Katie, by J. R. Erickson, is a fascinating look into not only the mystery surrounding Katie's disappearance, but also dabbles in the mysterious phenomenon known as a Near Death Experience (NDE). After barely "surviving" a pedestrian vs. car accident from which the driver was never identified, Celeste returns to the land of the living with a new skill. She now sees spirits/ghosts, and it usually means they have something to tell her, if only she can bring herself to listen. With her marriage deteriorating, and struggling to figure out her new life since the accident, Celeste is desperately ready for a change of scenery. While trying to help Joanna find her sister Katie, Celeste finds herself on a bumpy road of self-discovery and potential healing.

The storyline is fast-paced and very well written, filled with mystery, intrigue, lies, twists and turns, and a touch of the supernatural (ghosts). Ms. Erickson writes her stories in such a way that you feel as if you are part of the proceedings. The characters are well developed and engaging. These are so lifelike they could be your neighbors, and Katie could be your younger sister that you swore to protect.

This novel really hits home for me as to how precious life is, and how much we take for granted. Small towns are a luxury, not a waste of space. Always beware of your surroundings and ensure you can contact someone for help.

Overall, Come Home, Katie, is an exceptional novel that dares to open the curtains on the depravity still present in the world today--not only in the world, but in our own backyards! A Must Read! I can't wait for the second novel in this new Dear Celeste series is ready!

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Celeste nearly dies after a hit and run, her whole life changes. She begins to devote herself to an online advice column, Dear Celeste. She is contacted by a young woman looking for her younger sister, Katie, who disappeared a year ago. Celeste, still in pain and at odds with her former life, decides to help Joanna find Katie after "seeing" an apparition of the young woman in her backyard.

Together, Celeste and Joanna try to track down Katie's last days and discover what happened to her. Celeste experiences more and more supernatural-type events and even attends a meeting with others who had a Near Death Experience (NDE). Soon, things start to happen that puts Celeste in danger as she gets closer to the truth. Was Katie the victim of a serial killer or did she just run away?

Even though I figured out the culprit before the ending, the book still help my attention up until the very end. The characters were well-written and relatable and the story was intriguing and fast paced. I also appreciated Celeste's journey through her pain and PTSD from her accident. I could totally relate to this since I suffered a far less life threatening accident myself and have found that this one incident has definitely changed my life in many ways.

The narrator did a great job and her performance added a lot to the book. If you enjoy a well-written ghost story with lots of emotion and twists, you can't go wrong with J.R. Erickson's books.

[Anna Hadnagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story was outstanding and the narration was easy to follow. Overall, 10/10.

I had an issue with one section, however. The whole ‘intervention’ from Jonathan was unnecessary for the plot, from what I could tell; not to mention unrealistic. Jonathan shows up and forces Celeste to leave her temporary lodging, then drives her to a surprise visit with her (her!) doctor, all that was set up without Celeste’s involvement or knowledge. Doctor then refuses to prescribe more prescription meds “for a week” but “if do your stretches and come back after” he’ll give out another prescription. It all sounded forced and hard to believe.

In addition, that segment reduced Celeste into a fearful and intimidated wife who is at the mercy of men who seem to be straight out of the 20th century and appear to conspire behind the woman’s (the patient) back. I don’t think that’s how US healthcare of the 21st century works.

After that she returns and solves the murder, and the story ends, with this little detour having no contribution to the resolution. What was the point, to throw some dirt at a modern patriarchal society that refuses to believe in the paranormal? Provide Celeste with some character development? Please. Her marriage was long over by that point, and her substance abuse issues remained unresolved.

Anyhow, great book. I would recommend it.

[Myranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say that J.R. Erickson has a new fan would be an understatement!

At first, I thought this was giving "Ghost Whisperer" vibes (you know...the show with Jennifer Love Hewitt). I've never really watched the show but gathered that Melinda could see ghosts/spirits and she tried to help them and understand why they were appearing to her. I mean...I wasn't far off except that Celeste wasn't born with this gift. It manifested after a near death experience.

I haven't spent any real time in Michigan, where this story takes place, but traveled through a few times so I was able to put together a visual in my head as the story unfolded. I have to say that I was about 75% of the way through the book when my brain was still trying to figure out and solve the mystery.

I rate books based on my initial gut reaction upon finishing the book and this was an IMMEDIATE 5 STARS. I will say one thing and it's not a spoiler, I don't like adding spoilers to my reviews. I know that there are people who skip things like prologues and epilogues. This book is not one of the books you should skip the epilogue! Now if you'll excuse me while I surf through this author's published works and decide what to read next!

[Alyssa Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a self-published book that could have benefited from a professional editor. The writing was not always the best, but that being said, I thought the author crafted a great story. I kept turning the pages, needing to know what happened next, and I really enjoyed my time with this book.

I think Erickson did a fantastic job with the atmosphere of the town of Graves. It has such a sense of place that I didn't have trouble picturing any part of it and really felt like I was there. Celeste is a great character - flawed but well-meaning and interesting. I was really rooting for her, especially in her strained marriage with Jonathan, who I do not like at all. The main story gets tied up nicely in the end, but there's a cliffhanger involving Celeste that definitely makes me want to read the next book.

I did predict the twist pretty early on, but I still wanted to keep reading to see if I was right, and the way it all unraveled was engaging enough to keep me going. Maybe this is just me, but I also don't think correctly predicting a twist is necessarily a bad thing. A good twist should never come completely out of the blue anyway.

Despite some of the writing hiccups, I think this book deserves four stars for being just a genuinely great story.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of J.R Erickson’s books so was excited when Come Home, Katie appeared on my kindle unlimited recommends.

I read this in a single sitting. My memory isn’t fresh on the Trouble Spirits books right now and I may be wrong, but am fairly sure 2 characters have cameos in this. Either way, you don’t need to read those books at all to enjoy this. But they are a brilliant collection of supernatural mysteries and I highly recommend them. This too is a great supernatural mystery.

I loved Celeste. There’s just something about her that I found likeable and true in character. Her accident left her feeling different and although I’ve not been through that I understood the change in character etc. Jonathan really annoyed me. In fact I almost want to say sickened, odd choice of word but he really rubbed me the wrong way. Jo was lovely and I loved the guessing of who was responsible as the mystery evolved.

A solid 4 stars, I really hope we get another full series like Troubled Spirits as I read those in a single sitting too. This was kindle unlimited so free if you subscribe and there’s bonus chapters if you sign up at the end of the book!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has so much potential. It has most of what I love in mystery books-a compelling mystery, an investigator who isn’t supposed to be trained (so their mistakes aren’t completely ridiculous), a haunting ghost story. But the formatting was just so disjointed. The story is told in 2 POVs-the psychic who doesn’t understand her gift who volunteers to investigate a disappearance after she sees what she believes to be the girl’s ghost, and the missing girl’s sister. The issue I had with the POV switches is that the author seems to be trying to create chapter cliffhangers. You know the kind, the ones designed to keep you reading to find out what happens next. The problem is that the chapters often didn’t actually end on any kind of cliffhanger, they really just ended in the middle of a scene, then would jump to the other POV. This also means I had no strong urge to get through the interrupting POV to find out what happened next with the other, because it wasn’t a real cliffhanger. There’s no anticipation. No drive to continue. I listened to this on audible, otherwise I probably would not have ended up finishing it. The narrator was pretty good though.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! Celeste suffers from a near death experience when she’s hit by a car and is in a coma for 10 days. When she wakes up, she realizes that she has died and came back, but she’s changed, and now has abilities to see and sense things she never could before.

Celeste has a Dear Celeste column online where she answers questions and gives advice. A young woman named Joanna reaches out to her and asks for help in finding her sister, Katie, who went missing months ago and the case seems to have gone cold. When Celeste seems to have visions of Katie she decides to go and help.

As Joanna and Celeste dig deeper into the disappearance of Katie, strange things start to happen. Is it the killer trying to keep them from solving the case? And how will Celeste be able to use her new abilities to help Joanna?

This book kept me engaged and wondering who it could be the whole time. It blurred the lines between the paranormal and reality and how having those abilities can both help and hinder your judgment. I enjoyed the characters and excited to move onto the next book in the series!

**Fun fact: my name is Katie and I also have a sister named Joanna!**

[Jingizu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Start to a New Series!

Ms Erickson just gets better! This book, the first in her new "Dear Celeste" series, starts with a bang!

Celeste, a biochemistry scientist, has a life-changing experience when she is in a serious accident. Not only has her whole life outlook changed but she can also now see spirits and visions, something she finds hard to accept and deal with.

Now her hobby advise page, Dear Celeste, has become all consuming to her. When Joanna, a desperate woman, reaches out to help find her missing sister, Celeste is obsessively drawn to the case.

Both main characters, Celeste and Joanna, are wonderful realistic people and their journeys are fascinating and poignant.

The mystery keeps you guessing as the list of suspects grows and old secrets are revealed. What did Katie find in her research of the town's history?

The pacing is steady and the writing keeps you gripped. I finished it in one, reading through the night.

Highly recommended and I wish the next book was already available!

[Bella Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

And I thought the Troubled Spirits series was good!

J. R. Erickson has been one of my favorite authors for almost a year now, and I have voraciously consumed everything she's written since. So, when I had the opportunity to read Come Home, Katie, I jumped at the chance.

When I was growing up, my mother read from a column called Dear Abby. It was an advice column regular people could write into about anything they wondered about, and this unknown "Abby" would answer some of this questions. This book was based around the same concept, with a "Dear Celeste" advice column that leads one such advice columnist to a small town to help solve a murder.

This book really highlighted what J. R. Erickson does best: build suspense! I simply couldn't put it down. I told myself I'd read just one chapter, just one more chapter. Then something would be revealed, and you simply can't put the book down after that. And I just noticed the next one in the series is already up for preorder. Going to grab that too and sit on my hands until it releases. I can't wait!

[Donna M. Bassano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to say Come Home Katie is full of twists and turns. Reading Celeste's life adjustment to an NDE was intriguing and the descriptive were excellent. I read this in less than 2 days! The intermix of mystery, paranormal and just an overall great storyline kept me swiping my kindle!! I cannot wait to read the next one! J.R.'s writing will have you able to envision the characters as well as the events that are occurring throughout the story. At one point I just knew who it was, nope I was wrong. What a cliffhanger! I found this author by accident. If you have not read her books yet, start with the Asylum series before the Troubled Spirits. Although they are stand alone books, you will find that she brings some of the characters in her other books into the next ones, which I love. Now that I am reading the Asylum series, I can connect the characters that I have already read about. Don't pass up on J.R. Erickson

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find the ability to see spirits a fascinating discovery. People being able to help solve crimes seems like it would be such a rewarding feeling. Then I think about the level of anxiety that might occur being bombarded with all those departed souls. Then there is the danger involved with seeing the dead. What if they are angry and cannot sense that you are trying to help them? Not a good situation to be in for sure. Luckily in this story, Celeste is asked to help find a missing girl, a teen who’s does not seem angry. Since Celeste gained this ability after a NDE, she is also trying to find out why she feels different. She no longer thinks things with her scientist mind since she now knows there is an “after” when we pass from this world. This story had my attention the entire book and wow what an ending! Look forward to more about Celeste. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sheri Corriero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a paranormal mystery? I really liked it. In this book, Celeste is revived by doctors after an accident. She seems to bring with her the ability to see spirits. She has been asked by the sister of a missing girl, Katie, to help find her. Celeste is confused – how would she know what to do? She’s not a detective. Celeste is drawn to the forest where she can now see the spirit of Katie and is drawn into helping find out what happened to her. After meeting the sister, Joanna, Celeste will try her best. I love this author and the genre she writes. In this book we see the spirit/paranormal side of things which I love, but we also see how the NDE changed Celeste and has affected her personality and relationships. I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars rounded up. This book was very slow moving for me for about 75 percent of the story. I had that feeling of ughh I “need” to finish this, but I don’t really want to keep picking it up 🙄. My attention was not peaked enough unfortunately. I thought the premise was interesting but the character building and plot line fell a little bit flat for me. The pace picked up at the very end which was nice! I was able to theorize/identify the murderer less than halfway through the book which may be why it felt like it was dragging so much. I tend to enjoy thriller/mysteries more when there is more of an element of surprise or twist. I did really have fun talking to friends from my book club about it throughout!