Seeing

by Patrick Winters

A secret revealed. A legacy undone. A horror immortalised.

For generations, the Berdeaux family name had been synonymous with hospitality and distinction. But that all changed in the summer of 1979, when Dewey Berdeaux’s “hobby” came to light. It was a revelation that stunned the town of Barrville, and ever since then, the Berdeaux family mansion has stood as a grim reminder—with its fair share of ghosts, if rumour is to be believed.

Now, a brother and sister will bring their team of paranormal investigators to the ancestral home, seeking evidence of the supernatural. They aim to show the world there is something more beyond our passing.

But sometimes, some things are better left unseen…

Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2021

Reviews

[Stephanie]

(Note: my reviews are no longer 'starred' - I'm sticking to comments)

Seeing is a short, chilling supernatural tale with a southern gothic vibe. The setting and description capture the atmosphere perfectly as the group of ghost hunters seek to discover evidence of a haunting. When events take a turn for the worse, they find themselves confronted by a force stronger than any they'd expected. Winters has generated fantastic pace to a tale you might not want to read in the dark when a floorboard creaks and shadows lurk. Highly recommend.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Berdeaux house has been known for its hospitality for centuries. Generations have supported local families and soldiers of war, providing their time and space to those in need. Until Dewey Berdeaux! The last known descendent of the Beardeaux family tree was reputed for being a recluse and a far cry from his helpful ancestors. Dewey mostly kept to himself, until a secret was uncovered accidentally. The house has been unoccupied for decades after the incidents surrounding Dewey came to light, and like most other abandoned premises, the once-famed Berdeaux property shortly gained a new reputation of being haunted.

A brother-sister duo and their team of paranormal investigators decide to explore the Berdeaux mansion and find evidences of a haunting. Terry has often spoken about seeing spirits since his childhood, and Laura has supported his claims, but the siblings’ commercial venture has never yielded any tangible proof. What secrets would the Berdeaux family home unravel? What more could paranormal investigators find out that the police couldn’t?

Seeing is a wonderfully paced horror novella that keeps the reader hooked from the first line to the last. “Even in a scanned copy of a faded photograph, the Berdeaux House was imposing.” begins the story, and author Patrick Winters transports you into the house, wandering through its halls that turned from glory to gory. Winters’ writing is descriptive, without a line out of place. He strikes the perfect pace of building up the suspense and taking us into the thick of the action. The narrative is atmospheric and eerie rather than in-your-face scary; the horror subtly creeping up on the reader as we are one among the characters searching for life among death.

Although haunted houses and supernatural phenomena are common tropes in horror, Winters steers clear of the expected path and offers us a fresh spin in dark fiction. The cover is beautifully designed, and the blending of black-and-white with sepia tones perfectly matches the old school charm and contemporary mystery of the story. Seeing was my first book from this author, and I will certainly read more from him.

[Books+Coffee=Happiness Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

Seeing is the first story I’ve read by this author. I’ve always loved horror books and movies, especially ones about haunted houses. However, that also means my expectations are high.

The Berdeaux House is home of a famous murderer, who supposedly haunts the halls. Sounds like an amazing, spine tingling read, doesn’t it?

The beginning, for me, was a bit slow. When we get to the creepy, haunted house, the author set the stage with a short conversation and tour with the owner. To this point, the pacing is slow. Incredibly so for such a short novella.

Once left to their own devices, the ghost hunters set up their equipment and start their hunt. I was ready and waiting for some action! And then waited and waited…

This is the part that dragged for me. Instead of letting me experience the initial rounds of their investigation, the author “tells” us about it. The pages with little to no action drag the pace down further.

Then we finally meet the ghost!

Once the ghost enters the scene, things go from almost stagnant to warp speed. Action. Drama. Violence. I could feel the emotions at this point in the story and was eager for more. Sadly, over 70% is spent setting up the actual haunting so it was over far too quickly.

Those short action-packed pages were thrilling.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Berdeaux house was built back in the 1800’s and the family became pillars of the community. From opening up their home for a makeshift hospital during the Civil War era to holding parties for forlorn families. Well as the years went on, that hospitality disappeared. By the time Dewey Berdeaux inherited the house, it was worn down and he did nothing to repair it. No one had anything bad to say about this shy “good-natured” neighbor. Little did they know, Dewey had some sick hobbies that took place in his home. Hundreds of years later, the Berdeaux house is still a dilapidated as ever and no one lives there.

Laura and Terry, a ghost hunting brother and sister, become the first team that the new owner has agreed to let into the house. Terry has always been sensitive to the spirits around him which makes him hesitant to do this job, but Laura has a good feeling about this one. They really need this to work out to ensure that they still have funding in the future.

This was a very quick read for me. I finished it in about 2 days. The story flows well and keeps the reader engaged. I wish it would have been longer because it made me feel as though, I left in the middle of the movie and missed the ending. The ending came fast and was very abrupt. It left me wanting more. However, I enjoyed the story and am excited about future stories.

[Aubrey Frandsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say this is a 3.5 for me. The beginning of the book was extremely slow all the way up to almost 75-80% of way through the book. The author sets everything up, but there was too much focus on how the main characters hadn't seen anything for the past few trips they'd made and, at the beginning of this new place, how nothing seemed to be happening. Some of that's fine, but if it's a horror book, I expected more of the book to be scary, but too much of it was worldbuilding and setup for my tastes.
That being said, once the scary stuff started happening, it was super good! I wanted much more of that and felt like it ended too soon once we really started getting into the haunting. I think if the author had had more of that and less of the worldbuilding, it would've been a 5.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Berdeaux family was once one of distinction that the town embraced. In 1979 after the home has left to Dewey, who seemed a recluse, it is discovered that he is nothing like his past family. What horrors lay in his basement? Decades later, the owner of Berdeaux mansion decides to let a brother/sister paranormal duo and their team into the house to investigate the rumors that the house is haunted.

I love the premise of this book. It was scary enough and I really enjoyed the story. My only gripe is that it ended to abruptly. Can't wait for the next in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Winters is not just a gifted writer, but one who takes the time to wield his words for maximum impact. With an economy of description he makes us see the characters and dresses the scene to prepare us for the action to come. At the same time, he doesn't stay with the expected. Patrick is definitely an author to follow.