This is the second book in a series and it is really important to read the first book Trace of Evil before this one, as there are many events within the first book that shape Natalie as a character and the town as well.

Alice Blanchard is back with the second book in her Natalie Lockhard series, and during Halloween all thing afoul in Burning Town, including murder:

Burning Lake is known for it's connection to Wicca, so that means that people come from far and wide to take part in the Halloween fun that occurs each year. Every police officer is expected to help out in some fashion to help keep everything in line. Natalie goes above and beyond as she also volunteers the next morning to help cleaning everything up, but leave it to Natalie to find a young woman lying dead in a dumpster, with no ID. So the search begins to find out who this woman is, why she was in Burning Lake. But this case also bring up more from Natalie's past, something she had not thought about in a very long time, and with recent events already on her mind, Natalie doesn't know if she has it in her to work on another murder. All that keeps her going is the need to keep busy and to get justice for the murdered woman.

This was a good second book in the series, but I do not think that is it as good as the first. This book had a tricky balance to follow up from the events in the first book, as there are many events that occur in the first book that really shape Natalie. You can see at times Blanchard’s struggle with the mystery involved in this book and then personal struggles that Natalie is going through, she is unsure which should take center stage. I don’t think Blanchard gets it quite right, I found more time was spent on Natalie focusing on her own trouble and not that of the case she is working and understandable if this was the real world that is how it should be, but in book format it really slowed the book down.

As with the first book and the Pager, this one seemed to get a few details wrong the main one that irked me the most was people do not use Vaseline to block smells (of a dead body), they use Vicks. I wonder who is proof reading her books, anyone with a police background? Also, I don’t understand why Blanchard has Natalie switch between calling her parents by their first name and then call them mom and Dad. There are times when I forget their first name and then in the next sentence she states that it is her mom, why not just stick to mom?

I really really missed the Wicca aspect from the first book, I mean i feel like Balnchard has created a unique opportunity by having her books set in burning town and then not taking advantage of it in this book. Yes there was little bit about Wicca here and there but nothing like the first book, and that is where the first book shined.

Well I got it wrong who the bad guy was, so that always boosts a book in my opinion if I cannot figure it all out. There seems to be too many options in Burning Town and I appreciate that Blanchard fooled me till the very end. I just wished more of the book was spent on the mystery aspect and i feel like there are certain things that remained unresolved in the book especially around her high school friend, Bella, which I have Blanchard addresses at another point as I feeling like I was left hanging on that aspect in the story. I mean it does play a main part in Natalie's thought process in the book, so it seems off that all was not addressed there.
This book was good and it does have a lot of character development for Natalie but I found the book to be slow, the mystery aspect too a back seat and I missed the Wicca aspect. All that said I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Enjoy!!!

This is the second book in the series. And while it isn't absolutely necessary to read the first book, I found it helpful to do. In fact, I started to read this book, quite after a couple of chapters, went back to read the first book, then restarted this one. So I recommend reading the first one before this one. You'll get a better feel for the characters. Plus, the events of the first book are still impacting the relationships in this book. And some of the events in this book might seem a little too convenient unless you have the background from the first book.

Over all, it was an enjoyable read. The town of Burning Lake might seem like a quite New York town, but it is a messed up place behind the scenes and built on a terrible historic event. I found the main character to be a little difficult to connect with until I read book one..

I really enjoyed this book! This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

Do you have a detective series that you follow? I am obsessed with Lisa Gardner’s DD Warren series. When I received a copy of Natalie Lockhart’s first detective series last year, I was immediately hooked and couldn’t wait to read the next. THE WICKED HOUR did not disappoint.

The day after Burning Lake’s notorious, debauched Halloween celebration, Detective Natalie Lockhart uncovers a heartbreaking scene—a young woman, dead and lying in a dumpster. There’s no clue to who she is, save for a mystifying tattoo on her arm, and a callus underneath her chin. She’s not from around here. No one knows who she is.

As Natalie retraces the young woman’s steps leading up to her death, she uncovers a deeper, darker horror—a string of murders and disappearances, seemingly unconnected, that may have ties to each other—and explain the abrupt disappearance of her best friend years ago.

I read the author's first book before I read this one and I'm glad I did. I have a new author to add to my must read list. I have already pre-ordered the third book. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I didn't read the first book in this series, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this sequel. I want to go back and re-read the first one, since I think there's some background I missed, but I didn't need the background to get sucked into the murder investigation. Definitely a series I will start (and keep) reading!

Violinists are dying in an upstate NY town known for its witches. The detective investigating has to overcome her emotional baggage, stemming from her sister being a killer in a previous case. Action goes from the Halloween festival, to a music conservatory, with so many suspects it is hard to keep track. But in the end, it narrows nicely and she manages to solve it.

The Wicked Hour is the second book in the Natalie Lockhart series, and unfortunately, I had not read the first one - and there were clearly things that I missed out on from not reading the first.

Detective Natalie Lockhart is on the case in search of the murderer of a young woman found dead in a dumpster the day after Halloween. All she has to go on is a tattoo on her arm and a marking under her chin. This mystery has lots of twists and turns - the plot was quite unique as well. I also really enjoyed the realistic police procedural aspects to the story.

The book is well written and the descriptions are really detailed and I did not see the ending coming! Thanks #netgalley for a copy of this book #thewickedhour

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

This is a solid detective mystery. I didn’t realize it was the second in a series when I started it. It can stand alone but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book. There were times it felt a bit wordy and drawn out but overall an entertaining story.

This was a really great suspense/mystery. I felt like about halfway through it really picked up in excitement. It was an incredible mystery filled with twist and turns. I recommend this book if you love mystery, crime, and suspense! Finally, it ends in a way really making you wish for a little more of the story.

I didn't realize this was a series but I'm so glad that it is. I love a good detective series and this one did not disappoint. It was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat plus the ending was completely mind-blowing. I will definitely be reading the first book and looking out for the third book.

Great mystery! Natalie is a detective in the upper NY area and the latest case is trying to figure out how a young woman ended up dead in a dumpster after the town’s big Halloween celebration. Loved the storyline over the characters. Great mystery.

Can you say scary? This book was a real delight and I stayed up all night reading it. More from this author please

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this plot of this story but the writing was a little choppy and wordy. You can read it as a stand-alone, though I recommend reading the first book before hand. I did not and was a bit confused about some things that had happened, but not so much I couldn’t figure things out.

As we detect alongside head detective Natalie Lockhart, we feel what she feels, think what she thinks. The author did a great job making Natalie likable and relatable.

I did not like the end of the book. It felt rushed. The main story was continuing on, then it just stopped almost mid thought. There is an epilogue though it’s rushed yet drawn out at the same time. It almost feels like filler trying to make up for the thought drop at the end.

After reading this one, I know I won’t go back and read the first one, but I may read the next to see if it’s better or fills in some missing info from this story.

Burning Lake is known for its extreme Halloween party taking up the whole town. The following morning during cleanup, a dead body is found and Natalie Lockhart is part of the case looking into the young woman’s death. As Natalie retraces the woman’s steps to discover her identity and the identity of her killer, she uncovers a string of other murders and the possibility of a tie to her best friend that had disappeared after high school graduation. The killer might be someone she knows and might be setting a trap for her that she can’t avoid.

The Wicked Hour is the second book featuring Natalie Lockhart. I hadn’t read the first book, which probably outlines the events that the characters keep referring back to. It didn’t slow down my enjoyment of this book or attachment to the characters. It felt like I was dumped in media res, with enough clues to keep from breaking me out of the flow. For me, it felt like another layer of mystery and standoffishness that separated her from her coworkers on the force, all of whom she seems to have known since school. Small towns are like that, and the weight of that history means that a lot of frustration and hurt can remain unspoken for years. These small towns also have pressure to keep their reputations picturesque for the sake of tourism and events; Burning Lake for their Halloween festival, and Chaste Falls for the conservatory.

We follow Natalie on her investigation, going over every clue as it’s found. A lot of it is related to conversations with different townsfolk, including people that Natalie grew up with. There are not only a lot of details about her past but little tidbits that she follows on to the next step in the chain as she traces out the timeline. It’s slow and methodical, more like the real world than an hour-long police procedural TV show, and I really like how it gives insight into the characters as well as the nature of the profession. It’s also a lull before the next shoe drops. Natalie is disappointed in the things she discovers about people she has known all her life, and I can’t imagine that kind of emotional devastation. When we get to the conclusion of the novel, it’s nonstop tension and a literal dizzying drop that is so viscerally described, I thought I was right along with Natalie the entire time.

Tensely done, this is a gripping mystery right to the very end.

The Wicked Hour is the second Natalie Lockheart novel and as much as I loved the first (Trace of Evil), I loved this one even more. FYI, I highly recommend reading this series in order. I actually reread Trace of Evil right before starting this one because I needed to reorient myself with the story and setting.

First, this book dives so much deeper into Natalie’s character and her relationship with her friends - especially after the events from book one. I loved getting to know Natalie on a deeper level, and I found myself rooting for her even more than I did in Trace of Evil.

The mystery - or mysteries I should say - in this book also drew me in from the start and kept me hooked the whole way. I think I was more invested in the plot because I knew the characters already, so I was invested even more in their success.

Also. The ending. THE ENDING WTFFFFFFF. I’m only mad because I have to wait forever for the next one. I flipped the page (I mean...tapped on my kindle) to read the final paragraph and my jaw dropped. The author leaves you a bit whiplashed, setting us up perfectly for book three.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check this series out - it’s become one of my favorites! Thanks a bunch to @netgalley, @minotaur_books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As I mentioned, book one of the Natalie Lockhart series left me wanting more from our lead character. It also left me with some series whiplash from the books pacing. I had like Trace of Evil enough though, that I decided to venture once more into Lockhart’s world.

One thing I like about detective series, and why I read them in order, is I really enjoy the character growth you see from the main protangist. The Wicked Hour is no different and really gave me what Trace of Evil lacked.

Month’s after learning the true cause of her sister’s death, Lockhart is back on duty and stumbles upon the body of a young women. No one knows who she is, she carries no ID, has violinist calluses and a Wicca tattoo . As Lockhart works to understand who this women is and why she died, old wounds from when her best friend left without a trace starts to fester. because wasn’t her own best friend a talented violinist who mysterious disappeared from the same town.

Lockhart’s had a tough life, with a missing best friend and a murdered sister. While we learn more about her sister in Trace of Evil it’s not until this book that we really understand the significant of the her best friend missing years before. Blanchard gave me what I needed from book 1 here, and really helped me to start to see Lockhart resilient and determined women. But while she’s strong, Lockhart’s faults and vulnerabilities are not totally erased, which I always think makes characters much more realistic.

Once again the plot is great and I love the Salem witches type vibe from the town of Burning Lake. The pacing was much better in the second Natalie Lockhart book than the first and for that I am a happy camper. I definitely enjoyed this one more than Trace of Evil and am really looking forward to the next installment.


The Wicked Hour is out now. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Thank you netgalley for this arc.
This is the second book in the Natalie Lockhart series and it did not disappoint.
If your a fan of police procedurals than this is the series for you!
This read has you guessing right up until the end.
And whaaa the last line of the book had me like 🤷‍♀️
I can't wait for the third in this series.
If you haven't read the first one, Trace of evil, I would recommend reading it first just to have a little bit of background on the characters.

I liked the main character a lot but the whole plot was a little flat. Probably won't read any more by this author.