Apparently this is a second book in a series and I think it matters if you haven't read the first book. There is not an adequate backstory to provide information on what has happened in the past. Also, there were at least two instances of repetition of a paragraph that were nearly word for word about a couple of events. It took too long to get any interest in the what is happening now because of not having the  character's histories. The police procedural portions seemed drawn out to fill space. There is more movement in the last quarter of the book than in the entire book and that was when it became interesting. I would not recommend reading this book unless you have already read the first book. Second half of the book was good. 
I was provided an advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. 
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is the second in a series.  I haven't read the first so it left a few questions that didn't get answered.  I did enjoy the mystery and the process that Natalie used to get to the bottom of her case.  The characters were interesting.  Natalie is an intriguing lead character.  I liked her but she has experienced a lot of pain.  I do want to go back and read the first book in the series to get answers about her past.  The author did a great job of setting up the story for the next in the series.  It was tantalizing enough to make me want to look for it when it is released too.  I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I love Natalie Lockhart!!  I love this thriller/mystery book!!  I can't wait to read more of this Author!!  She definitely is now on my fangirl radar!!!  Buy this book!!!

For as much as this a gruesome murder mystery, this book is really about grief. How we react to trauma, how we deal with our grief (or avoid it), coping mechanisms, etc. The heroine, Natalie, is drowning in her grief after the events of the previous book (and yes, the depth of this book can only be best understood after having read Trace of Evil). It affects her work and all of her personal relationships. And so throughout the events of this book, she struggles, wanting to emerge from the weight of grief, knowing there’s more to life, while tracking down a murderer. I think she comes out on the other side, if the epilogue is any indication, but I have a feeling that author Alice Blanchard won’t allow her heroine to remain optimistic for long.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In the end, I enjoyed getting to know Detective Natalie Lockhart through this book, the second in the series. But I also know my enjoyment was dampened because I had not read the first one - and I strongly advise new-to-the-series readers to start there. 

Natalie lives and works in Burning Lake, New York - a place that becomes a tourist mecca during its Mardi gras-style festivities at Halloween. Natalie herself is something of a heroine, following her much-publicized shooting of a serial killer sometime earlier. Apparently, she's never quite come to terms with that killing - nor with other events involving her sister and some school-age friends that are not fully explained here (I assume they were detailed in the first book). As part of her healing process, I suppose, it also seems as though she's had an affair with half of the town's eligible men (which at times tends to muddle her thoughts as well as how she does her job).

One of the events on Halloween night is a violin-playing contest, and this year is no exception. All goes well until it doesn't; the body of a young woman is found in a dumpster. She was one of the contestants - and, as it turns out, not the only violin virtuoso to have gone missing over the years. As the investigation progresses, a number of suspects emerge - some of whom force Natalie to question those she trusts. All this is complicated by her former relationship with her boss, Lt. Luke Pittman; she blames herself for breaking things off but doesn't know how or if they can get back to that status once again.

Woven into the story is a thread of witchcraft; it seems quite a few of the townsfolk are "into" it - some more seriously than others. There's no real evidence up front that the practice is in any way related to the young woman's death, but it's another avenue that must not be overlooked. Also woven into the story are glimpses of events from the first book, such as the sudden disappearance of one of Natalie's childhood friends who also happened to have been a budding violinist.

As I said at the beginning, I would have enjoyed this one much more had a more thorough background from the first book been provided. That said, it's good enough on its own that I won't hesitate to read the next one (the ending here, which was a bit unexpected, increased my anticipation). Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Wicked Hour is one of my favorite mystery thrillers this past summer. I had a baby in August so I apologize for the late review. The book is about 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. As she digs deeper within the mind of the hunter, Natalie finds a darkness she could never have imagined. And as she draws closer to the truth, the killer is weaving a trap for her that may prove inescapable. Like I said before, I loved the mystery. The writing was great too! 4 out of 5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc!

What compelled my interest in the first book of the Natalie Lockhart series seems to be missing in the second book in the series. In the opening chapters, we learn about Natalie's depression and anxiety, Brandon's anger, and Luke's stand-offish behavior that drags on the story. Something more needed to take place between the characters, and the story lacked the intensity because of it. Maybe my timing for this one was off, but I felt a little lost in their relationships, and the plot was a little sketchy in places.

Great book, I really enjoyed this one.  I look forward to the next book.  Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The town of Burning Lake, NY has a witch-filled past and present that brings thousands of tourists during the fall/Halloween season. While working the cleanup on November 1st, Detective Natalie Lockhart finds the body of a young woman in a dumpster. She soon discovers the body is that of a young violinist that came to Burning Lake to participate in a musical contest with the hopes of getting her big break. While working the case, Natalie is reminded of her best friend Bella, another violinist who went missing shortly after their high school graduation. 

I enjoyed this book, but had a few issues. First, I didn't realize when I picked it up that it was the second book in a series, and I had not read the first one. While this doesn't always matter with some books, there were many references to the events of the previous novel without any real summary, which became frustrating. I looked for the first novel at my local library so I could read it before digging too far into this one, but alas they didn't have it. Second, I felt there were sections of the book that repeated information from earlier sections of the book (e.g. in two different spots, there were references to a young man who had been a suspect in Bella's disappearance with almost word-for-word description about what had happened to him). Third, I feel that the ending was rushed and there were many details in the novel that never really felt thoroughly explained. All in all, it was a quick and enjoyable whodunnit with some flaws.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advance copy of The Wicked Hour in exchange for an honest review.  Any time Alice Blanchard has a book releasing, send the ARC my way!

The Wicked Hour by Alice Blanchard is a solid sequel to Trace of Evil.  Although it is not as haunting and creepy, The Wicked Hour deals with the darker side of grief.  

I absolutely love how Alice Blanchard does not shy away from the tragedy Natalie faced in Trace of Evil.  She does not gloss over it. In the time between the ending of Trace of Evil and the beginning of The Wicked Hour, Natalie's life has changed dramatically.  She is still grieving and is not living her life.  She is alone and barely holding on.  Honestly, I appreciate all of this.  Not glossing over the pure mess of the first novel makes Natalie so much more relatable and I enjoyed watching her develop as a character throughout the entire novel. 

I love how there are quite a few suspects in Natalie's newest case.  My head was constantly spinning.  There are a good number of twists and turns to keep readers entertained.  I did not see the identity of the killer coming nor did I anticipate that very shocking ending (LOVE THAT ENDING).

Why not five stars?  The writing is a bit choppy and I felt at times I was repeatedly reading the same back story of Natalie's friend, Bella.  Granted, I read an ARC so these issues may very well be corrected when The Wicked Hour is released.  I will be reading the finished copy.  My only other reason for a lower rating is Luke.  However, I cannot rant about Luke without providing spoilers.  Just note that he did not develop in this book as much as Natalie and I may or may not have had the urge to throw a book at him on more than one occasion.  

The Wicked Hour is a must read for mystery fans.  It's entertaining.  It's dark.  It's real.   I am officially obsessed with this series and am already anxiously awaiting for the next book!

Once again, I find myself reading a crime series book out of order.  At least this time, it’s only the second in the Natalie Lockhart series.   But I still felt the loss of all the background from the first book initially.  Still, once the book moved into the murder investigation, I felt at home. 
Burning Lake, upstate NY, is home to a huge Halloween festival based on their history with witches in the early 18th century.  During the clean up on November 1st, a young woman’s body is discovered in a dumpster.  She was a violinist, there for a musical contest.  Turns out, she’s not the first young violinist to go missing. 
This is a realistic police procedural.  Blanchard puts us firmly in time and place with a small town, a music conservatory trying to protect its reputation, even a closed fun town.  The pace is swift with lots of potential suspects to pick from.  Natalie is doubting herself after not picking up on a murderer until it was too late (in book one).  So, her thoughts bounce between all the suspects.  And mine bounced right along with hers.  
There are some irritating sections where Blanchard literally repeats herself verbatim.  But overall, I found this an enjoyable story and I would seek out book three.  
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

The Wicked Hour is a suspenseful police procedural novel.  With a varied cast of characters, The Wicked Hour proved to be an interesting read.  However, readers will probably enjoy this novel a lot more if they read the first novel, Trace of Evil.

Detective Natalie Lockhart is assigned to investigate the death of a budding violinist, Morgan Chambers.  Morgan was found buried under a pile of garbage in a dumpster.  Naked and without obvious signs of blunt force trauma or other signs of foul play, it's up to Natalie and her team to conduct a full investigation into the who, what, when, and where of Morgan's demise.

Without going into too much detail and spoiling the story, there were some aspects of the plot that didn't quite fit logically.  Perhaps certain aspects of the plot were overlooked as I probably spent too much time trying to figure out the background into Detective Lockhart's depression and her relationship with her father and sisters.  That being said, I probably missed out on a few key moments.

Overall, The Wicked Hour is a novel that will be appreciated by fans of the mystery & thriller genre.  Three stars.  I liked it.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.  The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

This review is concurrently being posted on Goodreads and will post on my blog (with cross post to Twitter) on 11/24/20.  Reviews on retail sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble will occur on publication day.

4.25 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 16 November 2020. 


Burning Lake, New York is known for its history of witches and the wicked. Natalie Lockhart is a detective on the Burning Lake PD. Halloween week is epic in Burning Lake, with a music competition, parties, costumes and the witchy themes of the past. Post-Halloween festivities turn up a corpse in a dumpster, and Natalie is called to investigate.

As I hadn’t read the first book in the series, I was at a loss understanding the complexity of Natalie’s life and grief. While I still immensely enjoyed this police procedural, I definitely was lacking context. If you haven’t read book one, read it before this one.

The Wicked Hour is a well told story of a detective and her demons in the town in which she grew up. Although book one’s story may have been a bit revealed in this novel, I am still going to read it. I enjoyed the writing and the storyline enough to know I will enjoy book one, regardless.

It’s a shame this book wasn’t published sooner with its Halloween vibe. Would make a great October read!

3 stars for an entertaining mystery with flaws. This is book 2 in the Natalie Lockhart series and it would have been better if I read book 1 first. There was a murder of a Lockhart family member which took place in book 1 and Natalie is still grieving. She has pushed away friends who offered her support.
Natalie is a detective in the Burning Lake Police Department. She and the whole police force are on duty for the town's annual Halloween celebration, which draws about 100,000 tourists and is a huge moneymaker for the town. Burning Lake is a fictional town located south of New York state's Adirondack Park, the largest park in the continental US(bigger than Yellowstone NP). The fictional town condemned to death 3 women as witches in 1712 and now proclaims itself as the epicenter of Halloween and witchcraft.
Natalie volunteers for the annual cleanup on Nov 1 which lasts a whole week, because of the tremendous amount of trash left by the revelers. But then Natalie discovers the body of a naked woman in a dumpster. Natalie does solve the murder with the help of the team at the BLPD.
Pros: I liked the plot and the way it moved along briskly with several suspects. I was not sure who the killer was until the end. The characters were believable.
Cons: I have lived in New York state my whole life. Although this is a work of fiction, set in a fictional town, there were several things that bothered me. Natalie mentions that Detective Lenny Abruzzo has sent the dead girl's fingerprints to the DMV database. DMV stands for NYS Department of Motor vehicles. I have never had to give my fingerprints for my standard drivers license. This year I was given the option of renewing by mail or upgrading to a REAL ID DL. I upgraded and had to give a thumbprint. NYS does have a fingerprint database. It is maintained by the NYS Dept. of Criminal Justice.
Second, Natalie comments that Burning Lake has 10 historic wooden covered bridges. NY has 17 historic covered bridges in the entire state, and my wife and I have visited all of them. No county, much less a town, has 10. According to our WGCB(World Guide to Covered Bridges), Ulster County has the most with 5. Ulster County is about halfway between NYC and the southern boundary of Adirondack Park, going from the Catskill mountains to the Hudson river.
Third, she mentions driving on Route 17 out of town. Route 17 is actually the Southern Tier Expressway, just north of Pennsylvania, now being converted into I-86.
My wife read this book before me, and these items bothered her also. My wife also noticed many grammatical errors,but this is an uncorrected proof copy, so this is forgivable.
#TheWickedHour #NetGalley.
Thanks to Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through Net Galley.

The Wicked Hour by Alice Blanchard

A detective dealing with the scars of her past must solve a seemingly unconnected string of murders, and face the impossible question of what to do when the killer may be hiding amongst the ones you know.

This was a good cozy mystery.  It kept you in suspense until close to the end.  Many characters and many suspects to interview and rule out.  I recommend this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for sending an advanced reader’s copy copy for review.

Dropped into this series after missing the first one, and I think it would have been better to have the background before diving into this one. However, I enjoyed this police procedural regardless (but now I'm curious about some things so I need to go back and read that first book!).

Natalie Lockhart is a young detective in Burning Lake, New York.  The town is apparently a hot spot during October due to a history of witchcraft, but this book isn't about witches.  After a long, hard night dealing with the crowds and revelry of Halloween, a local business owner finds the body of a naked young woman in an alley dumpster.  Natalie is nearby and is notified immediately.   This begins an intriguing investigation trying to find out who the woman is and whether her death is a suicide or murder.  Diving into the woman's background turns up some surprising discoveries and there are several suspect possibilities.  

I had fun reading this book.  It wasn't too gory and focused on Natalie and some problems she is dealing with (which apparently occurred in the first book).  Natalie is a good person and a strong protagonist, but she does have some issues to work through.  There's a little romance, but that is not the main part of the story.  I can't wait to grab the first book in the series to get the answers to some of my questions.  

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Detective Natalie Lockhart has just solved a major “serial killer” case and is a bit of a celebrity in her town. Because of her status, she is under great scrutiny by her bosses. The city sanitation crew is cleaning the streets of the city after a large Halloween  festival in the City and a  young woman is found naked in a dumpster. Natalie is trying to fly under the wire when she finds herself  once again in the middle of a messy murder investigation. Natalie must follow the clues and find the person who has killed this young woman.  The path leads her to an investigation that includes people she has know since childhood. Throughout her investigation, she uncovers the towns secrets and a link the town has to witchcraft when the town was established. The plot is full of twists and turns, suspense and murder. After reading this book, I plan to go back and read the first book in the series “Trace of Evil”. Good read!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Wicked Hour by Alice Blanchard is the second in the Detective Natalie Lockhart series. Natalie is still reeling from the events of the first book. A quick note, if you haven’t read the first one please read it before you read this one. Natalie is a detective in Burning Lake, New York. Burning Lake has a rich history, alot of it to do with witchcraft. Every year they have a huge Halloween event in the town. Tourists come from all over to see a reenactment of the burning of witches. The next day during the town cleanup, someone finds a woman dead in a dumpster. Natalie is of course assigned to the case. I don’t want to give too much else of the plot away. I very much enjoyed the second entry in the series. I loved the first book, the second one got even better. Natalie is a very complex character with a complex past. Her relationships suffer because of this. I am hoping there will be more books in the series. I have a feeling there will be by the way this one ended. Also, kudos to author for creating such a cool, creepy town like Burning Lake. I actually feel like I’ve been to this town and can picture it so well in my mind. It’s almost like another character in the book. You should definitely read this book , but again make sure to read the first one before you read this one. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley  for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book so much. 
When I requested this book it was because of blurb and cover. To read this book I read it's prequel and God! It was just amazing. It built perfect atmosphere for "the wicked hour" and the timing was just perfect. I was trying to get into fall vibes with halloween approaching ans this book seriously set the vibes right. 

- I felt chill throughout the book and I loved it. 
- Narration and language was gripping but easy. 
- Beautiful character development. 
- Perfect to give you adrenaline rush.
Specially recommending it as a halloween read and to all those who just loves thriller.