I really enjoyed The Witch's Orchard. My favorite thing in the book is the Appalachian folklore that is intricately woven into the story. I think that adds depth to mystery that wouldn't be there otherwise. Annie as a reluctant kind of hero was a fun character to read. I did think that overall it is a little slower paced for a mystery but I didn't find myself straying from that story. So while the pacing was slow it wasn't hard to stay engaged.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dark, eerie, and unsettling in the best way.

The Witches’ Orchard is a haunting blend of gothic horror and psychological suspense that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page. Taylor crafts a richly atmospheric setting where every tree and shadow seems to carry a secret, and the tension builds slowly but relentlessly.

The story follows a chilling mystery tied to an ancient orchard and the cursed legacy surrounding it. There’s a perfect balance of supernatural elements and real-world dread, making it hard to tell what’s truly happening and what might be madness. The characters are flawed and fascinating, and the pacing keeps you on edge without rushing the plot.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's but i could not get into this book. I felt like it was dragging and I had to force myself to continue

THE WITCH’S ORCHARD by Archer Sullivan is a beautifully written story that blends mystery, folklore, and nail-biting suspense into what will surely be one of my favorite novels of the year. The synopsis is compelling and that cover fantastic!! From the very first chapter, the reader is drawn into an eerily chilling landscape set against the backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, where we are introduced to a community steeped in long-held secrets and shadowed by a very dark history.

At the heart of the story is Annie, a determined private investigator haunted by her own troubled past, who is drawn to the eerie town of Quartz Creek, North Carolina, to investigate the unsolved disappearances of three young girls from a decade ago. Annie is a wonderfully developed protagonist, so likable and relatable. If I needed to hire a PI, I’d want it to be Annie.

What begins as a cold case of inexplicable disappearances of innocent children soon develops into something far more terrifying. As Annie’s investigation intensifies, the danger escalates—she begins to uncover whispered legends of a fabled witch, two daughters, a crow, and a cursed apple orchard that seem to be at the heart of the mystery.

I absolutely loved Sullivan’s writing style. It is both poetic and immersive, with haunting imagery that plays like a movie in your mind. The eerie sense of foreboding intensifies with each new chapter. One of my favorite parts of the book were the different versions of the tale of the Quartz Creek Witch told by the residents of this small mountain town. The pacing throughout is nearly perfect, slowly shedding light on the truth behind a myth involving witches, crows, and curses.

THE WITCH’S ORCHARD should be added to your TBR list without hesitation and as soon as possible. It’s the kind of book that grabs you from the very beginning, getting under your skin in the best possible way, lingering long after the last page. Might this be only the beginning of Annie’s story? Goodness, I hope so!

I want to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley, Archer Sullivan, and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for gifting me the ARC of THE WITCH’S ORCHARD. I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!! It was a privilege to be able to read this novel before publication in August.

*The Witch’s Orchard* by Archer Sullivan is a haunting and atmospheric tale that blends dark folklore with psychological suspense. Set in a small, eerie town surrounded by whispers of curses and secrets, the story follows a young woman drawn into a mystery that blurs the line between reality and superstition. Sullivan’s writing is lyrical and immersive, with vivid descriptions that evoke a chilling sense of place. The plot unfolds with slow-burning tension, leading to a twist that lingers long after the final page. It’s a compelling read for fans of gothic thrillers and eerie mysteries.

4.5/5

Thank you @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 @stmartinspress for the gifted copy of this audiobook.

Okay, I think it’s official: if a book is set in the Appalachian Territory, I have to read it. There’s just something about dense woods, small towns, questionable townspeople and whispered legends that pulls me right in every single time. 🌲✨

We follow Annie, a private investigator who’s been hired to look into the strange disappearance of three little girls. They vanished in broad daylight, with people around, which makes everything even more chilling and baffling. Only one of the girls returned… and she isn’t saying a word. 😶 In fact, she has quite the lasting effects from that day.

I loved how this one was set in a close-knit community where no secret stays buried if Annie could help it and I was always wondering what was behind the local witchy lore. Is there something sinister hiding in the trees? Is the legend of the Witch’s Orchard more than just a spooky story? Annie is determined to find out, and she is one of those characters that I just loved how sharp, persistent, and fearless she was. If I go missing, please hire her :)

The eerie setting and the spine-tingling mystery is exactly what I’ve been in the mood for. I loved how each character seemed to carry a piece of the truth, and the way the town’s folklore seeped into every page. The audiobook was excellent, too. I highly recommend listening to this one!

If you love slow-burn suspense with a strong lead and a setting that practically breathes on its own, definitely add this to your fall or spooky season TBR!

If there's one thing I love, it's a mystery series following one detective. Mix that with the location this is set - close to where I live - and this is essentially made for me! I loved the plot and chracters equally and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Can't wait to read more!

A little girl goes missing in a small mountain town in North Carolina and a little while later a second little girl goes missing but then she is returned approximately a week after she is taken and then another little girl is taken. The local law enforcement officers search together with most of the residents of the town but the girls are never located. Ten years pass and the brother of one the missing girls hires a private investigator to search for his sister and see what she can find. He saved his money until he had enough money to hire her and is anxious to see what she can find. She comes to town and talks with him and agrees to take the case for at least a week to see what she can find out. She begins her research and goes to visit the local residents and ask questions and things get exciting. Don’t want to spoil the book so I won’t give away any more information. Would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive and read an advance reader copy of this book.

It’s been ten years since Molly disappeared from a tiny mountain town in Appalachia and her brother, Max Andrews is still grieving, unable to move on with his life. But Molly wasn’t the only girl to disappear. Jessica was first, then Olivia, then Molly. Max has hired P.I. Annie Gore to find out what happened to his sister. A thrilling cold case with great characters, especially tough Annie, a former Special Air Force Investigator. Folk lore, the mountain town, witches and crows figured prominently in this book. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this compelling mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed. I received a complimentary eARC and the comments expressed are my own opinion.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book and man did I really enjoy reading it. The Witch’s Orchard was a great thriller to get me out of a weird meh book reading slump! The story was set in a small town in the Appalachian mountains which was filled with all sorts of local legends and creepy tales of witches and crows that added to the mysterious and suspenseful vibe of the story. Private investigator Annie Gore (FMC) is hired to investigate the disappearance of several local little girls who when the girls were taken a creepy apple doll was left in their place.
I could not put his book down, trying to figure out who the bad guy was and what was going on. I did not predict the whodunit because so many different characters were lined up that you thought each time it was one of them! My favorite parts were when Annie would ask all different members of the town, the local legend of “The Witch of Quartz Creek” and each version she would get would be a tad different and it showed how over the years local folklore gets spun differently between people and generations and becomes quite a beast of its own especially with the small town’s recent history of disappearing girls!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book!

The Witches Orchard by Archer Sullivan is a mystery/thriller which is usually outside of my reading genre but something about the description lured me in. The setting is in the mountains of Appalachia in North Carolina that had me guessing until the very end.

Annie Gore is a private investigator hired to solve the cold case of a missing girl. Actually two missing girls because some how they are linked. The disappearances involved local folklore and a small town with big secrets. The case takes a turn when it is discovered that the little girls were kidnapped in the same way, One of the girls brothers has hired Annie to try to figure out what happened. The reason he hired her was because she too is from Appalachia and knows how these small Appalachian towns are and how their residents do not take kindly to strangers coming in and snooping around asking questions. Annie has her work cut out for her. I was drawn immediately into this book. There is a quirky tale about a witch that lives in the mountains. Does this somehow hold an eerie connection to the missing girls? Annie is led down a twisty road of lies, crime, and folklore.

The Witch's Orchard had a quite disturbing and very unsettling feelings. Annie’s investigation was interesting and had enough twists and turns without giving anything away. I thought the ending was strong blurring the lines between what is real and what is not real. It left the reader to decide on the Appalachia folklore. The characters felt realistic and suspicious in their own ways which elevated the mystery/thriller aspect of the story. Annie is a strong female main character and her gut, curious background and intriguing memories was made her memorable.

If you are a fan of mystery thrillers and crime novels with a witchy edge I would recommend this book. Perhaps Annie Gore will be explored in another book by Archer Sullivan. I sure hope so. Well done.

Thank you to Archer Sullivan, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a totally surprise and I love it when that happens. I went in blind and was totally sucked into the atmospheric setting and the mysterious witch’s story and how it tied to the missing persons case private investigator Annie Gore decided to take after being hired by the older brother of one of the missing girls. Annie Gore is a layered character and you immediately are intrigued by her and want more of her story so you can understand how she is who she is today. She understood the small town setting because she grew up in a similar situation and she knew she would be poking a hornet’s nest by asking questions she just didn’t expect to stumble upon what she did or get herself into a few sticky spots.

I really hope this becomes a series because I want to know Annie more and understand her relationship with Leo and the situations that shaped her.


Thank you @minotaur_books and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read an ARC of The witch's orchard by debut novelist Archer Sullivan. PI Annie Gore is hired to investigate a 10 year old case of 3 missing little girls in the Appalachians. The author combined mystery and local folklore to write a compelling mystery and although it took me a bit to get into the story, I ended up not being able to put it down. I really enjoyed the main character Annie Gore, who is a former Air Force Special Investigator and is now a PI. With plenty of personal background on Annie, it reads like the start of a mystery series.

This checked soooo many boxes for my kind of dream book.

Talk of witches,
A main female character who I just loved,
Appalachian that didn't make us all look like idiots,
folktalish,
suspense,
The author even threw in a touch of the dang meth house blowing up!

All the stars!

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Received an ARC via NetGalley.

If this is setting itself to be the first in a series, I’m for it. I love PI stories. I notice they always seem to be a little.. damaged? But I don’t mind that as long as it’s not like they wear it like a badge of honor. Annie seemed like a work in progress and she owned it, without it being a thing.

This definitely kept me interested and I couldn’t guess where it was going. There were only so many people it could be but there was a little bit of a surprise to it. I didn’t love how things wrapped up but I’m not about the journey than the destination anyway.

A decade after the crime, Max hires a PI to look for his sister, one of three children kidnapped from their otherwise safe neighborhood. But what Max couldn’t have foreseen is what would happen once the pot was stirred. 🐦‍⬛

This one was just okay for me. The story was creepily atmospheric - as a lot of Appalachian books are - so you may love that or find it depressing. I found it very slow-paced and ended up taking a break after the 25% mark, forcing myself to come back and read it in chunks until I finished. Things picked up around the halfway point, but I was never fully immersed in the story. After all the build-up, the “reveal” was delivered in a single sentence, and the ending felt over the top. 😕

A personal pet peeve - our FMC has a car named Honey, which she talks to (and about) like it’s a person throughout the entire book, and it annoyed the crap out of me. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m wondering if this book is intended to become a series, because a lot is alluded to about the FMC’s past, but you’re left with many unanswered questions.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 8/12/2025.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a compelling who-done-it that had me baffled almost until the end. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery.

This book has bits of folklore mixed into it, which I thought was a unique touch! The folklore follows different stories of the Quartz Creek Witch. In the Quartz Creek Witch story a witch takes two girls in exchange for the witch's apples from a beggar. She raises them, but they want to leave as they get older. The witch turns them to birds, but they still escape. The witch turns herself into a crow to search for the girls and spends all night crying over them, Over time, the crows in the area have learned to mimic this.

Everyone has a different story of this in the town, as folklore and myths change through retellings. These folklore tellings changed as the story progressed and often followed what was happening in the book.

One thing I wasn't a very big fan of was the reveal at the end. I thought it was a big build up, but then the reveal was rushed. It was all of the sudden and in my opinion, it was rather confusing. I had to reread it because I simply didn't understand what happened, because of how all-at once it was. I also thought it was over-explained by the antagonist to the point of it being questionable. The whole time the person was yapping about why and how they did it, Annie was walking around looking for a weapon. It was too convenient and taking the antagonist down was too anti-climatic.

Also, looking back, the person who took the girls was pretty obvious. Annie literally mentions she usually misses something through bias when looking through the person's house.

This book was decent and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a mystery and enjoys folklore.

The Witch’s Orchard is such a fabulous book! Stir together a finely crafted brew of Appalachian folklore, mysterious disappearances of young girls, mysterious appearances of dried apple head dolls, close-knit mountain residents, families destroyed by the drama, local legends involving witches and apples, a Southern Baptist Church, an intrepid private investigator, and a bit of romance to create this awesome story.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I think I found a new favorite author. This book sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go until I finished it. Stayed up way too late reading it.

We have my favorite kind of female main character- smart ,strong, brave with a good heart, and just a touch of trauma. At Annie 18 joined the air-force to escape her dirt poor and abusive Appalachian background. After getting wounded on deployment she retired and now in her early 30s she runs a private detective agency so that she can choose her pwn path.
One day a desperate 18 year old young man drove 6 hours to her and asks her to take on his case. His sister disappeared, along with 2 other little girls 10 years ago from the hills of North Carolina, and he has been saving his money since then. Annie initially declines. Its been too long to have much hope, and she doesn’t want to take the kids money.
However as they continue to talk - his desperation becomes evident. He can’t move on with his life, hopes that with her being a country girl she can talk to the people and maybe make progress where the police and FBI never could. Annie reluctantly agrees, she doesn’t think she will find anything.

I loved this book and it kept me guessing. There is a constant sense of urgency as there are lives at stake. The people she encounters ring true, and complex. Annie is brave, but not stupidly so. There are handsome me in the story, but they are supporting characters, not her rescuers. I would love to read more by this author and about Annie.
Big thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.