Just wanted to finish this one to get answers. Loved the setting, enjoyed getting to know most of characters, a non-traditional villain, and a bad ass MC.

Thank you to @St.martinsPress and Netgalley for my #gifted copy.

In the Application mountains girls have gone missing. Annie is hired on to find them, by the brother of one of the girls. A palpable atmosphere pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. Folklore, mystery, missing girls, and a little splash of romance. Annies's character is tough, intelligent, and oh so like able and relatable. As former military, she was great senses and made moves that had me on the edge of the seat waiting for her to find answers. She just gave you that sense even though she doesn't promise answers, she will find where these girls went. The woods and town members have you on edge with the secrets they held, and you want so badly to know. The answers you get, I hadn't suspected at all. I couldn't believe this was a debut book! I'm really looking forward to this series and more of Annie!

4.5**

The Witch's Orchard had me up late into the night reading page after page! It was hard to put down. Annie is such a great character and I hope we get to hear more from her. The setting in the hills of NC is both idyllic and hauntingly chilling. This is one spooky scary ride and I was here for all of it! And that ending... well I did not see that coming at all. Highly recommend!

Gripped me from the start and didn't let go until the epilogue. It was refreshing to read about a protagonist from the hills of Appalachia. Plenty of action and constant whodunit twists. You won't be disappointed in this one!

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my ARC!

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This was absolutely incredible and I can’t get over the fact that it was a debut novel! I fell in love with Annie from the very beginning and was instantly sucked into this small town’s horrors. I would love to see this made into a movie and can’t wait to see what Sullivan writes next!

As someone who lives in North Carolina and travels to the mountains for hiking multiple times a year, I appreciate how the author caught the atmosphere of small town Appalachia and the undercurrent of folklore and witchcraft. (And for the record, it’s Appa-la-CHA, not Appa-LAY-sha!) The book was a solid mystery and I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to Archer Sullivan and Minotaur Books for the advance readers copy.

I really enjoyed The Witch’s Orchard! The way that the folklore was woven into the mystery made this such a unique and atmospheric read. The small-town setting and eerie vibes created the perfect backdrop for the story.

That said, the pacing was a bit slow for me at times. I tend to prefer faster-paced thrillers so it took me a little longer to get fully pulled in. But once the pieces started coming together, I was hooked.

What a great debut!

This book was so atmospheric. Between the Appalachian Mountain setting, the folk lore, and the creepiness, I was fully invested in this story. I was also intrigued by the story of the witch, and how all of the characters had different versions of the “same” story - it added to the mystery.

Annie was a fantastic main character, and it was so easy to root for her. She was smart and relatable, and had so many layers. Her slow and steady approach to figuring out what happened felt refreshing in a crime novel, and I was right there with her trying to figure out who the bad guy was.

This feels like maybe it was set up to be a series, and I’m hoping it is! I’d love to see more from this author, and specifically, this character.

I pride myself on always guessing the ending to mystery/thriller books and am happy to say I was blindsided this time! There were as many twists to who was the main “suspect” as there were changes to the lore of “the Witch of Quartz Creek” based on story-teller. All-in-all, it was very engaging. The characters were well developed and there was a fair amount of emotion and action. The folklore aspect added a nice twist! Would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for this ARC

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.