Title: The Witch’s Orchard
Author: Archer Sullivan
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: August 12, 2025
My Rating: 4.3.Stars!
Pages: 320

Annie Gore is a former Air Force Special Investigator now Private Investigator.
Annie joined the Air Force right out of high school to escape her Appalachian life.

Ten years ago, three little girls -Jessica Hoyle, Olivia Jacobs, and Molly Andrews ages four or five went missing all from different locations in their tiny mountain town. Jessica was returned, and then a few weeks later Olivia was brought back however she really did not return but Molly was never seen again. Now Molly’s brother Max wants to hire A. Gore: Private Investigator. When he sees Annie, she stares as he was expecting a big man with a mean scowl and a gun. Annie tells him - Well I do have a mean scowl and a gun! He shows her an applehead doll and said it was in places of his sister. She states many grannies used to make them.
Max knows that A. Gore solved other missing cases and is from Appalachia and so must ‘get’ mountain towns and folks.

I was born and raised in West Virginia so was attracted to this story as well as any story featuring folklore etc. connected to the Appalachians’. However, I had no idea where this was going. I liked Annie and she kept me engaged in this story.
It was a delightful surprise.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 12, 2025.

Appalachian fiction at its finest. The author roped me in from the first page and I couldn’t stop reading. The story follows a group of people living in a small mountain town and the devastating things that happened there ten years earlier. Three girls go missing without a trace. The only thing left in their place are Apple dolls. Days after being taken, one girl is returned but she can’t speak so the police and parents are left without answers. Ten years after, the brother of one of the girls hires a PI, Annie Gore. Annie is also from a small Appalachian town and is know for finding people. As she digsuu deeper into the case, she stirs up some trouble not just for herself, but others in the town. It becomes increasingly apparent that either someone within the town took their own or the folklore about the witch and her crows is true. When history repeats itself, Annie must work even faster to uncover the truth, before it’s too late. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this fantastic atmospheric story.

So as a self-described book person, I obviously subscribe to various email newsletters about books. Last week, I got one of those email newsletters (Criminal Element) and a bit of this book was the featured excerpt. I read it, and it was exactly my kind of book—mystery, set in Appalachia, maybe a bit witchy, with a strong, complex woman as our detective. I was so excited to read the book….only to find out that it doesn’t come out til August. Well, damn. Decided to go to netgalley to see if they had it, they did, and they approved my request in like 24 hours (shout out to netgalley, you the real MVP), and I read it all that day. I freaking loved this book so much. Atmospheric, not super graphically violent, an unexpected culprit, seems to be setting up for a series…yes. Give me more of this. I finished it, and immediately was like “I want to read the next book in this series,” even though this book technically isn’t even out yet. I’ve preordered it, so as to support the author—can’t wait for more from her.

Thank you again to netgalley for the free copy provided in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Macmillan, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this read! The overarching themes of grief, community, motherhood, and storytelling were evident but not too obvious. The main character, Annie, was complex and an amazing representation of the “non traditional” woman.

My favorite part about this novel was the imagery. While I’m very familiar with certain parts of the south, I am not all familiar with Appalachia. The author did fantastic work placing her readers in the center of Appalachia culture and scenery. It was not at all difficult for me to picture the setting and the people there. Just as Annie closes her eyes and is deep in her memory of the mountains and its people in various moments of the novel, Sullivan wrote so that readers could experience this with her.

If you’re into small town mysteries with complex but fleshed out characters and a sprinkle of mountain folklore, this one is for you!!

I very much enjoyed following Annie Gore through her latest adventure and detective case. The characters were very believable and well developed. The ways the characters express their feelings makes the reader want to read faster. The growth of the main characters was a pleasure to watch as the story unfolded. The setting from the book was a nice surprise to read about. I hope Sullivan writes more Annie books so I can continue to watch her grow.

Annie Gore, formerly of the US Air Force, is a private investigator a bit down on her luck. So, when Max Andrews contacts her to look into the ten-year-old disappearance of his sister, Molly, she jumps on the case. A mountain girl herself, Annie travels to Appalachia to see what she can find. Molly, just a little girl, disappeared from her home while her brother, Max, was taking a piano lesson in another room. Her disappearance is eerily similar to two other cases of abduction: Jessica Hoyle, the first abduction, disappeared while sitting on a swing in a playground behind the local Baptist church and Olivia Jacobs, the second, was taken while attending a picnic at the same church. In each case, an apple-head doll was left in the little girl’s place. Olivia, however, didn’t stay missing. No, she was either returned or escaped and was found sleeping on the porch of her home. Olivia, autistic, hasn’t spoken since the day she was reunited with her family. Thus, no clues as to the culprit’s identity could be garnered from her. Molly was the third and last girl abducted. Ten years have passed since that day and now Annie must stir up a hornet’s nest, questioning everyone and anyone who had contact with the missing children.

Interwoven throughout this mystery is the folk tale of the Witch of Quartz Creek. While the tale varies with each telling, the gist is that during a terrible winter, a woman gives her two daughters to a witch in exchange for apples from her orchard. The witch turns the daughters into birds she keeps in a cage. Eventually, they escape and the witch turns herself into a crow to follow them. How this tale changes with each iteration is a clever plot vehicle which provides clues as to the lost girls’ fate.

This novel was a real joy to read. A page-turner, I finished the whole thing in three days – most of it on day two. The characters are rich and multi-faceted and author Sullivan keeps you on your toes trying to guess which one is the culprit. The read is atmospheric and dark, with crows cawing throughout. The protagonist, Annie, is down-to-earth, a bit rough around the edges, with a keen eye for aberrations in the environment and the folks she interacts with.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Witch’s Orchard and hope to see more of Annie Gore in future novels. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of the novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for the ARC of The Witch’s Orchard in exchange for an honest review.
Private Investigator Annie Gore takes a case in a small town hidden away in the Appalachian mountains, hired to investigate a 10 year old kidnapping case. Out of a desperation to pay bills, Annie promises to spend one week looking into it as best she can, without much hope of uncovering new evidence.
Without spoiling much, Annie soon finds out she has stirred the pot, and hidden secrets begin to emerge.
I very much enjoyed this eerie investigation, and highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a spooky, small town murder mystery!

The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan is a captivating, atmospheric mystery that hooked me from the very beginning and never let go. Set deep in the heart of the Appalachian mountains, this story weaves together a cold case, haunting folklore, and a strong, complex female lead in a way that feels both fresh and timeless.

I absolutely loved Annie Gore as a protagonist. She’s rough around the edges—tough, capable, and shaped by a gritty past—but she’s also layered, vulnerable, and real. She’s the kind of flawed, multi-dimensional character that sticks with you long after the last page. I truly hope this is the beginning of a series, because I’d love nothing more than to follow Annie on future investigations.

Sullivan’s storytelling shines in the way the narrative builds suspicion around multiple characters. The tension is palpable, and the mystery is well-paced, with plenty of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing. The inclusion of local folklore—particularly the eerie legend of the Witch of Quartz Creek—adds a deliciously dark layer to the story and deepens the sense of place in a way that’s both immersive and chilling.

This was a five-star read for me. The writing is strong, the plot is compelling and complete, and the balance of mystery and atmosphere is spot-on. I’m grateful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review, and I’m already looking forward to what Archer Sullivan writes next.

Really enjoyed this book and the tense atmosphere it created. The Apple dolls were a creepy element to the storytelling. I had zeroed in on a suspect and the ending totally threw me! I liked the little bit of romance, too, but appreciated that it wasn’t the forefront of the story.

The Witch’s Orchard is a private detective novel that introduces an interesting new protagonist Annie Gore. Annie runs a private eye business drawing on her military training to investigate cases. A young man hires her to look into the disappearance of his little sister who has been gone for ten years. Three girls disappeared in the small town but only one was ever found. Annie doggedly chases down every lead to find the missing girl and lands herself in danger as someone doesn’t want the past uncovered. Annie is pretty cool as the main character and the folklore throughout the story adds a little extra humph to keep things interesting. The story blindsided me with some twists I didn’t see coming. Overall this is a good beginning to a new series and Annie is a unique enough character to make you want to keep reading more books in the future. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

The story begins when Annie Gore comes back to her troubled roots in Appalachia. Annie was a Air Force Special investigator, now a private investigator. Ten years ago 3 little girls went missing. Only one returned. The town is still troubled by the tragedy. Annie is hired by the brother of one of the missing girls. While investigating Annie is reminded of times in her life that were very upsetting to her. I did enjoy the Appalachian folklore. I liked Annie and hope there will be another book featuring this character. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan is a mystery thriller set in the mountains of Appalachia that had me guessing until the very end.

Annie Gore is a private investigator hired to solve the cold case of a missing girl, whose disappearance involved creepy dolls, folk stories, and a small town with big secrets. The case takes a turn when it is discovered that three little girls were kidnapped in the same way, vanishing in public places with applehead dolls left in their place. A story about a witch that lives in the mountains holds an eerie connection to the missing girls and forces Annie down a twisty road of lies, crime, and folklore.

The Witch's Orchard had an unsettling rustic atmosphere that incorporated witchy elements which I really enjoyed. The investigation was interesting and had enough twists and turns without giving anything away. I thought the ending was strong because not every question was answered which spoke to the enduring power of Appalachian folklore, blurring the lines between what is real and what is not real. The pacing was good and the characters felt realistic and suspicious in their own ways which elevated the whodunnit aspect of the mystery. Annie was a strong character and her curious background and intriguing memories will perhaps be explored in another book?

If you are a fan of mystery thrillers and crime novels with a witchy edge, I would recommend The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan.

4.5🌟
Don't you just love when a book surprises you and exceeds all expectations!?🤩

Annie is a private eye, barely scraping by. Ex-military, she now does things her way instead of answering to anyone.

When a young man wants her to find his missing sister, she knows this will be a difficult, if not impossible case. The girl has been missing for ten years. The case is as cold as it gets with no leads from the local sheriff, all the way up to the FBI.

But for some reason, this particular case speaks to her. Is it the location of the Appalachian Mountains? Or facing troubling, unresolved issues from her upbringing in a similar southern mountain town? Either way, she knows she must solve this case to bring justice for this man.

This book is chocked-full of legends and folklore. “The Witch of Quartz Creek” being front and center. There are multiple tellings of the story. It’s a convoluted tale that changes and morphs, as every resident of the small town recalls their own version of the story as they knew it.

What a fantastic debut! I was instantly drawn into the storyline and the book held me riveted until the final page! Bravo!

Is this the beginning of a series? I certainly hope so! I love Annie’s character and definitely want to see more of her.

Thank you to St Martin's Press via NetGalley

3.5 ⭐
I feel like I need to preface this with the fact I am just starting to read mystery/thrillers. That said, I may have expected too much from this when I read the synopsis. I really liked the premise, but the first 60% or so felt slow and lacked tension. Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I would have liked a faster pace with a bit more action.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

The Witch’s Orchard is a fast paced suspense set in Appalachia. The characters are all well developed and the story drew me in, page turner for sure. I would say that certain parts of the story felt obvious as the story went on but that could be because I have read a lot of suspense novels, but even when the things I expected to happen happened I was still hooked to the end. It did not take away from how enjoyable the novel is.
I really liked the setting the sprinkles of Appalachian folklore within the story.

I do feel like there are a couple unanswered questions though, so spoilers ahead.

At one point in the story two characters see what they believe is a scarecrow, and one even says they saw the mother of the child who gets taken talking to a mysterious person/woman. I don’t recall this ever getting explained. I assumed you would find out this was Suzanne eventually.

And then there is when Max goes to visit Suzanne at the end of the novel she is panicked saying “I’ve got to get them out of there” I assume she is talking about the girls but later she says she was only at Deena’s house to pick rose hips.

Again despite these two things (and maybe I just missed something) I liked this book!

The Witch’s Orchard is an impressive debut from Archer Sullivan and one that I sincerely hope marks the beginning of a series. The story kicks off when Annie, a determined investigator, is hired by a grieving brother desperate to uncover the truth behind his sister’s mysterious disappearance ten years earlier in a quiet mountain town in North Carolina.

Set against the haunting backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, Sullivan skillfully brings regional folklore to life, creating an eerie, atmospheric setting that feels like a character of its own. This mystery is the perfect addition to your fall TBR—spooky, suspenseful, and hard to put down.

Sullivan keeps readers on their toes with twists and turns that build to a satisfying and well-earned reveal. The plot is tightly woven, with no thread left hanging, and the pacing is just right for a mystery that blends the slow burn of small-town secrets with the urgency of uncovering the truth.

Annie is a standout protagonist—sharp, layered, and easy to root for. I’m already hoping for more of her story in future installments. If you love atmospheric mysteries with a touch of folklore and a strong female lead, The Witch’s Orchard is definitely one to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this cozy mystery set in a small, Appalachian mountain town. I appreciate the authenticity the author brought especially with the setting. As an Appalachian-grown person, too many write about the area without much accuracy but that was not the case here. With slow burn suspense and a fantastic FMC, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of three young girls will keep you engaged start to finish.

Thank you for producing such a wonderful story bringing Appalachia to life!

I received an advance reader copy thanks to NetGalley but the review is my own opinion.

Things I loved:

I loved the atmosphere. I was raised in the southern U.S. and love getting to read about how authors describe the vibrant life in the area. It set for a good mystery where people are secretive, suspicious, and tight knit to the point of not trusting any kind of an outsider. It gave an “us vs them” tension to the sorry that didn’t single any one resident out as the perpetrator(s).

The FMC Annie Gore was relentless and strong willed. I liked seeing things through her eyes and how she was not afraid to call out anyone on their hypocrisy.

Things I did not like:

The twist: I feel like anytime there are children missing in a mystery story there are 2 different outcomes. As such it made the twist very predictable as what I would consider the more common one was present in the story. The story wasn’t overly original but entertaining enough to get through.

The pacing: the pacing in general was a bit slow at times. It felt like every time it was starting to take a nose dive we’d get the same story of the witch with a slightly different ending. It was entertaining the first couple times, but after reading 5 different iterations of the story, it got too repetitive. I’m not sure why the author felt the need to have the FMC ask nearly every character the version of the story they had heard but it was highly redundant.

Rating 2.5/5

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a DRC of this book. It was a very good read. Very steady pacing. I felt like anxiousness was sprinkled throughout the book so that it would keep your interest, and continue the story build up without dragging on. I didn't have to push myself to get to the more exciting parts.

My only complaint is the tying up portion at the end was a little rushed. Felt like within the epilogue it switched gears quickly, Specifically with the relationships of the characters. Her feelings shift very quickly and seemed disconnected. She explained how things ended with one relationship that seemed amicable and then quickly shifted to her feelings about another character. Just feel like the flow was off and needed something two connects the thoughts in my opinion. Can't explain too much without spoilers.

However, this book was a good read and very easy to follow and entertaining throughout. Love the characters, love the buildup, and having it all come together. If you love crime fiction thrillers, this book is a good choice.

The Witch's Orchard is such a strong debut by Archer Sullivan, a ninth generation native of the Appalachian Mountains. As a resident of WNC this book struck some very tender and realistic chords, and I loved the way Sullivan brought together Southern folklore and the private detective genre. The result was a very readable story with suspense, a good twist, and a look at what life is like in many economically depressed small towns.

Annie Gore joined the military right out of high school to get out of her small town. Now she's back as a civilian and working as a PI when a young man reaches out for help. Ten years ago three little girls went missing in the same summer and one of them was his sister. Annie promises one week of hard work to turn up any answers she can, but she also promises that her work will stir up the small community.

Interwoven with a folktale of a witch and her delicious apples, we get the oral retelling that different residents heard growing up and their different perceptions of what happened ten years ago. When bad things start happening again, Annie must work her hardest to find answers before more tragedy strikes.

This is just a solid mystery with well established setting that I would recommend to reader's of the genre. I found Annie's character a bit underdeveloped and this isn't one that I'll remember well, but I had a great time.