
Member Reviews

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.

"A haunting mystery that will linger long after the final page."
Private Investigator Annie Gore is thrust into the shadowy heart of the North Carolina Appalachias, tasked with unraveling a cold case that has haunted a small town for a decade. Three young girls vanished, one returned, but the other two, including Molly, have been missing for ten agonizing years. Molly's brother hires Annie, desperate for any answers.
As Annie digs for the truth, navigating the close-knit community, she unearths disturbing local folklore about a "Witch's Orchard," desperate to see if it holds clues to the girls' disappearance. Her investigation is fraught with challenges: a hostile sheriff, the grim reality of a meth lab, an unsettling abandoned doll factory, and her own past traumas from military service and a complicated family history.
The setting of this book is simply phenomenal; the writing masterfully transports you to the atmospheric depths of the Appalachian small town. I particularly admired Annie's formidable strength and self-reliance, her sharp instinct for asking the right questions to uncover the truth. This is a profoundly sad and incredibly mysterious read. I went into Witch's Orchard completely blind, drawn in by the intriguing title, and I can confidently say I got far more than I bargained for. This powerful story will undoubtedly stay with me for a very long time.

An old case of missing girls meets legends/folklore. How are they intertwined and do the locals believe in these tales?
An 18 year old boy-man is troubled feeling responsible for his sister's disappearance. He was only 8 at the time. He saves all his money to hire a private investigator to help solve the mystery. Annie, the PI, starts stirring up the hornets nest as she tries to unravel the abductions.
The Witch's Orchard was an engaging read with an interesting investigator. I hope the character becomes part of a series.
Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for a great read.

Loved this unique and mysterious thriller based in the North Carolina mountains.
This is one of the most atmospheric books I have read this year. The Appalachian makes a perfect background for the dark and suspenseful story of 3 girl’s disappearances.
The story almost reads like a twisted fairy tale. The folktale of a witch and her apple tree haunt the town, almost as much as the true story of the missing girls, and the eerie dolls their captor leaves behind.
Chilling, captivating, creative. Loved this one.
The only thing that felt odd about this book was the main character’s obsession with her car, and like all her friends obsession with it also. It was strange. That’s it though. The rest was great.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!

What do appledolls, screaming crows, mountain witches, and a little dose of Appalachian wisdom have in common? Give up? These clues are the keys Annie needs to unlock the secrets from the past. Tragedy of the worst kind has hit Quartz Creek, a small mountain village in North Carolina, where three little girls were kidnapped. The first to go missing was Jessica Holt, and the second was Olivia Jacobs. Left in their stead was two hideous, applehead dolls.
An applehead is an old-fashioned doll that is made from a peeled and shriveled apple. The apple makes up the head of the doll, and it is often dressed in old-fashioned clothing, making it resemble an old woman.
To the surprise of everyone in the town, Olivia was returned two weeks after she was kidnapped. But darkness fell on the celebrated return when another little girl, Molly Andrews, was kidnapped four days later. An applehead doll was left in her place as well.
Years went by, but Jessica and Molly were never returned. Max Andrews, Molly’s older brother, became obsessed with finding his little sister. He worked every job he could to save up enough money to hire Annie Gore, a private investigator with Appalachian roots, famous for getting results when a trail runs cold.
Can Annie work her magic and find the two missing girls? What does their disappearance have to do with the appledolls, crows, and witches? What secret is this sleepy little town trying to hide? Where should the line be drawn between folklore and reality? Annie needs to find these answers before it is too late.
This fast-paced, culturally rich mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat. Debut author, Archer Sullivan, has mastered the art of shock and surprise. You won’t want to put this book down! Travel with Annie as the past becomes the present, and she discovers the truth that this sleepy little town so desperately wants to hide.

The Witch’s Orchard, by Archer Sullivan, is a taut, fast-paced mystery steeped in folklore passed down by generations of Appalachian Mountain families. Sullivan’s debut novel features Annie Gore, a former military investigator, now private detective who is hired by a young man still haunted by the long-ago disappearance of his little sister. Shockingly, she was one of three girls taken from the same town. The only clue the kidnapper left behind was an apple head doll. I liked the author’s vivid description of small-town life in Appalachia. Annie Gore, her protagonist, is a strong and interesting character. I look forward to reading more about her in future stories. I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m fascinated by Appalachian folklore. The tale of the Witch of Quartz Creek is a story that changes with each telling. Every person has a slightly different version of the story. The moral is always the same though. Be careful what you wish for.
Annie is a private investigator. She’s tiny but packs a powerful punch. A former investigator in the military, she’s honed her skills enough to be good, but not very financially successful. She takes the work when she can get it, especially if she finds it fascinating.
Max comes to her with a plea. He’s been saving as long as he could to try to find his sister who was abducted ten years ago. His sister Molly wasn’t the only abduction. There was Jessica, and also Olivia, who was returned after just a few days. Olivia is autistic. Jessica and Molly were better choices, as they were whole.
Ten years have passed, but no one has been able to solve the disappearances. Annie comes to town and stirs things up. Most of the town doesn’t want it all stirred up again. Not the sheriff, not Jessica’s father, not Olivia’s mother. But there are some who are willing to go the extra length to try to help Annie find the answers that Max is looking for.
Really well woven story. While it clearly pointed at just a few suspects from the beginning, the story of this very small mountain town and the folklore of the witch is fascinating. Annie is a tough cookie who simply won’t give up, even when a lot is thrown at her. I loved the friendships that she made while staying in Quartz Creek. The characters of the town were amazing as well. The writing was beautiful and very well laid out. I hope that Annie will be around for a few more books.
Excellent and quick read.
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Whew, this was a tangled one. So many different leads and options, but that just made the end all the more satisfying! Really enjoyed this thriller, even if it was a lil slow at first… also had a hard time connecting with the main character so that could have taken me longer to connect with the story as a whole. Still, when it picked up IT PICKED UP and I couldn’t bring myself to stop reading.
If you love Appalachia Spooky™️ like I do, you’ll love this book. Also this book introduced me to the creepiness of Applehead Dolls?? So fascinatingly odd.
Thank you to Archer Sullivan, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a quick and atmospheric mystery/thriller with a strong female lead. I split reading between the ebook and the audiobook, and the narrator does a wonderful job of immersing the listener in the story.

I went pretty blindly I to this book, seeing the first sentence had ”Appalachian” in it and as an Appalachian girlie myself I immediately went to request it. I’m glad I did because while it wasn’t what I was expecting, it was BETTER than that. It was a beautifully written debut novel, that sweeps you right into the story.
The mystery kept me on my toes, all the way to the end it kept you guessing as to where these girls went. The ending was a SHOCKER. I’m usually good at pegging down, “Oh it was definitely that person.” But the whole town had this witchy-creepy vibe, making it hard to decide on one said person.
It’s a perfectttt read for Summer-ween!

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This story begins with Annie meeting a potential new client. Max, the client, is driving up from N.C. to hopefully hire her to try and find out what happened to his sister Molly. It seems that Molly was taken 10 years earlier and was one of 3 girls that also disappeared. Annie tells Max that she would work on the case for a week but could not promise that she would get it resolved. Max agreed and Annie started her trip down that night.
Once arriving she found the cabin that Max provided and got settled in. That night Max stopped in and gave her a book that he had made that was full of details of the three abductions. Jessica was the 1st one taken followed by Olivia, who was returned, and then Molly. Annie reviewed all of the information provided and then laid out her plan of attack starting with the family members of each girl taken. During her search unfortunately Molly was found dead, however she told the other mother whose daughter was still missing, that she wouldn't give up.
Follow Annie along as she searches for any clues. Along the way she runs into some people that don't appreciate her being there and tell her to leave. Read and meet the characters of the town and how each one played a role in the hunt.
The ending is well done and summarizes the story nicely. This definitely a book worth reading!

I felt this one started off strong. I was super curious to find out what happened to the girls that were taken, however I felt there were times that it was a bit slow. I didn’t see the twist coming, which was a plus. Overall a decent read

I got so close to figuring out who it was.... and then Archer threw another curve ball at me. This story was honestly fantastic. The plot, the lore, the atmosphere, the narration... absolute perfection. The lore behind the witch and the variations of the legend were easily my favorite part.
The narrator did a great job with the various characters and their voices. It's hard to believe this is a debut.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.