This is a mystery/thriller. I really enjoyed it. Ten years ago three girls were taken and one of the brothers has hired a PI, Annie, to try to figure out what happened. This is a small Appalachian town and of course people in small towns do not take kindly to strangers coming in and asking questions. Annie has her work cut out for her. I was sucked into this book from the beginning. I enjoyed all of the characters and trying to figure out who did it. I definitely did not see some of the twists and turns coming.

-Finding a corpse is never a pleasant experience.

4.5 rounding up to 5! This cover and title drew me in right away! This one really exceeded my expectations! I absolutely LOVE when a book keeps me engaged all the way to the end. Even more so when I don't think I fully have everything figured out long before it ends. Just when you thought AHA...nope here comes another clue or two to make you second guess! I just love that! Well done! I will look for more by this author in the future!

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“The Witch’s Orchard” is a mystery by Archer Sullivan. There were so many things to like about this book - the feeling that one was actually in the Southern US with the descriptions and the attitudes. The South is a wonderful place and this reminded me why I like visiting it but it’s not where I call home. I also liked the PI - Annie. She’s strong, smart, and not afraid to call someone out on something. Need more people like that. What didn’t work for me was the slow pacing (though it fit for this book) as at times it was just too slow for my taste. Also, at times, there just felt like a LOT of repetition - and I understand why (Annie’s asking people for their take, so of course there’s going to be some repetition of facts) but reading it didn’t work (viewing it would’ve been less bothersome, I think). And, the resolution - eh … didn’t quite work for me. But I’d recommend this book for the descriptive atmospheric writing.

What a debut! The Witch's Orchard delivered everything I look for in a new author. Annie, the spirited and gritty protagonist, was a delight, imperfections and all. The mystery kept me hooked, especially with its cast of delightfully seedy and suspicious characters. I'm already hoping Archer Sullivan brings PI Annie back for another book! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a digital advance copy of The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan via NetGalley. The Witch’s Orchard is scheduled for release on August 12, 2025.

The Witch’s Orchard follows private investigator Annie as she enters a small Appalachian town to search for a little girl who went missing ten years ago. Annie has been hired by the older brother of one of three girls who were taken a decade ago. One of the girls was returned, but her nonverbal state kept her from helping the town find the other two. Annie digs into the lives of the local residents, dredging up the hollers painful past as well as her own.

This novel manages to give Appalachian vibes without delivering stereotypes. This is likely because the author is Appalachian, and the main character is as well. Annie and the characters she interacts with are all well-developed, with backstories, motivations, and secrets that bring them to life. That same level of specificity is given to the setting, in descriptions of the environment and the spaces humans have created.

The plot was also well done. This is a mystery with many layers. As Annie explores the current day town and people and digs into the past, suspicion falls on many different individuals. I did not figure out who was actually responsible before the reveal, but did find the resolution satisfying. There was nothing that felt like coincidence put into place to make the story work.

Overall, The Witch’s Orchard is a clever and vibey mystery thriller. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I really enjoyed THE WITCH'S ORCHARD. Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore became a private investigator after leaving the service. She is just holding on to that career. When a young man from rural North Carolina comes to her with a case, she wants to help him out (and get his fee so that she can get her watch out of hock.)

Returning to the sort of rural life she joined the Air Force to get out of brings up memories of her own past as she investigates the disappearance of three young girls from one small mountain town. Ten years earlier, three girls disappeared over the course of a couple of months. One, an autistic child, was returned after being gone a couple of weeks. The other two were never found.

Annie describes her job as asking questions until she stirs things up. That's what she does as she reinterviews those who were around at the time of the disappearances. Circling through her investigation is an old mountain story about a witch and her apple garden. She asks most of the people she interviews to tell her their version of the story which helps Annie understand them.

This was an engaging story with a great main character. I liked the way Annie engaged with her suspects and ferreted out long buried secrets.

A quick paced and enjoyable thriller that does a nice job with development of the characters. I would seek out additional works by this author.

This gripping mystery pulled me in right from the start. Annie Gore, a tough former Air Force investigator turned PI, heads deep into the Appalachian mountains to dig into a cold case involving three missing girls and it hits a little too close to home. The story is full of moody atmosphere, buried secrets, and eerie folklore, with Annie unraveling a small town that would rather let the past stay hidden. It's tense, emotional, and totally absorbing. I couldn’t put it down!

This one started out really strong and then fizzled but only a bit! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This one was pretty atmospheric and a little creepy but it didn't go all the way which I liked. I was worried for a bit about the direction it was going, but in the end, I liked where we ended up and the ending felt satisfying.

I would have liked a little more depth to the characters, but overall this was a solid thriller about a air-force gal turned PI who is working a case in small town Appalachia.

Recommend!

Twisty turn-y story. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. I enjoyed the story line very much. I especially loved that the main character was a female PI.

I love forward to reading more by Archer Sullivan.

The Witch’s Orchard is a dark, dreamy descent into folklore, grief, and the wild things that grow when no one’s looking. Archer Sullivan has crafted a haunting debut that feels like a forgotten fairy tale—equal parts beautiful and unsettling, with roots that twist deep into the emotional and the uncanny.

From the moment I stepped into the orchard, I was spellbound. The atmosphere is thick with tension and magic, and Sullivan’s prose is lush and lyrical without ever losing its edge. Every sentence feels intentional, every shadow holds a secret. The story unfolds slowly, like mist creeping through the trees, and I couldn’t look away.

At its core, this is a story about loss, transformation, and the dangerous bargains we make—sometimes with others, sometimes with ourselves. The characters are richly drawn, especially the protagonist, whose journey is full of quiet rage, vulnerability, and discovery. The magic here isn’t flashy—it’s old, wild, and quietly terrifying.

If you love folk horror, gothic fairytales, or stories where the land remembers and the past refuses to stay buried, The Witch’s Orchard is a must-read. It's eerie, elegant, and utterly entrancing—one of those books that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.

This book was amazing. The audio was so captivating, I listened to it in a day ~ and stayed up until 1 am to finish it.

I went in blind - definitely not witchy like I was expected - and it was worth it.

* I would love this to become a series about Annie Gore. I love her background.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy.

This story had a lot of good things going for it and but there are a few small things for me that prevent this from being a 5 star read! Firstly I absolutely loved this moody Appalachia mountain town as our setting. It provided the perfect backdrop for the story and I liked that local lore was incorporated. I was really getting Twin Peaks style vibes throughout the story and I loved that! I really liked our private investigator MC and how we progressed through this 10 year cold case. There were some really good twists at the midway point during the story and it really elevated the stakes and kept the momentum going. My main gripe with this book is how the MC talks to her car. You heard me, our MC basically treats her car as a second main character in the story and the dialogue between her and the car is atrocious and gave me the ick so hard. I just question why the author thought this was a good idea and it literally could have been edited out because none of it pertained to our main story. The other issue I had was with the final twist that was revealed, I had pieced together who the kidnapper was in the first 1/3ish of the book so I wasn’t overly shocked. I still liked the resolution of the story and felt like that was well done. Definitely a solid thriller that you can breeze through in 1-2 sittings if you’re a fast reader!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “The Witches Orchard” will be published August 12, 2025.

I thought this was a great story in a genre where it feels like almost everything’s been done before. The mystery hooked me right away, and the fast pace kept me engaged.

Annie is a strong lead, and I liked how her past mirrored the eerie, secretive town she’s investigating. The mix of missing girls, small town secrets, and Appalachian folklore gave the story a haunting vibe. The ending was solid and satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio for the e-ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The highlight of this book is the creepy atmospheric setting. A bit of a slow burn mystery, but at the same time the story completely immersed me. I love a good small town thriller where everyone seems to know everyone as well as their secrets. I really enjoyed Annie's character and felt connected to her. If you like an atmospheric, slow-burn thriller that combines folklore and small town then you definitely don't want to skip this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

P.I. Annie Gore is asked by a teenager to find his sister who was kidnapped 10 years ago. Being from the hill country herself, she accepts the case and heads to Quartz Creek, North Carolina. Then the spooky begins.

Annie served in the Air Force, knows Muay Thai, and carries a big gun. So I was surprised by her seeming lack of powers of deduction. But she is an interesting character, along with all the other suspicious folks in Quartz Creek. However, there were several moments when I thought Why is she doing that instead of this?! The mystery is good; 3 four-year-old girls are kidnapped one summer. One is mysteriously retuned. Ten years later there has been no sign of the other two. Then there are the colorful local townspeople; an old lady who lives high in the hills outside of town and is commonly referred to as The Witch, the attractive Deputy, the town bully and his long-suffering wife. All contribute to a tense series of events.

The ending was satisfying, but again, our clueless heroine didn't have a clue until the end. There were a couple of twists that I did NOT see coming. All in all, a very good mystery. And I wouldn't mind a bit reading another tale of Annie's escapades, especially if her mysterious phone friend Leo makes an appearance.

The concept was interesting but was very boring. I could not get into it at all. The writing was well done but didn't hook me like I was hoping it would.

The Witch’s Orchard is a haunting and lyrical debut that blends folklore, generational trauma, and quiet magic into a beautifully unsettling tale. Archer Sullivan’s writing is rich with atmosphere—every page feels like it's steeped in fog, secrets, and the rustling of ancient trees that know more than they should.

Set in a secluded rural town with a long memory and a history it refuses to forget, the novel centers on Maren, a young woman who returns to her ancestral home after her grandmother’s mysterious death. The orchard behind the house—long whispered about in town as cursed or enchanted—holds the key to untangling a legacy of silence, power, and women who were both feared and forgotten.

Sullivan skillfully balances mystery with myth, grounding the story in emotional realism even as elements of the supernatural creep in. Maren’s voice is clear and introspective, and the interwoven timelines (flashing back to her grandmother’s past) are handled with care and precision. The result is a story that feels both timeless and timely—a meditation on how we inherit fear, power, and survival from the women who came before us.

While the pacing slows in parts of the middle, the prose never falters. The ending is both satisfying and open-ended enough to invite reflection, making it perfect for book clubs or readers who enjoy lingering in a story after it's done.

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!

I absolutely loved this book!! It kept me on my toes and guessing the whole time. Of course I just wish she would of stayed in town and with AJ but that is my personal preference. But iI will definitely recommend this book to everyone.