Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Witch’s Orchard in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: August 12, 2025
Summary:
A ninth generation Appalachian herself, Archer Sullivan brings the mountains of North Carolina to life in The Witch’s Orchard, a wonderfully atmospheric novel that introduces private investigator Annie Gore.
Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore joined the military right after high school to escape the fraught homelife of her childhood. Now, she’s getting by as a private investigator and her latest case takes her to an Appalachian holler not unlike the one where she grew up.
Ten years ago, three little girls went missing from their tiny mountain town. While one was returned, the others were never seen again. After all this time without answers, the brother of one of the girls wants to hire an outsider, and he wants Annie. While she may not be from his town, she gets mountain towns. Mountain people. Driving back into the hills for a case this old—it might be a fool’s errand. But Annie needs to put money in the bank and she can’t turn down a case. Not even one that dredges up her own painful past.
In the shadow of the Blue Ridge, Annie begins to track the truth, navigating a decade’s worth of secrets, folklore of witches and crows, and a whole town that prefers to forget. But while the case may have been buried, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.
My thoughts:
Atmospheric, suspenseful and completely captivating, this debut totally grabbed me from the get-go. Do I dare hope it’s the start of a new series?!?
This book has everything I love in a mystery…the perfect sense of place — the small-town with lots of secrets and no one being quiet who you think they really are; that hint of witchy folklore that really would make this the perfect read for spooky season, though reading it at anytime is ideal; and a main protagonist who I want to know more of! Anne Gore is a former Air Force Special Investigator and is now a private investigator and while we do learn a bit about her, I feel we have only scratched the surface.
I was drawn into this story and loved how the author used the Appalachian setting and folklore to her advantage. Case in point, I’d never heard of applehead doll before but thanks to good ol’ Google, I found them!
Audio thoughts:
This is narrated by Emily Pike Stewart, who is a new-to-me audiobook narrator, and I thought she did an amazing job bringing this story to life. Her ability to infuse a range of emotions as needed was perfection!
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