In a small North Carolina Appalachian town called Quartz Creek, neighbors trusted each other until ten years ago, when three young girls disappeared under everyone’s watchful eye. One girl was eventually returned, but two are still missing in THE WITCH’S ORCHARD, the first novel in the PI Annie Gore series by Archer Sullivan.
Former Air Force special investigator Annie Gore is currently running a fledgling PI business after a stint in private security, when Max Andrews hires her to look into his sister’s ten-year disappearance from Quartz Creek. Annie is familiar with mountain towns, and upon arriving, she starts interviewing the locals and familiarizing herself with the folklore of the orchard witch and crows. When the girls were kidnapped, applehead dolls were left in their place. Ominous and disturbing, these uniquely dressed dolls may hold the key to the kidnapper’s identity. As Annie gets closer to the truth, a little girl in town goes missing. Can Annie find the missing girl and solve the old kidnappings, or are some small-town secrets so well-protected she doesn’t stand a chance?
THE WITCH’S ORCHARD is full of Appalachian atmosphere and characters. The small town is insular, and those who live there have their own struggles, secrets, and ways to survive. Annie knows how to navigate around the players in town, from a shifty pastor and his wife to an abusive meth dealer, a reclusive witch, local law enforcement, and a young man seeking closure. Annie's own chaotic backstory and her mysterious bond to a man named Leo make her an enigma. She’s tough and tenacious and stays aware of her blind spots. The mystery is nicely crafted with a surprising outcome. There are some high-stakes moments that amp up the suspense and local folklore, like applehead dolls, scarecrows, stone circles, velvet dresses, and screaming crows, to increase the creepiness. THE WITCH’S ORCHARD is a thrilling first novel in this promising new series full of Appalachian flavor and lore.
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.
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