ARC Review: The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

The Witch's Orchard
Author: Archer Sullivan
Publication: Minotaur (August 12, 2025)

Description: 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: 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. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.