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.
What I thought about The Witch's Orchard
Private investigator Annie Gore needs a client, so when she is offered a job in a small mountain town in North Carolina, she takes it. Ten years ago three girls went missing, and the brother of one of the girls is looking for something -- the answer to what happened to his sister, and whether she's still alive. Annie comes to town to uncover all the secrets and shake things up in a big way.
The action moves along quite nicely in this story, with the witch's tale bring a taste of the supernatural and it illustrates just how a story can change as it gets told over and over. I liked that part of the story.
Annie runs afoul of the locals as she investigates the missing girls. She might be an outsider, but she's aware of how folks in a small town act and react to strangers poking around. It isn't long before she finds herself in real trouble.
The pacing is good, and Annie is an interesting main character. There are hints of a relationship with a former colleague throughout, but it's all very hazy at this point. Annie likes to shake things up and I liked that about her.
Overall, a very engaging mystery with plenty of what-happened-there moments and a few twists. I really didn't see the ending coming about the way it did, and that contributes to the suspense of the story. The secondary characters, especially the witch in the woods, help round out the story by representing their unique environment. I enjoyed this look inside the small Appalachian town and the mystery of the missing girls. It kept me interested until the very end.
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