Archer Sullivan

Real Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: 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 show more 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.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I about blew a gasket when applehead dolls and a Datsun 260Z appeared in the first fifteen pages. I was sure as sure can be that here was a five-star read.

But then. Let me explain.

I love stories about Appalachia that do't dump on the people like certain political scumbags did. I love strong and capable women investigators who don't have any truck with men telling 'em no, and bonus points to one with male friends not lovers. I love women who write books with accurate car names, and include their woman protagonists in this. All present and accounted for.

Then we play the mother card. We see crimes against little girls. Not, I stress, sexual ones, or this would've been Pearl-Ruled. The wrap-up was, as I feared, mother-related. I am not a Cult of Mother believer, my own mother was awful. Reading the resolution to this story was horrifying on multiple levels. I'm glad the Cult of Mother does not come out of the story unscathed, but it's extremely unpleasant to read another crimes-against-girl story no matter the resolution. I'd be frothingly furious if the girls in question had been treated as so many in crime fiction are.

Mystery and thriller writers need not to use girls-in-jeopardy as a plot engagement device. It is a cultural message that is toxic both to girls (who are, in adolescence, beginning to consume adult-oriented mystery series where their culturally pervasive role is victimhood) and to men, offering implicit targets in the existence of women as prey in entertainment every-damn-where.

So I love the book's execution, its solid plot-bones kept me reading, and the first-time author has an excellent touch with her side characters. I want this to be a series...I'll read Brimstone Hollow in 2026, if y'all want me to...I'm not able to overlook, however, the serious-to-me issue of using crimes against girls for entertainment value.

That is insupportable. show less

Audiobook Review: “The Witch’s Orchard” by Archer Sullivan, Narrated by Emily Pike Stewart

This one’s got all the moody mountain vibes and enough folklore to keep things interesting. I’m a sucker for a good legend, and Archer Sullivan delivers with a story set in a tiny Appalachian town that’s been sitting on secrets for a decade.

Annie Gore is our lead, and she’s a firecracker. She used to chase down answers for the Air Force, and now she’s doing it as a private investigator. show more Her latest case is a missing girl from long ago, in a town that’s about as welcoming as a locked door. Annie’s stubborn streak doesn’t win her many friends, but it makes for a main character you can’t help but root for. A decade back, three little girls vanished. Only one made it home, and she hasn’t said a word since.

“Both times,” Max says, “an applehead doll was left in their place.”

Creepy enough?

Emily Pike Stewart crushes the narration. Each character has their own edge, and her mountain drawl pulls you right into the holler. I swear I could almost feel the mud on my boots. It’s the kind of performance that makes you keep listening when you should probably be doing something else.

If you like your mysteries with a side of secrets and a dash of folklore, this one’s for you. The story is just spooky enough to keep things fun without crossing into nightmare territory. Perfect for Spooktober if you want chills, not full-on horror.

Thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheWitchsOrchard #ArcherSullivan #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #StMartinsPress

Emily Pike Stewart -Audiobook Review - Cap Cut - Appalachian Gothic - Superstition - Cold Case show less

Brimstone Hollow is the second in the Annie Gore mystery/thrillers set in Appalachia. Annie is hired by an estranged daughter to find out what really happened to her snake-handling preacher father. Of course, there are long buried secrets with the families in those hills so that is no easy task.
I really like Annie; she is strong, loyal, and quite a bit crazy. Often, I complain about the detectives running straight toward danger that there is no way they can be prepared for. However, when show more Annie does it, I feel like she has the skills and knowledge to back it up.
The writing and pacing are strong, and the atmospheric elements are great. Annie's backstory weaves in well with how she interacts with and approaches the case and the people involved. I’m anxious to get to know her friend Tina and would love to see Leo as a bigger part of the story. Although, he is pretty effective already as a murky source of information and support.
I’m already looking forward to the next one. Annie is quickly becoming a favorite character in a favorite setting.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. show less

Audiobook Review: “The Witch’s Orchard” by Archer Sullivan, Narrated by Emily Pike Stewart

This one’s got all the moody mountain vibes and enough folklore to keep things interesting. I’m a sucker for a good legend, and Archer Sullivan delivers with a story set in a tiny Appalachian town that’s been sitting on secrets for a decade.

Annie Gore is our lead, and she’s a firecracker. She used to chase down answers for the Air Force, and now she’s doing it as a private investigator. show more Her latest case is a missing girl from long ago, in a town that’s about as welcoming as a locked door. Annie’s stubborn streak doesn’t win her many friends, but it makes for a main character you can’t help but root for. A decade back, three little girls vanished. Only one made it home, and she hasn’t said a word since.

“Both times,” Max says, “an applehead doll was left in their place.”

Creepy enough?

Emily Pike Stewart crushes the narration. Each character has their own edge, and her mountain drawl pulls you right into the holler. I swear I could almost feel the mud on my boots. It’s the kind of performance that makes you keep listening when you should probably be doing something else.

If you like your mysteries with a side of secrets and a dash of folklore, this one’s for you. The story is just spooky enough to keep things fun without crossing into nightmare territory. Perfect for Spooktober if you want chills, not full-on horror.

Thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheWitchsOrchard #ArcherSullivan #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #StMartinsPress

Emily Pike Stewart -Audiobook Review - Cap Cut - Appalachian Gothic - Superstition - Cold Case show less