Annie Gore, formerly of the US Air Force, is a private investigator a bit down on her luck. So, when Max Andrews contacts her to look into the ten-year-old disappearance of his sister, Molly, she jumps on the case. A mountain girl herself, Annie travels to Appalachia to see what she can find. Molly, just a little girl, disappeared from her home while her brother, Max, was taking a piano lesson in another room. Her disappearance is eerily similar to two other cases of abduction: Jessica Hoyle, the first abduction, disappeared while sitting on a swing in a playground behind the local Baptist church and Olivia Jacobs, the second, was taken while attending a picnic at the same church. In each case, an apple-head doll was left in the little girl’s place. Olivia, however, didn’t stay missing. No, she was either returned or escaped and was found sleeping on the porch of her home. Olivia, autistic, hasn’t spoken since the day she was reunited with her family. Thus, no clues as to the culprit’s identity could be garnered from her. Molly was the third and last girl abducted. Ten years have passed since that day and now Annie must stir up a hornet’s nest, questioning everyone and anyone who had contact with the missing children.

Interwoven throughout this mystery is the folk tale of the Witch of Quartz Creek. While the tale varies with each telling, the gist is that during a terrible winter, a woman gives her two daughters to a witch in exchange for apples from her orchard. The witch turns the daughters into birds she keeps in a cage. Eventually, they escape and the witch turns herself into a crow to follow them. How this tale changes with each iteration is a clever plot vehicle which provides clues as to the lost girls’ fate.

This novel was a real joy to read. A page-turner, I finished the whole thing in three days – most of it on day two. The characters are rich and multi-faceted and author Sullivan keeps you on your toes trying to guess which one is the culprit. The read is atmospheric and dark, with crows cawing throughout. The protagonist, Annie, is down-to-earth, a bit rough around the edges, with a keen eye for aberrations in the environment and the folks she interacts with.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Witch’s Orchard and hope to see more of Annie Gore in future novels. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of the novel.

Five big shiny stars!