Review of The Witch's Orchard
Blurb: 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 down 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 forgotten, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.
Review: Annie Gore is hired to investigate the disappearance of three little girls who went missing ten years ago in a small Appalachian town. One girl was returned but the other two were never seen again. Being from a mountain town, Annie understands how everyone might feel they know everybody else, but there are many secrets. Her investigation stirs up the past, local folklore, and someone who doesn't want her poking into the case.
This is the first book in the small town sleuth thriller series, Annie Gore. It's a strong start to the series, and I immediately liked Annie. She's former Air Force and was an investigator while serving too. She has her emotional scars not just from her service, but from her childhood, and they come flashing back while she investigates this case. A lot of reviews felt there wasn't enough about her background, but I felt we had just enough to know she has trauma. She has two very good friends who consistently check up on her and ground her. Both of those friends are characters I hope turn up more in upcoming novels.
The brother of one of the missing girls hires Annie, and it's a heartbreaking case, especially when her presence propels whoever it is into action again. There's the typical cast of small town people, and it has to be one of them. Great twists and misdirection. I also love how the case was tangled with old folklore about a witch and her two daughters and the crows. Every person in town had their own version of the tale, and it says a lot about who they are by which one they tell.
I only have one complaint and that's at the end when the people responsible for the kidnappings explain themselves in great detail. I never understand why villains do that, and it takes me out of the moment, breaking the tension.
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