Review: Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan

 

Brimstone Hollow (Annie Gore #2) by Archer Sullivan

Publication Date: August 11th 2026 by Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 43min

Narrator: Emily Pike Stewart

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

When snake-handling preacher Ezra King is found dead from snake bites and then buried less than twenty-four hours later, his estranged daughter Katie becomes suspicious. She hires Annie to investigate. On the surface, it looks like a tragic accident involving dangerous animals, but Annie agrees to take a closer look. Being local and familiar with small-town Appalachian culture, she’s able to ask questions and gain trust in ways an outsider never could.

 

Ezra left behind a troubled past, found religion, and used his charismatic personality to become the preacher at Mount Zion. His tent revivals featured snakes. Yikes!

 

As Annie starts digging for answers, word quickly spreads around town. What seemed like a straightforward case soon turns suspicious, especially after Annie narrowly survives an attempt on her life.

 

Brimstone Hollow is the second book in the Annie Gore series. While this could be read as a standalone, each mystery is wrapped up, I’d still recommend starting with the first book to better understand Annie’s background and how she became a PI.

 

I enjoyed watching Annie quickly gain acceptance in Mount Zion by treating the locals with genuine respect. Several residents proved helpful, and the descriptions of food at the little hole-in-the-wall diner Annie discovered had my mouth watering. The story had plenty of twists, action, and layers. I appreciated Annie’s determination to get to the truth. I’m already looking forward to her next case!

 

I alternated between the audiobook and eBook and recommend either format. Emily Pike Stewart, who also narrated the previous installment, did another wonderful job. Her subtle Southern accent suited the story perfectly, and I enjoyed that she sang portions of the hymns featured in the book. Her performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment.

4 Stars

Book Description:

Following her powerful debut in The Witch’s Orchard, private investigator Annie Gore returns in Brimstone Hollow, bringing readers back to the mountains that author Archer Sullivan, a ninth generation Appalachian, knows so well.

There isn’t much that happens in the Appalachian Mountains that Private Investigator Annie Gore hasn’t seen. Before she joined the Air Force, she was born and raised in those rolling hills, and lately Annie's cases have called her away from her Louisville office and closer to the small towns of her youth than she ever anticipated. But when her newest client asks if she’s ever been to a snake-handling church, Annie knows she’s about to enter unknown territory.

Katie May has been estranged from her father―one of Appalachia’s last infamous snake handling preachers―for twenty years. But when Katie finds out he’s been fatally bitten, and a funeral was held within twenty-four hours, she questions whether someone deliberately rushed the process. Despite Annie’s doubts, she takes the case. After all, when she looks at Katie, she sees a version of herself: a girl who needs to understand her father in order to understand herself.

As she navigates the hidden hollers and dangerous secrets of this insular Eastern Kentucky town, Annie works fast, hoping to find the truth in record time for her client―and before too many memories from her own childhood surface. But it soon becomes apparent that someone wants Annie’s investigation to stop―by any means necessary.

Review: The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

 

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

Publication Date: August 12th 2025 by Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 320

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 28min

Narrator: Emily Pike Stewart

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Ten years ago, three girls went missing and an apple doll was left in their place. One was returned, but two were never seen again. Max’s sister, Molly, was one of the girls taken and her abduction has haunted him and his family for years. He hires Annie Gore, a private investigator and former Air Force Special Investigator, to find his sister. Annie knows there’s a slim chance she’ll find anything ten years later but can’t refuse Max or the money she’ll earn.

 

Being from a similar area gives Annie a unique advantage in dealing with the locals in this small Appalachian Mountain town. Annie was determined to get to the truth, and had to wade through old gossip and local folklore of a creepy mountain witch.  In the process she ruffles feathers and stirs up action that surprises all!

 

The Witch’s Orchard was a captivating, atmospheric mystery with a spooky vibe! I really liked Annie! She was tough and smart but also had empathy for the people marked by these events. Bits and pieces of her own past are revealed throughout the story and my heart went out to her! There was a romantic element. I was happy with the direction that seemed to be going in the end.

 

I alternately read and listened to an audio copy narrated by Emily Pike Stewart. I thought her performance was excellent and enjoyed her subtle Southern accent. She did well with all voices, male and female and a wide range of ages!

4 Stars

Book 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.

Connect with Archer Sullivan:

Instagram | Website

Audiobook Review: The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

 

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Publication Date: June 18th 2024 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 41min

Narrator: Emily Pike Stewart

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm |  Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Emlyn works as a nature guide in the wildness of Idaho. She fell into the work after being stranded in the small Idaho town three years ago, unconscious and near freezing, left out on her own by her then boyfriend, Tyler. Fortunately, a Forest Ranger, (a sweetheart of a man!) found her, took her in and she stayed, healing and moving on with her life. Unfortunately, her ex-Tyler has shown up asking for help finding Janessa, the best friend that introduced them. Janessa’s gone dark after documenting her vanlife adventure with her survivalist boyfriend on social media. Emlyn is torn over helping Tyler, getting involved by helping track Janessa down, she understandably doesn’t trust Tyler, but Janessa waded in when Emlyn needed help, and even though they are now estranged, Emlyn doesn’t want to abandon her friend if she is truly in danger.

 

The Nature of Disappearing is the second story I’ve enjoyed by Ms. Grant. Her writing is beautiful, almost poetic without being overly flowery and slowing the pace. The Idaho wilderness sounded gorgeous, and I almost felt like I was there.

 

This is a mystery, both in finding Janessa, and in what happened to Emlyn in the past with Tyler abandoning her, and what led to Emlyn and Janessa falling out. The story explores some of the insecurities that led Emlyn to almost dying three years earlier. The years away did her good, but the journey she took to find Janessa was cathartic even if dangerous. I wouldn’t say the story was an edge-of-your-seat listen, more quietly captivating with an underlying tension building. I was hooked from the first chapter and enjoyed every minute!

 

Emily Pike Stewart did a fantastic job bringing the story and characters to life! I listened at my usual 1.5xnormal speed. 

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing.

Emlyn doesn’t let herself think about the past.

How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the man she thought was the love of her life, left her freezing and half-dead on the side of the road three years ago.

Her new life is simple and safe. She works as a fishing and hunting guide, spending her days in Idaho’s endless woods and scenic rivers. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer, her closest friends a handsome and kind Forest Service ranger and the community’s makeshift reverend, who took her in at her lowest.

But when Tyler shows up with the news that Janessa is missing, Emlyn is propelled back into the world she worked so hard to forget. Janessa, it turns out, has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged survivalist boyfriend. But she hasn’t posted lately, and when she does, it’s from a completely different location than where her caption claims to be. In spite of their fractured history, Emlyn knows she might be the only one with the knowledge and tracking skills to save her friend, so she reluctantly teams up with Tyler. As the two trace Janessa’s path through miles of wild country, Emlyn can’t deny there’s still chemistry crackling between them. But the deeper they press into the wilderness, the more she begins to suspect that a darker truth lies in the woods―and that Janessa isn’t the only one in danger.

Poignant, suspenseful, and unforgettable, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING explores what it takes to start over―and the cost of letting the past pull you back in.