Review by Booklist Review
Sullivan's debut introduces Annie Gore, raised in Appalachia by her granny. After a stint in the military, she left to establish her own private-investigation agency. Annie is barely making ends meet when she's approached by a kid in his late teens, Max Andrews. Ten years ago, Max's sister Molly disappeared without a trace. His grief-stricken mom died by suicide, and his dad left, but Max saved up for years to hire a PI to find his sister. Annie is reluctant to take the case, knowing her chances of finding Molly after a decade are probably zero. But impressed by Max's determination, she signs on. Though Annie knows just how suspicious and unwelcoming folks from small-town Appalachia can be, she heads to Quartz Creek, North Carolina, where the kidnappings took place. Her presence evokes suspicion, threats--and another kidnapping. This gothic-horror story--murder mystery offers a chilling look at dark secrets in a small, poverty-stricken Appalachian town. Full of suspense, shocking twists, and a healthy dose of Appalachian folklore and traditions, it's guaranteed to keep readers spellbound from first page to last.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sullivan debuts with a mesmerizing mystery that blends small-town secrets with ominous folklore. Ten years after Molly Andrews vanishes, her brother hires private investigator Annie Gore to reopen the cold case. Most locals believe Molly's fate is linked to that of two other girls who were abducted around the same time; an eerie applehead doll was left at the scene of each disappearance. As Annie sifts for secrets among the tight-lipped citizens of the economically depressed Appalachian town of Quartz Creek, N.C., her knowledge of the region and experience as a former Air Force special investigator help her gain the locals' trust. But when she discovers Molly's strangled corpse, and then a young girl is abducted during a church festival just days later, she begins to suspect a disturbing link between the kidnappings, a respected pillar of the community, and a recent meth lab fire in an abandoned factory. The truth runs deeper and darker than Annie could've imagined, and she's eventually forced to confront demons of her own. Delivering intrigue, atmosphere, and well-shaded characters with the efficiency of a seasoned pro, Sullivan knocks it out of the park on her first try. Here's hoping Annie Gore is back in action soon. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A private investigator from Louisville, Kentucky, reluctantly takes a job that may be the death of her. Annie Gore has hocked her watch again to pay her bills, so when a young man wants help finding his long-vanished sister, she's glad to take on the job. Max Andrews has long been saving up for Annie's retainer, and although her resume mentions Air Force service, college degrees, and private security, when he meets her, she's not what he imagined. Max comes from a small North Carolina mountain town; Annie's own experiences with a battered mother in a similar town make her well aware of small-town secrets and grudges. Max's sister, Molly, was one of three girls abducted years ago. In each case, an applehead doll was left at the scene. When Jessica Hoyle, the child of a poor family, vanished, her case aroused little interest. A second girl, Olivia Jacobs, was returned two weeks after being kidnapped, perhaps because she's autistic. Once Molly was taken, an all-out hunt was launched, and the FBI got involved, but neither she nor Jessica was ever found. Annie doesn't get a warm greeting in Quartz Creek, and poking around doesn't increase her popularity. The sheriff, who's Olivia's uncle, is hostile, but his deputy is willing to help. One of the first people Annie meets is Susan McKinney, who makes potions and reads cards. Some of the townsfolk think she took the girls because she was moved by the tale of a witch who traded apples to the starving mother of two girls and then turned them into birds. Eventually, Annie turns up so many suspects that she's almost killed in a meth lab fire and narrowly escapes serious injury from a shooter. A tough heroine who refuses to quit uses her own troubled background to crack the case. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
