Read with Fern

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 Appalachian hollers not unlike the one where she grew up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

There’s nothing that gets me in the fall mood like insular Appalachian communities with spooky myths and religious zealots. And if you feel the same way, I have great news! There’s a series that will absolutely, positively, get you into the fall mood. It follows Annie Gore, a former Air Force Special Investigator turned private investigator, who was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains.

Annie has started to make a niche name for herself as a private investigator with her talent for infiltrating small towns. Well, maybe infiltrating is the wrong word. Instead of winning people over with her charm and open vulnerability, Annie prefers to bust into town asking questions and not taking no for an answer.

In The Witch’s Orchard, Annie is hired to find a then 5-year-old-girl who was kidnapped a decade earlier, along with 2 other girls. Her older brother, then 8 years old and now 18, has been saving up for years to hire a PI, and he’s putting all his faith in Annie. And as Annie digs deeper into the missing girls, she finds herself questioning everything.

In Brimstone Hollow, Annie is hired by a woman in her 20s who was just told her father, a charismatic pastor, had died from a poisonous snake bite. As a snake handler, it should be the most unexpected cause of death, but his rushed burial has his daughter questioning things.

As Annie works these extremely unique cases, the local lore, mysterious characters, and pervasive darkness creates an addicting environment. And as Annie gets deeper into the secrets of each small town, the intensity develops into its own character, pushing the plot forward at a breakneck pace.

If you’ve been looking for a series that will jumpstart your creepy fall reading and drag deep into the Appalachian wildness, you need to read the Annie Gore series immediately!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!