The Witching Tree: A Natalie Lockhart Novel

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Description

As legend has it, if you carve your deepest desire into the bark of a Witch Tree, then over time as the tree grows, it will swallow the carvings until only a witch can read them. The history of Burning Lake is carved in the trees, and only the witches could understand it. Until now. Detective Natalie Lockhart gained unwanted notoriety when she and her family became front and center of not one, but two sensational murder cases. Now she's lost her will, and her way. Burned out and always looking over your shoulder is no way to be a cop, and Natalie desperately thinks that maybe quitting is her only option left. All that changes when a beloved resident-a practicing Wiccan and founder of the town's oldest coven-is killed in a fashion more twisted and shocking than Natalie has ever seen, leaving the town reeling. Natalie has no choice but to help solve the case along with Luke, the detective, boss, and old childhood friend she cannot admit she loves, even to herself. There is a silent, malignant presence in Burning Lake, that will not rest. And what happens next is a series of disturbing events that will shock the town, and Natalie, to the core.

Reviews

The novel captivated me from the beginning to its shocking finish. Wow! --Mystery and Suspense

Though readers may fear Burning Lake, they also won't want to leave. --Bookpage

Praise for The Wicked Hour:

Jodi Picoult's fans will be an apt audience for Blanchard's chilling latest. - Booklist

For fans of Erica Spindler. - Library Journal

Praise for Trace of Evil:

"Readers will welcome a return to Burning Lake with Natalie at the helm."--Associated Press

"Lockhart is a relatable new heroine on the police-procedural scene, and one who will appeal to readers of Tana French.--Booklist

A fast-paced, intricate, and atmospheric mystery that introduces a plucky, engaging detective. - Kirkus Review

Flush with red herrings, Wiccan symbols, and disaffected teens, this book will appeal to fans of criminal investigations led by empowered women. - Publishers Weekly

What seems an open-and-shut case becomes much more, with Blanchard carefully peeling away layers of history and deception before pulling off a shocking twist. Lockhart is a relatable new heroine on the police-procedural scene, and one who will appeal to readers of Tana French. - Booklist

A powerful and unexpected denouement. I look forward to reading more in the series. - New York Times bestselling author Ann Cleeves

[A] tense, nail-biter of a thriller! - J.D. Barker, International Bestselling Author of The Fourth Monkey

"Alice Blanchard seems to be able to write just about anything she wants [and] shows off a veteran storyteller at the peak of her powers." - New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of Two If By Sea and The Deep End of the Ocean

"A tantalizing mystery with just the right amount of unsettling horror woven in." Neal Griffin, LA Times best-selling author of the Newberg series

"Layered with old wounds, new secrets, and tension that starts on the first page and never lets up." --Kristen Lepionka, Shamus Award-winning author of the Roxane Wearymystery series

"Moody and atmospheric [...] the kind of tale that lingers long after you've raced through its twists and turns to the utterly gripping finale. - Owen Laukkanen, award-winning author of the Stevens & Windermere novels

Author Bio

ALICE BLANCHARD is an award-winning author. She has received a PEN Award, a New Letters Literary Award, a Centrum Artists-in-Residence Fellowship, and a Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her debut novel, Darkness Peering, was a New York Times' Notable Book and a Barnes & Noble Best Mystery book. Her work has been published in 17 countries.