Trace of Evil: A Natalie Lockhart Novel

by Alice Blanchard

Overview

An IndieNext Pick!

"Gripping...Blanchard keeps the tension high." - Associated Press

From Alice Blanchard, the author of the New York Times Notable mystery novel Darkness Peering comes Trace of Evil, first in an evocative new series about a small New York town, its deeply held secrets, and the woman determined to uncover them, no matter what the cost.

There’s something wicked in Burning Lake…

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in Burning Lake, New York, an isolated town known for its dark past. Tasked with uncovering the whereabouts of nine missing transients who have disappeared over the years, Natalie wrestles with the town’s troubled history – and the scars left by her sister’s unsolved murder years ago.

Then Daisy Buckner, a beloved schoolteacher, is found dead on her kitchen floor, and a suspect immediately comes to mind. But it’s not that simple. The suspect is in a coma, collapsed only hours after the teacher’s death, and it turns out Daisy had secrets of her own. Natalie knows there is more to the case, but as the investigation deepens, even she cannot predict the far-reaching consequences – for the victim, for the missing of Burning Lake, and for herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250205711
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Series:	Natalie Lockhart , #1
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	366,944
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

ALICE BLANCHARD is the award-winning author of several novels. 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.

Editorial Reviews

"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." – 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

“Trace of Evil is riveting—atmospheric and dark, exploring modern day witchcraft and covens, with enough twists and turns to keep the most astute reader guessing until the end. Blanchard is a master storyteller with a brilliant understanding of family—about the love that both binds us and tears us apart. Get ready for a great read!” - Tricia Fields, author of the Josie Gray Mysteries

“[A] complex and tense drama.” – Trudy Nan Boyce, author of the Detective Sarah Alt series

"[A] haunting, dark, and thrilling tale that will leave you breathless." - L.T. Vargus, bestselling author of Bad Blood and Dead End Girl

"Everything feels as if set to explode. [Trace of Evil] holds the reader at the edge of his seat, flipping the pages to untangle the knot, and uncover the secrets.” – Mike Omer, bestselling author of the Zoe Bentley mystery series

“[U]tterly compelling. You won’t want to put it down.” – Olivia Kiernan, author of The Killer in Me and Too Close to Breathe

"Blanchard delivers a masterclass in guessing who is the most evil—and why.” Rea Frey, author of Not Her Daughter

"[A] compelling mystery that will hold readers spellbound." – Margaret Mizushima, author of the critically acclaimed Timber Creek K-9 mysteries

“[Trace of Evil] delivers a gut-punch of a twist readers won’t see coming. This book is not to be missed!” —Sara Driscoll, author of the FBI K-9s series

“[A]n absolute must-read that will [...] leave you breathless.” – Carol Wyer, author of the Detective Natalie Ward series

"Trace of Evil is lyrical, dark, and twisted. I read late into the night and the final twist blew me away." - Ellison Cooper, author of Caged

From the Publisher

2019-09-13
Detective Natalie Lockhart seeks to solve the brutal murder of a friend—which may connect to the slaying of her own sister 20 years earlier.

Centuries ago, three women were executed for witchcraft in Burning Lake, New York. Perhaps because of this violent history, it's almost a rite of passage for Burning Lake teens to flirt with Wicca and darker forms of witchcraft. But when a high school teacher is found murdered in her home, the exploration doesn't seem quite so innocent, especially when a poppet, a kind of black magic voodoo doll, is found buried in the teacher's garden. Natalie can feel the dark influence everywhere; in addition to the murder investigation, she's been assigned to investigate the disappearances of nine transients over the past several years. When she discovers the desiccated corpses of tortured crows at more than one of the sites where the missing people were last seen, it becomes more and more obvious that there is something—or someone—dark and deadly at work in Burning Lake, someone who may even have been responsible for the murder of Natalie's own sister 20 years before and who hasn't stopped killing since. There are a number of crimes being investigated in this novel and a lot of movement between past and present, but for the most part, Blanchard (A Breath After Drowning, 2018, etc.) successfully navigates these complexities and keeps the reader, and the story, grounded with the appealing character of Natalie. Dogged, empathetic, courageous, and driven by her own childhood trauma, she leaves no stone unturned, even if it means investigating people she loves. Blanchard indicates this is the first of many Lockhart mysteries to come—good news!

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

Kirkus Reviews

07/01/2019

In this first in a new series from an author accomplished enough to claim Barnes & Noble Best Mystery honors and a Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction, rookie detective Natalie Lockhart relies on lessons taught by her police chief father and her own impassioned commitment after her sister's murder as a teenager to solve cases and when necessary help anguished families find peace. After a day spent fruitlessly searching for nine missing transients, she drives a fellow cop home, where they find Daisy, his pregnant wife, dead. A likely suspect is Riley Skinner, a disaffected student, but he collapsed into a coma shortly after Daisy's death, and Natalie has lots of secrets to uncover.

Library Journal

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