The Wind Witch Murders

by Casey Dunn

A haunting Southern Gothic mystery where dark magic meets deadly secrets, and a daughter must uncover the truth about her mother before it's too late.

Arkansas, 1999. Eighteen-year-old Raven Moore has spent her entire life trying to outrun her mother's dark reputation. Twelve years ago, two bodies were found burned in a field at the base of the Hill, and Raven's mother, Deanne—the woman they called the Wind Witch—was convicted of their murders.

Three days ago, Deanne died in an asylum, without ever speaking a word in her own defense.

Then, at the funeral, a stranger appears with a red feather in his hand. He knows things about Raven's mother that no one in Silverfield will speak aloud. Things about the Hill People—a community rumored to practice witchcraft who vanished the day Deanne was locked away.

Things about the wind, and blood, and the gift that runs in Raven's veins…whether she believes in it or not.

Raised by her fiercely religious grandmother to fear everything her mother represented, Raven’s life has been built on secrets and doubt. But when the past reaches out to claim her, she must remain in the world that has always feared her, or step into the legacy her mother left behind.

Because the wind remembers what everyone else has forgotten. And some murders were never what they seemed…

A captivatingly dark, unsettling novel of secrets, lies, superstition, and murder, for fans of Tana French and Rebecca James.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Horror, Witches, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2026

About the author

Casey Dunn was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Her grandfather, nicknamed Casey Jones at a young age by local law enforcement for his habit of hopping trains, would sit with her and spin tales of a girl who survived alone in open country. These stories would stay fresh in her mind long into adulthood. The need to spin tales of her own followed wherever she went.

Casey is the author of Silence on Cold River, which was compared to Silence of the Lambs by Booklist and picked as a book of the month for the Southern Book Review. She also wrote The Hightower Trilogy, published under pen name Jadie Jones (Parliament House Press.) The first book in the series won the Best Equine Fiction award at the 2018 Equus Film Festival in NYC and was a finalist for the 2015 Frank Yerby Fiction award.
​
Casey is represented by James McGowan of BookEnds Literary Agency and is currently working on several southern-set suspense projects. She lives on a farm in Southern Oregon with her family and too many animals to count. To keep a promise to her young kids, she finally wrote a book she'll actually let them read: Golly Molly and The Perfect Pony List.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets are blowing in the wind in The Wind Witch Murders! Raven's mother, Deanne, was imprisoned for the murder of two boys. She denied she killed the boys, but no one believed Deanne who was believed to be a witch. Raven was raised by her maternal grandmother and remembers very little of her time with her mother on the mountain. When her mother dies, someone leaves a feather on her casket and Raven decides it's time to learn more about her mother.

This book was full of secrets and lies. The premise was intriguing. A woman with the ability to heal, a cult living on a mountain, and a young woman searching for answers about not only her past but her mother's past as well. I thought the author did a great job showing Raven's desire to learn about her mother while grappling with her grandmother's rules. Raven is walking the tightrope between being a teenager and an adult. She wants the truth but where the truth takes her may be darker than the claims made against her mother.

While this book was intriguing and had very interesting elements, it also felt slow at times. While Raven was one of the main characters, I wanted to know more about her and feel that we were only told what was going on around her. I also wanted to know why she did not retain her memory of the time with her mother. The Wind Witch Murders also left me wanting to know more about Deanne and the cult. I was hoping this book would be darker and more menacing. That is not the author's fault as it was my expectation going into this book.

There were a few twists and a reveal at the end. They were all okay but missed the mark a little for me. There was just a little bit of oomph missing which would have pushed my rating higher.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many kids believe their parents are magical at some point in their lives. In The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn, plenty of people believe that about Raven’s mother too, and that alone made me want to pick this book up. My heart immediately ached for Raven when the story opened on her mother’s funeral. Her mother had spent twelve years in a mental health facility for the ritualized murders of two boys. She never confessed, never explained, never told anyone what really happened that night. Raven is desperate to understand, not only for closure, but for a chance to feel closer to the mother she lost long before she died.

Raven grew up with her ultra religious, strict maternal grandmother after her mom was institutionalized. Naturally she has always wondered about the woman she barely knew, especially since her grandmother refuses to share much about her and rarely allowed visits to the facility. Her curiosity sharpens after the funeral when a charismatic stranger steps forward and drops a feather onto her mother's casket. That single moment, combined with the grief of losing her mother so young, pushes Raven to start searching for answers. It is that need to finally understand her mother that sets the next few days into motion. I was hooked from the moment that man dropped that feather, and everything that followed kept me turning the pages.

I thought the “rural” Arkansas setting was very fitting for this tale. There are probably other places that would have carried the mysterious, magical vibe even more strongly, but certain folklores are deeply rooted in this region, so it worked for me. I put quotation marks around rural because the town Raven grows up in has a population of 20,000. Hailing from a town of less than 800 myself, I just cannot call that rural with a straight face. In my mind, Raven must have lived out on the very edges.

I also found Raven utterly compelling. I understood why she felt the way she did, and her emotional growth landed for me. She evolves in a fairly natural progression, even though her entire world shifts over the course of only a few days. That actually felt realistic, since I have lived through my own big, pivotal weeks. Dunn handles the supporting cast well, too. They feel like real people, flaws and virtues included, and their presence gives the story a grounded human texture that I really appreciated.

I enjoyed how Dunn combined coming of age with mystery. The story weaves in plenty of the trademark elements of both, and it makes for a really engaging mix. Some of the events that occur later in the book are a bit implausible, at least by my standards, but they still worked for the sake of the story. I read for a good tale, not a documentary, and things do not always have to line up with what feels realistic to me. I did raise a brow in skepticism once or twice, and there were a few predictable beats, but I never once felt the urge to stop reading. By the time the climax was approaching, I would not have been able to put the book down no matter what happened. Dunn had me firmly in her grip.

I really enjoyed the time I spent with The Wind Witch Murders, and I think it will be best suited for younger adults or even older teens, since the coming of age elements feel just as strong as the mystery. It strikes me as a great transition book for readers who are moving from young adult into adult mysteries, a solid introduction to the genre’s moodier side.

Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓🤓--- A thoughtful blend of mystery and coming of age, with characters who linger and a story that kept me turning pages even when I questioned a detail or two.

I read a digital copy made available by Severn House through NetGalley, and this review reflects my honest opinion.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published January 2026.

3 stars

Raven’s mother Deanne was imprisoned for the murder of two boys, a charge she denies. Now Deanne is dead and Raven is looking into her mother’s life, which brings her to the CULT (yay!) Deanne was once in. My prediction: this won’t go well.

The book wasn’t bad at all but it had a bit of an odd tone…almost stand-offish, if that makes any sense? As if it were being told at a remove, which made it hard to really care about any of the characters.

Read for Halloween Aficionados Halloween Bingo 2025 - Free Space and BINGO (Survivor Horror, Ghost Story, Free Space, Cult or Ritual, Slasher Classic)

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

Set in rural Arkansas during the 90's, The Wind Witch Murders follows Raven, a teenager grappling with conflicting emotions in the wake of her mother's sudden passing. As she befriends the black sheep daughter of the most affluent family in town, she begins to unravel the secrets of her mother's involvement in a cult-like group called The Hill, whose members are rumored to dabble in the occult.

This book simmers with a southern gothic sensibility, and I ate it up! It's a bit slow at times and doesn't rely on as many twists and turns as you'd think (though there are still a few), but the story is sure to draw you in with its vivid prose and haunting atmosphere.

The only small nitpick I have is with the scope of the setting. the author describes it as a very rural, backwoods town in the middle of nowhere, but at one point mentions that it has a population of just under 20,000. I think having it set a much smaller, more isolated town, or not mentioning the population at all and leaving it up to the reader's imagination would be more consistent with the tone she's going for.

If you're looking for a gripping, character-driven mystery book that's still grounded in reality (despite the title), you've definitely found it here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[meg *ੈ✩‧₊˚ (semi ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

this started very odd and between the synopsis and odd beginning, i was intrigued.

i was a little disappointed there wasn't more mystery to the story, more about her mom and what happened, and more into the cult. but it was still good.

the tone of the book is a little more removed which made it hard to connect to the characters and what was going on overall.

there were a lot of secrets and lies throughout the book and definitely still had some twists you would not expect, it just felt.. off to me between the tone of the book. (which could be more of a me problem cause only having one POV throws me off sometimes when i read a lot of dual POVs - but in this book, the only dual pov i would have wanted was maybe more insight from her mother when the murders occurred kind of like a past pov and that might have tripped the story up too much.)

overall a good story still with some spooky elements!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get interested in this book. I didn’t particularly like the characters and struggled with the plot. Just not for me.

[lorenzodulac · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit slow to get into. There was next to nothing on the actual wind witch murders. Maybe it’s my fault for not looking into it properly, I half expected a mystery-adjacent fantasy, and this was more like literary fiction.
I sort of liked Raven, I feel like there wasn’t much to like because I didn’t know enough about her to form an opinion, but that’s just me.
There was a twist I didn’t expect, and there were moments when I enjoyed my time in the book, that’s why my rating isn’t lower.
My expectations exceeded the actual execution of this book. 3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the book.

📝 Short Summary
The Wind Witch Murders delivers a cozy mystery with seaside atmosphere, a tapestry of local secrets, and a cast of characters rooted in old grudges and dusty history. When a series of murders shakes a quiet town, the protagonist dives into unraveling tangled motives, trying to stay one step ahead of the looming past and the whispers that surround every corner.

Review
This was one of those reads where I knew early on roughly how everything would unfold, which took away some of the tension for me. It’s not that the story was bad, it’s just that the puzzle felt less like a mystery and more like watching someone walk toward a conclusion I already suspected. I appreciated the setting and the slow creep of atmospheric tension, and there were moments where I got genuinely curious about certain backstory threads. The characters were familiar in a way that felt comfortable, but not always fully dimensional, which made the emotional stakes feel lighter than intended. The pacing was steady and cozy, and I liked how the story unfolded at a readable rhythm, but I kept waiting for twists that would surprise me in the way a great mystery usually does. Instead, it stayed predictable in that “I see where this is going” way. It was pleasant enough, especially when I wanted something easy and not overly heavy, but it didn’t grip me the way I hoped a mystery title with this vibe would.

✅ Would I Recommend It?
Yes, If you’re into cozy mysteries that feel like comfortable blankets with familiar patterns rather than edge of your seat twists, this is a fine choice. If you want unpredictable turns that leave you wondering, it might feel a bit gentle.

[Shyames · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit on the slow side until the last third of the book, I guess. But the beginning is mighty important, so after reading the whole thing, I don't really mind.

Raven is the daughter of the Wind Witch, who dies right before the book begins. Raven lives with her grandmother, who is big on church attendance and not exactly fond of her late daughter anymore. While we don't see any rebellion coming into play at the start, I guess it’s to be expected. Suddenly, Raven's long-lost father comes back into the picture. Since her grandmother never explained anything or shared the truth about her parents, Raven is drawn to the Hill—her father's community—and a newfound sense of freedom.

The biggest takeaway is that everyone has secrets in this one. Some people are better at keeping them, some taunt others with them, and some are so jealous they want to spill secrets just to get a reaction or make a rival disappear. I really enjoyed the intricacies of her discovering lost family and community while trying to figure out who the "bad guy" is and who's to blame for all the tragedy.

Raven's development is slow but realistic. You don't just mature overnight, and anyone would take the chance to get to know their long-lost father, especially right after their mother passes away. I guess what I was missing was a little bit more of Raven, her gran, and Sam after everything was said and done. Otherwise, it's a good coming-of-age story with a mysterious cult setting in the background and the struggle of figuring out who the villain in your story actually is.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Christi Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a story! I found it hard to stay in this one, not because it wasn’t a great read, but because it all felt predictable, and every character was doing the most insane stuff. None of it seemed to mask the twist- which I guessed pretty early on. I will say there were a few things that surprised me, but all in all, when you read this book, you’re going to be like “oh! I bet this is what’s happening” and you’ll be right.

The story is still compelling, it just has you screaming into the binding for the MC to make any other choice than the one they’re making.

Raven is the daughter of the infamous Wind Witch. After the death of two boys in a field in what the town thinks is sacrificial ritual, the witch is put in an institution where she is to live the remainder of her days. Raven has a complicated relationship with her mother, she remembers very little from when she was a child with her, and her mother has gone completely silent since the murders, most say, to protect herself. When her mother suddenly dies, things start to change. She learns stories of her mother, the Hill where she was born, and the people who live there. Her father she thought dead reappears, and becomes the catalyst for Raven to find out things about herself, her mother, and the murders that took her mother away all those years ago

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the privilege of reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, I think I just had the wrong expectations going into it. I was anticipating a darker, occult-themed, witchy mystery, but in my opinion this novel reads much more like a YA/ cozy romantasy/ family drama. I certainly believe there will be an audience who will resonate with the characters and appreciate the story, especially younger readers, as the main characters that we're following are around 18-20 years old. However, I am not in that demographic and thus found the novel sort of juvenile and boring, despite being really well-written.
The beginning of the book was strong and seemed really promising, and I was immediately drawn in by the main character's relationship with her recently deceased mother who was accused of being a witch... a wind witch. Interesting premise, but it fell flat for me. For being titled 'The Wind Witch Murders,' I personally found the witchy and murder aspects of the book to be lacking; it felt like the murders referenced in the title were more of a subplot and the occult lore wasn't explored nearly enough.
Overall, I'd recommend more for general fantasy/fiction readers who prioritize emotional arcs and dynamic relationships over supernatural mysteries.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book, set to be published 01.06.26!

[The Blog Without a Face · Rating 3 out of 5]

BWAF Score: 5/10

TL;DR: A punchy, small-town Arkansas thriller with culty witchcraft vibes, nasty weather, and a heroine who keeps getting handed other people’s sins like a casserole dish at a funeral. It’s got atmosphere for days and a strong opening voice, but it also drags, over-explains, and lands some big swings with a thud. Solid enough, not unforgettable.

Casey Dunn (born and raised in Atlanta) has a thriller-forward sensibility that shows here, with this book slotting neatly alongside her suspense output rather than going full supernatural horror. The bones of The Wind Witch Murders feel built for a page-turner: secrets, power, class, and a whole town invested in the convenient story. It just sometimes forgets that momentum is an actual thing you have to keep feeding, not something you can pray into existence.

Our POV is Raven Moore, a senior in Silverfield, Arkansas, trying to survive the fallout of her mother Deanne’s infamous past. Deanne was blamed for “the Wind Witch Murders” when Raven was little, after a tornado-sick storm and a burned-out shed left two boys dead and Deanne found nearby with blood-painted symbols and suspicious supplies. Now Deanne has just died, and Raven is stuck in a town that treats her like a hereditary crime scene. A strange, polished man with a red feather shows up at the funeral, and the old fear around “The Hill People” starts breathing again. Raven wants the truth about what happened to her mother and what it means for her, but the town wants the story to stay simple, and the people with the most power want Raven pliable.

When this book is cooking, the mood is killer. Dunn nails that humid, sticky, church-and-gossip Southern pressure where “community” is just a nicer word for surveillance. The early pages have a mean little bite, like when Raven clocks the whole ritual of respectability around death and spits out the line that basically becomes the book’s mission statement: “Burying is done to hide the secrets of the living.” And the recurring napkin notes from her institutionalized mother are creepy in a quiet way, especially the escalating warning: “You’re not safe here anymore.” That’s good dread, the kind that doesn’t need a monster under the bed because the monster is already registered to vote and sings in the fucking choir.

But here’s where the reality kicks in. The book keeps trying to escalate by piling on revelations and melodrama, and after a while you can feel the gears. Raven’s internal narration can be sharp, but it also loops and loops, restating the same anxieties until the tension starts to flatten. The mystery elements are readable, and the social power dynamics (who gets believed, who gets sacrificed) are the best mechanics in the story, but the plotting sometimes depends on characters behaving like they’re allergic to direct communication. It’s one of those books where you want to grab people by the shoulders and go, hey, stop making choices that are obviously going to end with you in a barn, in a storm, with a stranger holding a symbolic object.

Dunn’s prose is at its best when it’s sensory and pissed off: weather as omen, dirt as theology, beauty as a kind of trap. The voice feels rooted, with colloquial snap, and there are set pieces that land hard, especially when Raven is cornered and the mask slips on the “nice” people. Late-game, there’s a chilling stretch where Raven overhears powerful men rationalizing bodies like they’re bookkeeping, with Raven positioned as the most convenient scapegoat. That’s genuinely nasty. The problem is pacing and payoff: the last act goes big , but the emotional math can feel forced, like the book is insisting you feel devastated in a way it hasn’t fully earned.

This is a story about inheritance and control: how a town writes a woman into a myth so it can keep its hands clean, and how “faith” becomes a cudgel when money and reputation are on the line. The horror is mostly social: rumor as possession, patriarchy as occult system, and “witch” as the label you slap on a girl you need to silence. It leaves you with a bleak little question: if a whole community benefits from the lie, who the hell is ever going to tell the truth without getting burned for it?

This feels like Dunn pushing her thriller instincts into folk-horror territory, with the strongest parts still living in suspense, voice, and social dread rather than outright terror. It’s not a standout of the “witchy rural” lane, but it’s got enough grit and weathered menace to keep you reading, even when you’re also muttering, oh come on, don’t go in there, what are you doing, holy shit.

Not bad at all, sometimes genuinely wicked, but it’s also baggy and overdetermined, and the big swings don’t always connect.

Read if like cult-adjacent thrillers where class and reputation are the real monsters.

Skip if want true supernatural horror instead of thriller-with-occult-window-dressing.

[tiana ♡]

pre-read notes:

Got the ARC for this! I haven’t seen a lot about this book but I read the description and it sounds so spooky and thrilling, I’m VERY excited to check it out 👀🍂
Expected publication: January 6th, 2026

[Kay Oliver · Rating 2 out of 5]

This premise was so intriguing, but it fell flat in execution. There were some exciting twists, and i loved the cult with the charmingly deceitful father sucking in his poor, naive daughter. However, there were also long stretches of unnecessary and overly detailed descriptions in which nothing happened. Weird descriptions like "I lifted my eyes to their corners" made things so confusing and pulled me out of the story.

[✨ Sarah Mariee ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deanne, imprisoned for the murder of two boys, dies and takes the truth of what happened to her grave. Her daughter Raven searches for the truth and finds herself dragged into the cult her mother once belonged too, and now she is in danger.

I honestly went into this with much different expectations. I found the pacing to be slow and the tone made it harder for me to feel engaged in the story. While there were so many intriguing elements, overall I felt like something was lacking and I felt myself getting annoyed with Raven’s every choice lol.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Severn House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Hoarding Wyrm | Jenn]

Thank you so much to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was genuinely intrigued by the premise, but ultimately DNF’d at around 11%. That one’s very much on me: I hadn’t realised from the blurb that the FMC is still in high school, and at the moment I’m just not in the headspace for stories set in that environment (spitballs-in-the-hair levels of bullying and all).

That being said, I did enjoy the writing, and up until the point where I stopped reading, the story carried very strong Southern, close-knit community vibes, with a clear emphasis on shared morals and values - which is exactly the kind of atmosphere I usually love in horror and thrillers.

[Erin Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from Severn House and NetGalley. This review is my own. Raven lives in a small town with her overbearing grandmother and the legend of her mother, who was the murderous “Wind Witch.” Raven’s grandmother keeps her close and sheltered, and when Raven’s mother dies, she discovers that her father is alive. With the help of Ruby Jane, a wealthy local girl, Raven meets her father and prepares to join the Hill People as their wind witch. Raven discovers the awful truth of her mother’s past and the murders that spawned the stories. A very well done suspense/thriller!

[Samantha Hehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent atmospheric witchy read.
Raven goes to her mother's funeral- a woman she barely knew, but had the reputation of being a witch. Raven's grandmother has kept her on a close leash all her life to protect her from that reputation. But at the funeral, a man appears with a feather for the dead. Soon, another feather appears and Raven decides she wants to learn for herself the truth about her mother.

[Megan Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wind Witch Murders is a southern gothic and a roving crime fiction that covers the span of the right now mingled with a touch of folklore from the past and myth that is rumor. Raven is our main character- she lives with her grandmother and loses her mom right at the beginning of this book. Saying she is unaware of the truth of her family history and the rumors about her mother is putting it lightly, and I enjoyed so much the reverent and belligerent reveals throughout the way from grandmother and townsfolk alike. The stilted pace took me out of the story a few times, but I did enjoy the tension dripping throughout each little nugget if information we unveiled, slowly but surely. Thanks so much to the author and Severn House for the chance to read and review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blending echoes of the 80’s Satanic Panic with long-buried family secrets, The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn is the kind of book that grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Dunn’s storytelling is layered and steeped in the rhythms and colloquialisms of the South and Appalachia.

At the heart of the story is Raven, caught between the shadow of her mother - accused of murder and labeled the “Wind Witch” - and the suffocating grip of her deeply religious grandmother. After her mother’s death in a mental institution, Raven is pulled into the orbit of The Hill people, a mysterious, eco-spiritual group who believe her mother truly held supernatural powers over the wind and nature.

I won’t spoil the surprises, but the twists and turns kept me hooked and I finished this one in one sitting. Like Raven, I found myself questioning every character’s motives and was just as stunned by the truths that came to light which is how I know Dunn hit her mark and had me wholly invested. The characters feel fully realized and their actions grounded in believable motivations.

The Wind Witch Murders was atmospheric, unsettling, and utterly gripping - I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for early access to the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Blurb It Down Official · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn on what I thought would be a casual reading evening and suddenly found myself at 2 AM, completely unable to put it down despite desperately needing sleep. There’s something about Southern Gothic mystery that bypasses my usual ability to pace myself with books, and Dunn has crafted exactly the kind of atmospheric, character-driven story that makes time disappear.

The 1990s Arkansas setting immediately transported me to a specific cultural moment that doesn’t get explored nearly enough in contemporary fiction. Dunn captures that era when Satanic Panic was still echoing through small communities, when religious fundamentalism and New Age spirituality were colliding in ways that created genuine fear and suspicion. It’s a perfect backdrop for the kind of story she’s telling.

Raven emerges as one of those protagonists whose internal conflicts feel so authentic that you recognize them even if you’ve never experienced anything remotely similar to her circumstances. She’s processing her mother’s death while simultaneously trying to understand who her mother actually was—the woman her grandmother describes as dangerous and delusional, or the powerful figure that The Hill people remember with reverence and fear.

The relationship between Raven and her grandmother crackles with the kind of tension that anyone raised in strict religious environments will immediately recognize. It’s not simple antagonism—there’s genuine love there, but it’s love filtered through fear and control, the kind that suffocates even as it protects. Dunn never takes the easy route of making the grandmother a simple villain, which adds complexity to Raven’s emotional landscape.

When Raven connects with the daughter of the town’s wealthiest family—another outsider despite her privilege—their friendship becomes the catalyst for unraveling long-buried secrets. Dunn understands how teenage girls form intense bonds that feel like the most important relationships in the world, and she uses that emotional intensity to drive the investigation forward.

The Hill itself is one of the most intriguing elements of the story. Dunn avoids the obvious trap of making it either purely good or purely evil, instead creating something more ambiguous and unsettling. These eco-spiritual practitioners exist in the space between legitimate alternative belief system and something darker, and Dunn keeps you guessing about their true nature throughout.

The atmospheric writing is where Dunn really shines. She has this gift for making rural Arkansas feel both beautiful and menacing, capturing the particular quality of isolation that comes from living in places where nature still feels more powerful than humanity. The descriptions of weather patterns and natural phenomena carry weight because they’re tied to the central mystery of whether Raven’s mother actually possessed supernatural abilities.

I did find myself occasionally pulled out of the immersion when certain details didn’t quite align with the tone Dunn was establishing. At one point she mentions the town’s population as approaching 20,000, which felt inconsistent with the isolated, everyone-knows-everyone atmosphere she’d been building. Places with 20,000 people aren’t quite the backwoods communities where everyone’s business is common knowledge. It’s a small thing, but it stuck with me.

The pacing operates more through accumulating dread than through constant twists, which worked perfectly for the story Dunn is telling. This isn’t a thriller that relies on shocking revelations every few chapters. Instead, it builds slowly, allowing you to become deeply invested in Raven’s emotional journey before pulling the rug out from under you at exactly the right moments.

When those reveals do come, they landed with genuine impact because I’d spent so much time with these characters. Dunn earned my trust by creating people who felt fully realized, with believable motivations even when those motivations led them to terrible choices. I found myself questioning everyone’s version of events, never quite sure whose account to trust.

The exploration of how communities create scapegoats feels particularly resonant. Raven’s mother became the “Wind Witch”—a convenient explanation for everything wrong in the community, a way to externalize fears about change and otherness. Dunn shows how these narratives calcify into accepted truth, how entire communities can convince themselves that the most vulnerable person among them is actually the most dangerous.

The religious elements are handled with nuance that’s often missing from fiction that deals with fundamentalism. Dunn doesn’t mock or dismiss the grandmother’s faith, but she also doesn’t shy away from showing how religious certainty can be weaponized against those who deviate from prescribed norms. The tension between different belief systems—fundamentalist Christianity, eco-spirituality, secular skepticism—creates this charged atmosphere where truth becomes almost impossible to identify.

What impressed me most was how Dunn uses the supernatural ambiguity to explore very real questions about mental illness, trauma, and how we construct narratives about difficult people. Was Raven’s mother genuinely mentally ill, as the medical establishment claimed? Did she possess actual supernatural abilities? Or was she simply a woman who didn’t fit into any acceptable category, making her threatening enough to destroy?

The book’s treatment of feminine power—how it’s perceived, controlled, and punished—runs throughout without ever becoming didactic. Dunn shows rather than tells, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions about why communities so often turn on women who refuse to be diminished.

The Wind Witch Murders succeeds most impressively as both mystery and character study. The plot kept me turning pages compulsively, but what will stay with me is Raven’s emotional journey toward understanding her mother and herself.

For readers who like:
Fans of The Grip of It or Ghosts of the Shadow Market, anyone who appreciated Where the Crawdads Sing but wanted something darker, readers seeking Southern Gothic with contemporary sensibility, and those interested in how religious communities process difference.

Final Verdict
Casey Dunn has crafted a haunting, atmospheric mystery that uses supernatural ambiguity to explore very real questions about family, faith, and feminine power. While minor inconsistencies in the setting occasionally disrupted immersion, the overall achievement is remarkable. This is a debut that announces Dunn as a writer to watch, someone who understands how to blend genre elements with literary depth to create something that satisfies on multiple levels. Perfect for readers who want their mysteries layered with emotional complexity and genuine unease.

Grateful to NetGalley, Severn House, and Casey Dunn for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars; an interesting story with unexpected turns. I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Severn House and NetGalley.

Raven has lived with her grandmother ever since she was six years old, after Raven and her mother, Deanne, moved in with her following their time living off-grid. Her mother was supposed to return home the day they moved in, but was later found unconscious with ritual markings and two dead boys in a nearby shed. A big windstorm had just taken place, so the circumstances looked suspicious, and Deanne never explained why she was there or if she was responsible for the murder of the two boys. She was institutionalized, and rumors spread in their small town that she was The Wind Witch, responsible for every wrong thing that happened, including the fires and accidents that plagued the local steel mill. Eventually the steel mill shut down, and folks blamed her and the Hill people, a nearby alternative community where Deanne and Raven lived before.

When the story starts, Deanne has passed away and Raven and her grandmother are at her funeral. Raven had been told her entire life that her mother is guilty so she feels some relief that her mom is dead. We're told that Raven somehow lost all her memories before Deanne and her moved to her grandma's and so the only memory she has of her mother is the day everything changed. She's visited her mother every year, but her mother refuses to speak to anybody, including Raven. Raven and her grandmother met a stranger at her mother's funeral, and her grandmother reacts to his presence with suspicion and aggression. We then follow Raven as she learns more about her mother from her friends Millie and Ruby Jane, the Hill people, her grandmother, and yes the mysterious stranger who turns out to be her father. Everyone is saying different things - who is telling the truth about her mother?

I thought this was a good small town suspenseful supernatural story. The focus of the story is mainly on Raven encountering the Hill people with the help of Ruby Jane and her father, who also reunite her with her birth father. I wish we got some more scenes of the town or the school, but I did feel like we got a pretty good picture of how Raven was treated and looked upon by the rest of town. The Hill people look to Raven as the heir to her mother's medicinal herbal abilities to heal the sick and to call upon the wind, and it's pitted as a contrast to how everyone views her and her mother. Raven's grandmother is against the Hill people and Raven having anything to do with them or her father, and acts in pretty controlling ways to prevent Raven from interacting with them at all.

However, by the 80% mark when all the twists and full backstory comes out, it felt as if it was all happening to muddle the story that we knew the first 75%. Some twists were telegraphed ahead of time, and some reveals were I thought would be a small wave, and it turned out to be a tidal wave in magnitude of twists. I think the story taking place in just a few days contributed heavily to all the plot twists hitting hard one after another, and it felt like stepping on the gas the entire time. The first 75% definitely felt more sleepy and intriguing with Raven learning more about the Hill people and her father, and maybe more of the bigger twists could've been foreshadowed more so the pacing and energy would've felt more consistent?

The characters felt dynamic and unique, but again the focus was really on Ruby Jane, Raven's grandmother, and Raven's father. For a good part of the book, Raven didn't felt like the main character, she has character development in becoming a more confident and stronger woman but everything she went through, she just went through it with no reasoning or thought process (this is a first-person POV).

I did like the unique setting of being in Arkansas in the 1900s, as well as learning about Deanne and her love of science. And I did appreciate the growth Raven and her grandmother went through and how they ended their story. I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in a one-off small town mystery-ish suspenseful novel.

[Ellen Shipton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing style – 🍃🍃🍃
Worldbuilding – 🍃🍃🍃
Characters – 🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃
Pacing / Engagement – 🍃🍃🍃
Plot – 🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃
Romance / Relationships – 🍃🍃🍃🍃
Smut / Spice – N/A
Themes / Emotions – 🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

Okay so I was really torn between 3 and 4 stars for this one (maybe even leaning toward 4.5 by the end) because my reading experience was a bit of a rollercoaster.

Let’s start with this: the ending was wild in the best way. The twists were smart, satisfying, and some genuinely caught me off guard (which I love). It’s the kind of ending that makes you want to flip back to the beginning and look for the Easter eggs you missed. That alone would make me recommend it.

But… around the 40% mark, I found myself losing momentum. There’s a lot of scene-setting, backstory, and description that, while atmospheric, slowed the pacing more than it needed to. Some characters (Millie, for example) felt a bit unnecessary, and I think the middle of the book could’ve been tighter or less prose-heavy.
That said, if you’re into character-driven, moody psychological thrillers with a touch of the mystical, this will probably work really well for you.

The good stuff:
* The themes are where this book really shines. It digs into deception, guilt, manipulation, grooming, and identity, all wrapped in a story that toys with fantasy elements but is firmly grounded in emotional realism. There’s a strong thread about belonging, generational trauma, and the desire to protect others- even when protection turns into control.

* There’s one scene in particular (involving Orion and Ruby Jane) that was incredibly unsettling and powerful. Especially so when the mother directly explains the ‘bargaining’ to Raven (protagonist). It recontextualised everything that came before it, and it gave the entire book more weight.

* The witchy element isn’t what I expected; this isn’t a fantasy with spellcasting or magic systems. Instead, it plays with the idea of the supernatural. It uses it as a lens to explore nature, community, and the clash between tradition and belief. There’s a clear contrast between the hilltop community and the church, and the tension between them creates a really compelling backdrop.

* The twists were excellent, they were layered, believable, and well-placed. Some were obvious, others blindsided me in the best way.

A few quick thoughts:
* The writing style is very descriptive, often beautifully so, but it won’t be for everyone. Personally, I think the prose could’ve been a bit more concise in places. It didn’t ruin the experience for me, but it did slow me down at times.

* If you’re going in expecting classic fantasy because of the “witch” framing, just be prepared that it’s much more grounded and psychological than magical.

* The emotional undertones really worked for me. The book had a haunting quality that stuck with me after I finished, and that’s always a good sign.

Overall, I ended up liking this more than I expected to, even if the middle lost me a bit. If the pacing had been sharper throughout, this would have easily been a 5-star read. But if you’re into slow-burn, eerie, character-focused thrillers with a strong thematic core, I’d absolutely say give this a shot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🤍

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit different, but in a good way. Raven’s mother, Deanne, ‘The Wind Witch’ has just died. She was convicted of the murder of two young boys over a decade ago and has been in an institution ever since. She hasn’t spoken one word in all that time or accepted responsibility for the boys’ deaths. But to the townspeople, she had to be guilty because she belonged to The Hill People. Even though she left the strange cult, the stigma remained, and no one trusted her. Hardly anyone mourns her, except for Raven and her grandmother. And then a strange man arrives at the funeral, and Raven gets the feeling that everything is about to change.

The story is set in rural Arkansas in 1999, but the way Raven speaks is pretty different, and at first, I thought her character was at least a decade younger than her eighteen years. If you removed the cars and technology, I could easily see this being set over a century ago; it just has that atmosphere to it. It helps that the town is full of suspicious and superstitious people who fear anyone who is different.

One of Raven’s classmates, Ruby Jane, befriends her and slowly draws her in, away from Raven’s grandmother. Her family knew Deanne and has nothing but good things to say, unlike everyone else Raven has heard speak about her mother. As the girls get closer, Raven learns more about Deanne’s past and her time with The Hill People. All kinds of secrets come out, and Raven wonders if she ever knew her family at all.

It's not a thriller, but more of a slow-burning Southern Gothic mystery. There are heavy elements of spiritualism and the healing of nature, that type of thing. But science plays more of a part than you’d think, too. I was engaged most of the time - there were some parts that you expect and a really surprising twist that I didn’t. I felt pretty stupid for not seeing it coming, so kudos to the author!

Some parts felt a little out of sync, like the scenes in Raven’s school versus later in the story felt almost like different eras. And it never really made sense to me why Deanne had to pass away before Ruby Jane came into Raven’s life – neither really had friends, so wouldn’t it have made sense that they bonded long before? Even if Raven didn’t know why her mother was close with Ruby Jane’s family, it didn’t have to be a secret. But you know, overall, I really liked this book and I’m glad I chose to read it. It’s a good change from the typical books out there now.

[Syndrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this novel we follow a girl named Raven starting on the day of her mother's funeral. Raven's mom — also known as the Wind Witch and a member of the Hill People community — was involuntarily institutionalized after being accused of killing two boys when Raven was only six years old. Now eighteen, with almost no memory of her mother or the first six years of her life, Raven is looking for answers as to who her mother truly was and what actually happened on that tragic day thirteen years ago. Was her mother actually killer, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was she a member of a cult, or just a community that wanted to live off the grid in peace?

This novel is labeled as adult fiction, but I personally felt that it read a bit closer to YA — especially with the love at first sight romance plot that suddenly drops in out of nowhere. But I'm not trying to imply this is a bad thing by any means, I just think it might make it harder for the appropriate audience to find this novel and felt it worth noting.

Now as far as the actual plot goes, I did find the novel pretty interesting. The mystery aspect kept my attention and the story unraveled in a way that was easy to follow and made sense. The prose itself was smooth, easy to read, and had some really nice imagery throughout. I also really liked the incorporation of the healing magic and thought it gave the story a little bit of whimsy that helped balance out the darker parts of the story.

Regarding things I didn't like as much, I'd say we really didn't need the romance plot here at all because Sam's character could've worked just fine as a friend. But I wouldn't have minded if he and Raven actually had time to develop a proper relationship instead of just suddenly jumping head first into acting on their sudden feelings. I also wish the ending had been drawn out a bit more because it does snowball pretty fast during that last 15-20%. But I will say all the loose ends seemed to be tied up and I can't really complain about that!

Overall I would recommend this novel to YA readers looking to dip their toes into more of the adult fiction side, or to the adult readers looking to give YA a chance, because this really feels like the kind of book that toes the line in between the two sides.

(Thank you to Severn House for offering an advance review copy for free via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)

[Astrid Greyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are the daughter of a witch that was accused of murdering two boys, life really does suck. Raven is grappling with her mother's death, a mother who everyone believes is a witch that killed two boys. As Raven tries to figure out who her mother really is, she has to come face to face with a past that is being hidden from her by her Grandma and her father. The characters in this book are complicated. Raven is an 18 year old whose decisions made it hard for me to relate or understand her. Grandma, by all outwardly appearances, is trying her best to keep Raven safe but I felt that most of the book could have been avoided if Grandma just talked to Raven about what was really going on. Ruby Jane, a girl from school that befriends Raven, acts like she is trying to help Raven but there are moments where it seems that Ruby Jane is more frenemy than friend. Raven's father, Orion, seems like a nice guy but the more you read the more you get the feeling that something is off about him.

The pacing is a bit slow, especially in the beginning. The full story doesn't start to take shape until more than halfway through. I also had a hard time understanding Raven's decisions throughout this book. Raven is shown to be a small town naive girl who doesn't have friends or any true understanding of the world around her.. While she spends the whole book looking for answers about her mother, she is also inexplicably cavalier with her mother's things, especially her mother's journal. If I never really knew my mother and found her journal, I wouldn't let it out of my sight. But Raven lets Ruby Jane basically have the journal and doesn't seem too concerned about what Ruby Jane is doing with it.

The story really picks up about halfway through and I found myself enjoying the story after that point despite my concerns with the character's motivations. The ending was interesting and helped make the earlier parts of the story more understandable. There was a few small twists that helped drive the ending and allowed the story to end on a positive note with most characters receiving the ending they deserved.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for sending me the electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are all my own.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚The Wind Witch Murders
✍🏻Casey Dunn
Blurb:
A haunting Southern Gothic mystery where dark magic meets deadly secrets, and a daughter must uncover the truth about her mother before it's too late.

Arkansas, 1999. Eighteen-year-old Raven Moore has spent her entire life trying to outrun her mother's dark reputation. Twelve years ago, two bodies were found burned in a field at the base of the Hill, and Raven's mother, Deanne—the woman they called the Wind Witch—was convicted of their murders.

Three days ago, Deanne died in an asylum, without ever speaking a word in her own defense.

Then, at the funeral, a stranger appears with a red feather in his hand. He knows things about Raven's mother that no one in Silverfield will speak aloud. Things about the Hill People—a community rumored to practice witchcraft who vanished the day Deanne was locked away.

Things about the wind, and blood, and the gift that runs in Raven's veins…whether she believes in it or not.

Raised by her fiercely religious grandmother to fear everything her mother represented, Raven’s life has been built on secrets and doubt. But when the past reaches out to claim her, she must remain in the world that has always feared her, or step into the legacy her mother left behind.

Because the wind remembers what everyone else has forgotten. And some murders were never what they seemed…

A captivatingly dark, unsettling novel of secrets, lies, superstition, and murder, for fans of Tana French and Rebecca James.
My Thoughts:
This is an emotional family drama and mystery that started out really strong with an interesting plot., The story follows 18 year old Raven, her mother has died and a mysterious man appears at the funeral prompting Raven to question all that she knew about her mother. Prior to her death, Raven’s mother was accused of the murder of 2 young boys, and was in an asylum when she died.As Raven tries to figure out who her mother really is, she has to come face to face with a past that is being hidden from her by her Grandma and her father. It was gripping, atmospheric and dark, with lots of twists and turns.
Thanks NetGalley, Severn House Publisher and Author Casey Dunn for the advanced copy of "The Wind Witch Murder" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#SevernHoussePublisher
#CaseyDunn
#TheWindWitchMurders
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ashley Cohoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5 stars)

The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn is a moody, southern-tinged mystery that mixes grief, folklore, and coming-of-age in a way that’s quietly compelling, even if it didn’t completely hit all the beats I was hoping for.

The story follows Raven, a teenager who’s just lost her mother, who also happens to have been institutionalized for years after being accused of murdering two boys. Everyone in town believed her mother was a witch. Raven never did. When a strange man leaves a feather on her mother’s casket, it becomes the final push for Raven to start digging into her mother’s past and the secrets surrounding a mysterious group living on the mountain.

I really liked the emotional core of this book. Raven’s grief and confusion felt genuine, and her need to understand who her mother really was gave the story a lot of heart. There’s something quietly powerful about watching her balance being a kid who just lost her mom and a young woman who’s ready to question the version of the truth she’s been given her whole life.

The atmosphere was another strong point. The rural Arkansas setting, the whispers of cult activity, and the long shadow of her mother’s reputation created a really nice, eerie backdrop. I just wish the story leaned into that darkness a bit more. There were moments where it felt like it was about to tip into something truly sinister… and then pulled back.

The pacing is also on the slower side. I didn’t mind it most of the time, but there were stretches where it felt like we were circling the same questions without moving much closer to answers. I also found myself wanting more depth when it came to Raven’s lost memories and her mother’s role in everything. There’s a lot hinted at, but not always explored as deeply as I wanted.

The twists at the end were fine, but they didn’t quite pack the emotional or dramatic punch I was hoping for. Nothing was bad, just a little underwhelming compared to the setup.

Overall, The Wind Witch Murders is a solid, atmospheric mystery with a strong emotional center. It didn’t fully become the dark, haunting story I was expecting, but it was still an engaging, thoughtful read that kept me invested in Raven’s search for the truth.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I just finished The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn, and I have to say—it’s a gripping Southern Gothic mystery that really pulls you into its eerie world. Set in Arkansas in 1999, the story follows eighteen-year-old Raven Moore, who’s been carrying the weight of her mother’s dark past her whole life. Raven’s mother, Deanne, was known as the Wind Witch and was convicted of a brutal double murder over a decade ago. But with Deanne’s recent death in an asylum—where she never defended herself—the layers of secrets and dark magic surrounding her life start to unravel.

What really hooked me was the way Dunn blends supernatural elements with a mystery rooted in family and community secrets. Raven’s upbringing with her deeply religious grandmother contrasts sharply with the whispers of witchcraft and the mysterious Hill People who disappeared the same day Deanne was imprisoned. When a stranger shows up at Deanne’s funeral with unsettling knowledge and a red feather, Raven is forced to confront the legacy she’s been running from—and whether she’ll embrace the strange gifts tied to her bloodline.

The atmosphere of the book is thick with tension and a sense of something unseen lurking just beyond the edges of the story. It’s perfect for fans of atmospheric mysteries. The setting itself feels almost like a character—drenched in superstition, shadowed pasts, and the kind of secrets that don’t stay buried.

If I had one critique, it would be that the ending felt a bit rushed for my taste. I was so invested that I wanted a little more time to fully digest the twists and revelations. Still, that small flaw didn’t overshadow how much I enjoyed the book overall. The writing was immersive, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end.

In short, The Wind Witch Murders is a compelling read that combines dark magic, family drama, and murder in a way that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Definitely recommend it if you like your mysteries with a supernatural twist and a Southern Gothic vibe.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

[Amie Derricott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Arkansas at the turn of the last century, The Wind Witch Murders by Casey Dunn follows 18 year old Raven, who has been carrying the burden of her mothers reputation for her whole life. Her mother Deanne was known as the wind witch to the cult that she lived with, The Hill People, and was accused of the murder of two teenage boys when Raven was small. Incarcerated for the last ten years, Deanne has never spoken a word of what happened that day, not even to defend herself. Her death triggers a chain of events for Raven that will lead her into the past, find family she didn’t know she had and put herself in danger to reveal the truth of what happened to her mother and those boys.

This book was absolutely not what I was expecting but in the absolute best way. Dunn has intricately weaved elements of the supernatural with this deep rooted family secret to create a thriller like nothing I’ve ever read before. Every time I had to put it down, I felt myself drifting back toward thinking about what would happen next. If you’re looking for a plot driven story, this is probably not the book for you, but if you’re into character driven stories that are thick with tension and secrets then you will love this as much as I did.
Ravens deeply religious upbringing with her grandmother is a sharp contrast to the whisperings of witchcraft and the mysterious Hill People that her mother was involved in. When a mysterious man turns up at her mothers funeral, Raven is faced with an incredibly difficult decision – does she remain under the oppression of her grandmother or confront the secrets and lies that have been kept from her about her mother?
I absolutely loved the relationship that Raven develops with Ruby Jane, a previously aloof popular girl at Ravens school. She opens Raven up to a whole new world of freedom and the way their story concludes was absolutely jaw dropping. In the same way, the relationship she has with her grandmother was fascinating and the decisions that her grandmother has made creates an additional layer of tension to the story, leaving you racing through the pages to find out how things work out between them.
After the slow burn of the first 75%ish, the ending comes racing at a rapid pace, adding in twists and turns that you don’t see coming at all, and leaving you with questions about what happens after despite wrapping the story up perfectly.
This was my first book by Casey Dunn, but definitely not my last and I absolutely cannot recommend it enough!