Trace of Evil

Natalie Lockhart #1

by Alice Blanchard

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.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Audiobook

375 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Alice Blanchard is an award-winning author of psychological thrillers, mysteries, crime thrillers and dark fantasy.

Her bestselling thriller, “The Breathtaker,” was an official selection of NBC’s Today Show Book Club, and her debut mystery, “Darkness Peering,” was a New York Times’ Notable Book. "Trace of Evil” was selected as an Amazon Best Mystery and an Indie Next Pick.

Her story collection won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Short Fiction, and she has received a PEN Fiction Award, a Centrum Artists award and a New Letters Literary Award, among other honors for her writing. Her books have been published in 16 countries.

Alice's Amazon Page: amazon.com/author/alice-blanchard
Website: www.aliceblanchard.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aliceblanchard.author/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alicebooks33...
Twitter: twitter.com/AliceBooks333

Reviews

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie Lockhart may be new to the detective unit but you’d never know it. She presents herself as seasoned as any of them. Tonight she’s on duty when she receives the worst possible news. A brutal murder of a beloved and very pregnant schoolteacher who just happens to be the wife of one of her detectives!

Alice Blanchard writes a captivating novel that will reel you in and keep you zipping through the pages, firmly holding you locked-in and guessing. Oh yes….with just a hint of possible love interest in the air!💖

The ending possibly had one twist too many and just didn’t match the tone of the book. There were many pieces of the puzzle and questions left unanswered. Hopefully that will be cleared up in the next installment. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the lead character and will definitely be reading the next release of this new series.

A fabulous buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for an ARC to read and review

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Alice Blanchard's new novel, Trace of Evil is a terrific, atmospheric mystery, full of twists and turns, and it's a great start to what I hope will be a new series.

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in her hometown of Burning Lake, NY—a town which almost rivaled Salem, MA back in the day with the presence of witches. Kids and adults like still dabble in witchcraft, and there’s been some unfounded rumors of satanism through the years.

Like any rookie cop in Burning Lake, Natalie is tasked with looking into the nine cold cases of local transients that have gone missing through the years. But just as she starts making some promising headway, Daisy Buckner, the wife of a fellow police detective, a popular high school teacher, and one of her older sister's best friends, is murdered.

While there appears to be a pretty clear suspect in Daisy’s murder, they end up in a coma shortly after Daisy's body is discovered. But the more Natalie digs into the murder, the more confusing things get, as it appears both Daisy and her husband had secrets of their own, secrets creating an ever-widening circle of guilt and suspicion in the town. Is this case as cut-and-dried as it appears, or are things more complicated than anyone can imagine?

As Natalie fights to uncover the truth, she has her own demons to fight, too, demons stemming from her oldest sister’s murder many years before, and the emotional scars of a childhood attack. She also must figure out which people know more than they're willing to share, about Daisy's life, her murder, and many other questions and issues in the town.

Alice Blanchard has created a terrific set of characters and a vivid mystery which kept me guessing. There was a lot going on here, as the cold cases meshed with Daisy's murder, Natalie's older sister's murder, and an incident from her own childhood. As the book hurtled toward its conclusion, things got a bit confusing at times. There is a lot of violence in the book, more telling than showing, so that may upset some folks.

Regardless of my minor criticisms, Trace of Evil was the start of what I hope will be a terrific series (hopefully with more Natalie and Luke?).

I won a complimentary copy of this book via a Bookstagram giveaway. Thanks to Minotaur Books for making it available!

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars.

A Compelling, Heart-Stopping Mystery!

The Town of Burning Lake is not what it seems. Children growing up practicing Witchcraft and everyone keeping an abundance of secrets.

Natalie Lockhart is the newest Detective in the Burning Lake Police Department and she has her work cut out for her.

Her first case is a cold one. Finding leads on “the Missing Nine” people who vanished years ago. Sounds kind of impossible until a new lead turns up. Then Natalie literally stumbles upon a dead body. That of her friend Daisy Buckner, beloved school teacher and wife of one of her colleagues. Almost everyone is a suspect. Every clue Natalie finds leads to something else and one even makes her heart clench. It has to do with the death of her eldest sister Willow, which has haunted her since the day it happened.

Could these deaths and disappearances possibly be related? It’s up to Natalie and the Chief of Police to find out, no matter what the risk.

What a compulsive and intriguing read this was! I truly enjoyed the characters of Natalie and Luke (the Chief of Police) and can’t wait to see how their characters progress in future novels!

This was a heart stopping buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Alice Blanchard for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 12.21.19.

[J.D. Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witchcraft, a brutal murder, and secrets buried in a sleepy town's past... With TRACE OF EVIL, Blanchard expertly weaves mystery and spine-tingling suspense. A tense, nail-biter of a thriller!

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the advance read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

To ignore evil is to become accomplice to it.

And Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard is marinated, simmered, sauteed, and slice and diced in it. Around every corner is a whiff of the stuff. The town of Burning Lake, New York has been privy to it for eons in its past history and even moreso in its present.

Detective Natalie Lockhart steps forward as a rookey police officer following in her late father's footsteps. He's groomed her for this profession and she lays out quote after quote of his sage advice. But nothing is going to prepare her for the crimes that cast a shadow on her own doorstep. In a town this size, the baddies may not be strangers.

Burning Lake has a long history of witchcraft. Blanchard sets up the atmosphere with crunching leaves and pumpkins on the porch. (May just be a perfect grab for this time of year) Back in the day, Natalie and her friends dabbled in what they thought was an innocent decent into the dark side of high school witchery. Fun and games gave way to reality when Natalie's older sister, Willow, was murdered. Too close for comfort.

Enter another reality when Natalie's pregnant friend, Daisy Buckner, is found dead on her kitchen floor. All eyes turn to her husband, a fellow police officer, who came home enibriated and claims to have found her. Natalie's not so sure who is telling the truth.

I kicked this one up from 3.5 to 4 stars. Trace of Evil begins on the good foot with its introduction of interesting characters and intriguing scenarios. It caught my attention right away. But as we started heading for the driveway of conclusion, I could feel the overpacked luggage weighing this one down. Blanchard was ambitious and sent Natalie into a head-spinning attempt to carry all that luggage over the threshold. Believe me, some of these escapades could have lingered and hence, drawing readers into the next installment. A lotta lotta.

Still a good read. I also recommend The Wicked Hour #2. Alice Blanchard is an author to take seriously. Let's see what awaits us in the future.

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRACE OF EVIL by Alice Blanchard is an excellent police procedural and the first book in the Natalie Lockhart series. I rated this 3.5 stars and rounded up to 4 stars. Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in the Burning Lake, New York police department. This is a town that has a history of disappearing transients as well as the murder of Natalie’s oldest sister 20 years ago. When Daisy Buckner is found dead in her kitchen, Natalie catches the case.

Natalie is a strong female protagonist who is definitely someone you can root for. Her character felt real with clear goals and believable motivations. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. The stakes were high throughout the novel and kept me fully invested in the story. The story is fast-paced and kept me turning the pages. The world-building enhanced the setting and gave me a clear sense of place. There were plenty of red herrings and action. Themes include death, grief, family relationships, teen rebellion, drugs, secrets, Wicca, homelessness, friendship and much more.

I deducted one and a half stars since there are a few things that did not ring true to criminal investigations such as Natalie discussing the case with people that she shouldn’t have, the official cause of death was stated prior to the autopsy, and the questions during a polygraph should have been limited to a yes or no answer, not a narrative response. Additionally, there were a few instances of telling rather than showing and some repetitiveness of information. Nevertheless, I was quickly drawn into the story and stayed engaged throughout the book.

Overall, the plot was complex, absorbing and well-paced. The ending had a twist that was a shocker. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series which will be published in December.

[Theresa Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting through this one because the writing is mediocre. It’s was a paint-by-numbers novel with characters that didn’t come to life because the author relies on info-dumps of telling us a lot of background. I should have liked Detective Natalie Lockhart. She cares about people who have struggled in life because of lack of money or abusive parents, but because I was TOLD she cares about people who’ve had it rough instead of being SHOWN she cares through her actions, she didn’t seem like a real person to me. I know it’s fiction, but in a well-written novel, the characters can seem like real people because they come alive in my imagination.

This is the first of a series of books with Detective Lockhart, who lives in Burning Lake, New York, a city that has seen many people on the fringes of society disappear over the years. Transients, people with drug and alcohol problems, the homeless. Natalie’s own sister was murdered by her boyfriend twenty years ago and now Natalie is investigating the murder of her other sister’s close friend, a woman who had been like another sister to Natalie, the youngest of the three girls.

Sometimes when I read a novel with a detective as the protagonist, I’ll wonder if the author actually worked as a detective herself because the story seems so believable that it’s hard to believe the writer is in fact, just a writer who did a lot of research but has never worked in law enforcement. I didn’t feel that way with this book. Instead I found myself thinking, “hmm, really?” Like when a suspect is given a polygraph, instead of yes/no answers to yes/no questions, he gives an interview. Granted, I only know this stuff from movies, but it didn’t seem accurate. Also, the dialogue is not good. The daughter addresses her mother with the word “mom” in every sentence, which is simply not how people talk in real life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES DECEMBER 3, 2019.

For more reviews, please visit http://www.theresaalan.net/blog

[Kelli W · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a substantial dish of Meh.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard so many great things about this book so I was really looking forward to reading it. I listened to this on Scribd and as soon as it started I knew that I was going to love it. It is a police procedural with a splash of witchcraft and dark magic! I am already looking forward to learning more about Natalie Lockhart and her family.

As a child Natalie idolised her father and always knew that she wanted to follow in his footsteps and join the police force. He is a woman with a troubled past, losing her sister in a horrific murder 20 years ago. Now she is working cold cases in her hometown. On duty one night she is called to a crime scene and is shocked to hear that the address is that of her colleague, finding his wife murdered in her own home. Daisy is a much loved teacher, pregnant with her first child and Natalie's sisters best friend. Who would want her dead?

It is a story that keeps you guessing, and an ending that really shocked me. I was hooked from the first few chapters and just had to keep reading.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to get to understand Natalie Lockhart you need to know two things about her: where she comes from and her family.
Burning Lake is a small town in upstate New York, mostly famous for the burning of three innocent women convicted of witchcraft which happened in 1712. Their accusers later admitted it had all been made up. For years this event remained buried in town history until a book about the witch trials came out and put the town on the map. Hundreds of tourists come to visit its occult shops selling magic kits, spellbooks and souvenir cauldrons. 'Dabbling in witchcraft was something of a rite of passage in Burning Lake' and Natalie herself went through 'a witchy phase'.

Another thing you need to know about Natalie is that she is the youngest of three sisters, and her oldest sister Willow Lockhart was brutally murdered at the age of 18, stabbed 27 times. The perpetrator was quickly arrested and sentenced for life, although he repeatedly maintained his innocence. The tragedy marked the remaining two sisters and their parents. Their mother never wanted to have more than one child, so having lost her favourite daughter destroyed her world and will for living.Natalies father was more even in his affections. He was a police officer and often left little puzzles and mysteries for Natalie to solve. He noticed she had an inquisitive mind and a stubborn streak, and tried to teach her everything he knew about his work.

Trace of Evil focuses on two interwoven cases. The first one is called The Missing Nine and is a group of cold cases that involved mysterious disappearings over a long period of time. Any new detective in BLPD is asked to give these files a fresh look, although nobody expects a major breakthrough: there is too little reliable information to go on. The second case is the murder of school teacher and Natalie's sister's best friend Daisy Buckner, who also happened to be the wife of one of the detectives in BLPD.
I'm not going to give away the story. Suffice it to say, the story kept me on the edge of my seat and the ending was quite unexpected. There is also a touch of burgeoning romance with an old childhood friend, which is, I hope, going to develop in the following books.

I liked Natalie for her tenacity and her courage, which I define as acting in spite of fear. She often thinks about her late father and his advice on life and work. These cases were very personal for Natalie for a variety of reasons, but I would like to read the continuation of the story and find out how Natalie's character evolves in the light of other experiences.

The writing was absolutely compelling, there was depth and beauty in the descriptions, which made it really difficult for me to put down the book - I needed to read it from cover to cover.

My only regret is that I did not read this book in October- with it's dark and slightly creepy atmosphere, it would have made an excellent choice for the Halloween month.
I will definitely be looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Minotaur books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Nancy McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trace of Evil unfolds in a sleepy tourist town near the Adirondack Mountains, in upstate New York. The tourist flock to see where 3 local witches were supposedly killed in the days of the witch hunts and Salem witch trials. Because of the ties to witches there has always been an interest in the occult and black magic and satanism and the town has cashed in on this to promote tourism. But on the whole it is a sweet town, where everyone knows his neighbors, and where everyone knows the secrets that this little town harbors. There is still teenage dabbling with the occult just like when Detective Natalie Lockhart was in school, there are troubled marriages just waiting for the trouble to bubble to the surface, and there is murder… too much murder… some solved, some unsolved, some cold cases and some new. As a new hire Natalie is given the cold case of the missing nine and is determined to help find out what happened to these girls over the years. Then comes a new murder – one very close to home - and Natalie has to separate her professional instincts from the personal feelings she has for the suspects. There is a lot more than a trace of evil hiding in this tiny town as you will discover when the shocking ending is revealed.

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I WILL BE STICKING WITH THE SERIES! BUT YOUR GIRL IS CLUNKY.



It’s no wonder why my first review of 2020 is a crime procedural. Natalie Lockhart has just been promoted to detective. Her first assignment is a cold case - The Missing Nine. But right as she’s about to dive into it, a brutal murder of her partner’s wife throws the team into a manhunt for the killer. As clues present themselves, Natalie starts to see links. Could these cases be related?!

Oooo yes friends, as far as plot is concerned - ace! Loved it. It was atmospheric and had this Salem-witch-trial vibe to it that I was totally into and didn’t find cheesy at all. And the murder case was gripping and bizarre and eerie!

But here’s the tea... the pacing was off. It was like a HIIT workout - 60 seconds of sprinting and then 5 minutes of walking followed by 30 burpees. It lacked finesse and that gradual tension that makes you wanna glue your eyelids to your eyebrows so you can stay awake reading. I don't need a set cadence, but I need some sort of rhythm to the madness.



What I’m getting at is I think Alice Blanchard is still getting her footing with this series. I mean, it’s only Book One, so it’s TOTALLY acceptable. But I also wouldn’t say “buy this as a birthday gift”. For seasoned crime readers, this book might annoy you because the “catch-the-killer” part is clunky. But if you wanna devour a story that’s ritualistic and dark, then yes. Do it!

So with that said, it’s a 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 from me (rounded up). Will I read the next book in the series? ABSOLUTELY! Because like I said, I think Blanchard is still assessing Natalie Lockhart’s playing field and I wanna see where that goes!

[Kelly (UnshelvedEdition) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the first to admit when i am feeling skeptical about a book and this was one of those times. I have been having trouble getting into thrillers lately so I was nervous about this one, however I ended up being pleasantly surprised

Trace of Evil is a brilliantly crafted mystery novel that lures you into the witchcraft and cold cases of a small town. With so much on the line, the lead detective Natalie, finds herself in the middle of solving two cases at once, both equally fascinating

I worried that the witchcraft aspect would take over the story and take it down a strange path but it held true to being a minor layer that was only infused when relevant and never went over the top

The story kept me guessing and the characters kept me invested, I ended up flying through this book dying to know more

See more reviews on Instagram @UnshelvedEdition

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really good! I found this to be a gripping read and I like the character of Natalie Lockhart very much. I am usually pretty good at guessing whodunit but this kept me in the dark until the exact perfect moment. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it. Looking forward to the next Natalie Lockhart novel!

[Donne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of my “cleaning out the closet” reads that have been on my to-read list since Oct2020. I’m really enjoying some of the great stories that I am coming across as well as ditching the crap that has been fermenting wwwaaayyy too long on my list and basically just polluting it. This story would fall in the former category.

The book summary basically just introduces the two storylines, with the first one being the history as well as the reality of upstate Burning Lake, NY, which has a Wiccan history going back more than 300yrs with the execution of three women who were accused of witchcraft. Fast forward to the present day, and Burning Lake now celebrates their history of the occult (kind of like a NY Salem) and now has two official Wiccan witch covens as well as an indeterminate number of unofficial covens. Even Natalie and her two older sisters were in a coven when they were teenagers. It’s almost a rite of passage for many of Burning Lake’s teenagers to be in a coven or a follower of the occult.

There is also the secondary storyline of the death of Daisy, a beloved teacher at the high school and the pregnant wife of, Brandon, a cop for Burning Lake PD and good friend of Natalie. Daisy was also the life-long, best friend of Natalie’s sister, Grace (as well as a fellow former witch as a teenager). A troubled student, Riley, who was flunking out of school, and one of Daisy’s classes, is the prime suspect, especially after he had recently threatened her. When Brandon and Natalie find Daisy dead in her and Brandon’s kitchen, Brandon goes after Riley and Riley has some sort of seizure during the chase from Brandon. None of this is a spoiler because it happens in the first 15% of the story.

Most of the story revolves around the investigation of Daisy’s murder and the cast of characters for the story is pretty large and provides a bunch of suspects, starting with some faculty members and several students at the high school as well as a present-day coven of female students, including Natalie’s niece, Ellie. By the halfway point I’ve narrowed down the suspect list to three strong potentials, maybe four, or five. In otherwards, I have no idea! It’s also during the investigation that Natalie comes across some leads into some cold cases that Natalie, as the rookie at the PD, has been tasked with re-investigating. It starts to look like the cold case murders could be related to the towns occult history and Wiccan citizens.

It's well into the second half that the storylines begin to overlap and kind of bump into each other. I’ve now narrowed my suspect list to two, maybe three, strong suspects, basically still clueless. There are just way too many suspects and the leads and clues are all over the place. The absolutely shocking and devastating end proved me WWWAAAYYY off base. It got really intense, scary, sad, and triumphant for Natalie, but she pulled through.

I like Natalie; I’m looking forward to more of her. There were just way too many characters for Blanchard to develop all of them, but I did like that we got the history of Natalie and her family. The pacing and the storyline were steady and interesting, respectively. Blanchard is a good author and storyteller. I liked how Blanchard wrapped up the story as well as all of Burning Lake murders (11, I think) for the past 20yrs. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.3 that I will be rounding down to a 4star rating.

[Michele (Reads a latte Thrillers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so well done. From the description of the quaint, upstate New York town seeped in witchcraft folklore, to the individual characters. This entire book played like a movie in my head and I was lured in right from the first chapter.

The book begins with Natalie and Grace, two sisters, visiting the grave on the “Death-a-versary” of their oldest sister, Willow, who was murdered by a jealous boyfriend 20 years ago. Natalie is a detective with the local police department and Grace a teacher at the local high school. The story takes another tragic turn when another teacher, Daisy is found murdered in her home. Daisy, the wife of a fellow detective and best friend to Grace, Natalie is forced to put her grieving aside to investigate Daisy’s murder that occurred on the same date as her sister 20 years earlier. To add even more intrigue, Natalie has also inherited some dusty cold cases called the missing 9, a series of unsolved crimes that have been passed down from detective to detective. As Natalie investigates the crime of Daisy, she finds clues that tie back to her unsolved cases and also uncovers some disturbing facts involving her niece, Ellie and the witchcraft that haunts the sleep town.

This book grabbed me from chapter 1 and didn’t let go until the last page. The interlocking stories are so well woven together and you’re forced you to sit up and pay attention. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller or crime story told from a detective’s point of view. Well done!

[Sonica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Minotaur Books, for gifting me an advanced copy of this spooky read, which releases December 3, 2019.

Serial killing, witchcraft and buried secrets and lies, this book has all the ingredients for the perfect scary binge read.

The main protagonist, Natalie Lockhart's character is so badass.  A rookie detective who is fighting ghosts from her own past is now faced with solving a local crime, playing against the odds that are stacked against her.  I'm looking forward to where Blanchard takes Natalie's story next.

I enjoyed this book very much.  I was a bit hesitant about the witchcraft initially but it turned out to be executed in a not so over the top manner and flowed easily within the storyline without getting too ridiculous.  The short chapters and eery suspense really kept me engaged through to the end.

Blanchard mastered the art of suspense without the usual predictability that thrillers tend to contain. This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. I am already looking forward to Book 2 in this series.

I highly recommend this book be added to thriller fiction fans’ reading list this month.

[eyes.2c · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Butterflies as symbols of evil. How could that be?"________ 3 1/2 stars

Natalie Lockheart is conflicted. She has a list of hard things she'd faced in her life. Natalie's now back in her hometown of Burning Lake as a detective. Burning Lake a town where everyone knows everyone, but in the end, they didn't.
A town with a history of witchcraft that drew tourists and troubled the teenage population. The attraction of witchcraft for the teenagers of the town is like a rite of passage. All partake, not all relinquish it.
"On the surface, it would appear that Burning Lake had a sparse Wiccan population, but that was due to the fact that many of them were still in the broom closet."
We have disappearances, we have secrets, we have dead bodies and we have concentric circles linking everything together.
"Death was like a secret. You could bury it deep underground, but it wouldn’t stay buried for long. Eventually, our secrets—like old bones—had a way of knuckling out of the earth and into the sunlight. You had to make your peace with fate."
Twenty years after their sister Willow's murder, Natalie, her sister Grace and her niece Ellie gathered at the cemetery as they did each year to celebrate Willow's deathiversary.
Later that same evening, Daisy Buckner is found "in a puddle of blood" on the kitchen floor by her husband Detective Brandon Buckner and Natalie. Daisy was a longtime friend of Grace's and a co-worker teaching at the same school. The hunt for Daisy's murderer leads to all sorts of possibilities, including Wiccan curses.
Always in the background, humming away, is the town's love-hate affair with its witchy history, the secret covens and the chant kids have grown up with, "By air and earth and fire and rain, we will remember you.”
But that's not all, there's also the "Missing Nine." "Nine transients [who] had gone missing from Burning Lake." "These pitiful victims were mostly unloved and forgotten."
As the newbie on the force one of Natalie's tasks is to review the files--just in case!
Then there's Natalie's recurring memory of a childhood trauma that occasionally overwhelm's her.
I am conflicted about this story. It was exhausting but I just had to kept reading, feeling that around another corner might lie the answer! Question! Do answers lie? Some do! Some lay in wait ready to trip us up. The truth revealed here will trip most of us up.

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley

[Fictionophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small town in Upstate New York idyllic to the casual observer. Beautiful autumn foliage, stunning scenery, and an interesting history of witchcraft. Now the witchcraft is a tourist industry but the town still holds many dark secrets beneath the attractive veneer.

Natalie Lockhart grew up in Burning Lake. She has followed in her father's footsteps in choice of her career path. She is working as a rookie detective for the town's police. When she and a co-worker find his beautiful wife murdered in their home, Natalie becomes embroiled in a case that will change her life and the dynamics of the entire town.

MY THOUGHTS

Almost two decades ago I read Alice Blanchard's "Darkness Peering" and I remember it as a great read. Therefore I was excited to receive a copy of her latest novel to see how her writing has evolved.

Once again she has written an engaging story with well defined characters. Her plot was compelling and the setting picturesque. All good, right?  For some unidentifiable reason, I found myself enjoying the story, but not the execution of the story. I was invested enough in the protagonist and the plot to really want to know how the story ended, yet I found myself skimming parts. Skimming is something I rarely do, and it is usually a 'red flag' to me - letting me know that my reading experience is somehow lacking. Perhaps it is just my own personal frame of mind, but even though it 'ticked all the boxes' for a stellar read for me, it just didn't quite fulfill my expectations.

The ending reveal of 'whodunnit' came as a surprise to me, but I felt it was a bit contrived - aimed to shock the reader.  I feel it could have been a remarkable thriller, and I'm quite certain that many readers will feel it is. It just wasn't for me. "Trace of Evil" is the first novel in a prospective series featuring Natalie Lockhart. This is probably one series I will not pursue. I must state that my opinion is in the minority as this novel has received many stellar reviews.

I rated this novel at 3.5 stars and rounded down for Goodreads and rounded up for Amazon as the two sites have drastically different meanings behind their star ratings.

My thanks to Minotaur Books/Macmillan Publishing for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this novel via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something -- someone -- evil in Burning Lake, New York. Detective Natalie Lockhart is examining a cold case where 9 people had vanished over the past 25 years. Then she catches her first ever murder case when a beloved teacher and wife of a fellow detective, Daisy Buckner, is murdered in her own kitchen. The town seems to have more than its share of darkness and soon Natalie and the rest of the BLPD are very busy with the investigation and search for the killer. NO SPOILERS.

The small town has a shameful secret: three innocent women were executed as witches in 1712. The lure of the occult is still strong there, however, and many young teenage girls get involved "into the Craft." As a young teenager, Natalie and her friends were involved in Wiccan activities and some of them even took a darker path and engaged in black magic and subsequently told lies and hid secrets. It seems now that events from many years ago have left a terrible scar.

I really enjoyed this introduction to the very atmospheric Burning Lake and to Natalie Lockhart. The writing was good, the plot convincing and different with the witchcraft angle. I look forward to getting to know the main characters better and imagine that future installments will bring a romance. The narrative zipped along and kept my attention with several surprises and a bit of a shocking conclusion at the end.

I'm off to start the second book in the series. Thank you to Minotaur Books for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric and creepy, this is the perfect thriller for a dark autumn night. Natalie Lockhart is a police officer in he town where she grew up, and is investigating the murder of a woman she's known all her life, the best friend of one of her sisters. Natalie's other sister was murdered twenty years ago, and her death hangs over the current case. The town is also haunted by it's history of executing suspected witches, and generations of teen girls have experimented with magic and witchcraft.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the atmosphere in this book. The town history, the teen girl drama, and the way the case intertwined with Natalie's personal life all had me completely engrossed. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes creepy mysteries or police procedurals. The witchcraft angle reminded me a bit of The Craftsman. I will definitely read the next book in this series.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[AnnE · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eerie murder mystery thriller that keeps you enthralled to the very end!

Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard is an intriguing murder mystery thriller that immediately captured my attention from the very first chapter. The haunting plot pulled me in, the investigation had me questioning everyone’s motives and the complex town mystery kept me guessing until the very end. This thriller is a fast paced read that is filled with lots of tension, twists and turns, and a shocking conclusion that makes this book impossible to put down.

I always enjoy a mystery story where the lead character is a strong female detective. Trace of Evil is the first book in Alice Blanchard’s new series that takes place in the small town of Burning Lake, New York and introduces the reader to Natalie Lockhart, a rookie detective with a painful past. As the daughter of a 35 year veteran of the police department, Natalie is not new to investigations and murder. Years ago, she suffered the loss of her own sister who was violently murdered. As a new detective and the first woman assigned to the Burning Lake Criminal Investigation Unit, she is tasked with investigating the disappearance of nine transient women in a town accustomed to a strange and unnerving history.

On the twentieth anniversary of Natalie’s sister’s death she discovers the body of Daisy Buckner, a lifelong friend, a beloved school teacher and the wife to another police officer. As her investigation into the murder proceeds, she discovers that Daisy had many secrets of her own. Although the main suspect is in a coma, Natalie begins to question the actions of some of Daisy’s students. When Natalie’s niece and her friends become involved, the investigation becomes personal. Will Natalie uncover the motive behind Daisy’s death? Will she be able to discover the mystery behind the nine missing women before someone else disappears? Are the disappearances related to Daisy’s murder? What other painful circumstances will Natalie uncover next as her investigation makes her question the person responsible for her sisters death and makes her suspect that the murderer is still actively killing others?

As Natalie continues her investigation she reflects on her own childhood and a terrifying attack that has haunted her for years. She’s often pulled back in time as memories of her sisters, her family life and her own experiences of growing up in Burning Lake continue to distract her. As she follows new leads details about Natalie’s past, her sister’s vicious attack, and her close friendship with Luke Pittman, her Lieutenant are revealed. Can her past experiences help her with her investigations? Will her relationship with Luke change and grow?

I really enjoyed reading this thrilling murder mystery. I was totally pulled into the plot and completely committed to seeing how Natalies’s investigation would proceed. The author’s descriptive writing style took me right into the story where I felt like an active participant in the investigation. I appreciated the complex history of the town and how its history influenced the actions of many of the characters. I also enjoyed the descriptions and depth of the many different characters in the story and the author’s ability to make them feel real. At times this story was eerie and dark which isn’t my favorite type of story but the author did a wonderful job of keeping the story moving so that it didn’t become overwhelming. I thought Trace of Evil was an amazingly complex, thrilling and completely captivating book. This was a wonderful beginning to Alice Blanchard’s new Natalie Lockhart series and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to Minotaur books, Alice Blanchard and BookishFirst for the wonderful opportunity to win a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

First off, I loved the fact that Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard is a mix of family drama, police procedural, and mystery. This is one of the things that kept my attention and kept me reading, and I really liked the way Blanchard blended them all together. This is book one of a series and I can definitely tell as the author paid a lot of attention to Natalie's relationships with other people, her family, and her past. This made the book a pretty slow burn with not quite as much action as I was hoping for. I do love getting character's backstories especially for a series, but I would have loved more of the mystery with backstory added in a bit less.

There is something about this book that I can't quite put my finger on, but it made me not love it. The synopsis is incredible, and I was hoping to get the same out of reading it but something about the execution of the story was a little off for me. The end was shocking but not in a way that I was like WHAT, although sometimes that is a good thing! Trace of Evil had a couple of different mysteries going on which I liked, and although I didn't necessarily love Blanchard's writing style, it was still engaging and good enough to keep me reading. I listened to the audiobook which was good for the slow burn, but I can't say I liked the narrator all that much. I also noticed that Laura Nichol has only narrated a total of three books so I'm not sure what's going on there either. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea why I didn't love her narration, so I would still recommend checking it out if you like audio.

Even though Trace of Evil was a bit of a miss for me, I am moving on to the second book in the series and will go from there. This book also had a surprising amount of witchcraft in it which I didn't mind, but I would have loved it if it had been touched on even more. I thought the addition of it made things confusing at times, and I think it should have been explained a bit more. I liked Natalie a lot though and I am interested to see what she gets up to in the next book!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the gifted copy!

Natalie Lockhart is a detective in her hometown of Burning Lake, NY. The town has a history with the occult, having been the site of the killings of 3 accused witches centuries ago. Wicca and covens are popular, especially with the local teenagers. Natalie herself experimented with it as a teen. Now as an adult, she tasked with investigating nine cold cases, as well as the recent murder of local teacher, Daisy Buckner, who is also a friend of her sister Grace. Natalie must figure out if Daisy's murder is related to the cold cases, while also contending with her and her family's own dark past.

Guys. This book. THIS. BOOK. I don't even know where to start because I've got such a massive book hangover from it. This is the first hard copy ARC I've read, and I'm so happy it was. The story is Law and Order meets The Blair Witch Project. Every character is so well-written; Natalie, especially, feels so relatable and familiar. I could not stop reading. This book is the literary equivalent of extra buttery movie theatre popcorn: you promise yourself you're only going to have a bit, and then BAM, it's all gone before you know it. I wish my review were more eloquent, but I just can't stop gushing about how freaking awesome this book is.

My only complaint is that I can't read the next one in the series right now.
Spoiler alert: everyone of my family members is probably getting a copy of this for Christmas.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent mystery novel with a couple of surprising twists. Overall not horrible plot-wise, but as a police procedural, there are some absolutely glaring errors that I just couldn't overlook.
First, Natalie shared way too much about the investigation with everyone--possible suspects included. She goes off on her own and randomly questions people, including minors. Totally unprofessional for this supposed hotshot cop. Second, and the thing that made me absolutely roll my eyes, was the polygraph test. They don't ask open ended detailed questions. It is yes or no only. If you have ever even watched one on TV you would know this. There are so many other errors in investigation, I think the author needs to do a bit more research before the next book in this series.
The ending-- way too convenient to have the guy who attacked her be the one who was doing the killings. I was a bit confused about how it all went together and how this crazy guy ended up seeming so sane, but whatever
Not sure I will continue with this series, but I will hold out hope it will be a bit more researched and polished.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie homicide detective in Burning Lake, which is a town of about 50,000 in upstate New York. In the 1700s, three women were hung as witches there. Now the town plays up the occult for tourists.

A school teacher and wife of a police officer is murdered in her kitchen. Although Natalie has been assigned nine cold cases of transients gone missing, the entire force is on this case.

Natalie is an interesting character with her family background providing the impetus for being a cop. Her father was on the force and started out teaching Natalie about law enforcement at a young age. She was a good artist as a child but always wanted to go into police work like her dad. Her sister Willow was stabbed to death 20 years ago. I liked the way she worked all angles of the case and didn't automatically assume the detective husband was innocent.

If you like spells and witchcraft, try this book. I don't but the amount was not off-putting to me. The author wrote good descriptions of the bucolic area. There's definitely an action packed ending. I always enjoy a book where the killer is not obvious to me. The ending had more than one surprise.

[Catherine Faulkenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gripping from start to finish. There are several different mysteries that swirl around the town of Burning Lake, from the most recent murder to a string of serial murders that are handed down to the most rookie cop on the city's police force. The story is intricate and complicated but Ms. Blanchard 100 percent pulls it off. The characters are well written (particularly Natalie) and the setting is well described. There is a bit of gruesomeness in the story, but it's not over the top. I found this book hard to put down. It's longer than many others of this type and while I felt the length, nothing was particularly wasted. I highly recommend you put this on your waiting list if crime/psychological thrillers are your thing, like they are mine!

[Romancebooksandmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

By romancebooksandmore

A bit of spooky a bit of family so much mystery and you will never know where this story is going. it says its the first book in the series so i'm expecting much more from Natalie seeing where she goes from here and what new mystery's and heartaches will be in her future. perfect Halloween read to . curl up with. though since this book actually does not come out until December maybe pretend it's Halloween. not to scary only minimal romance you will love it so get on picking this book up when it comes out in a few months and look out for the continuation of Natalie's story in future books. on for the keep shelf that is for sure and I'm usually not a big mystery fan but I ate this book up one delicious word at a time

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Another police procedural with a homicide detective. I'm on a binge.

Natalie is the only female homicide detective on her team. Her father was a cop. Her childhood next door neighbor Luke is her lieutenant and I hope something will develop there. There is a lot happening with witchcraft and devil worship which has been heightened by the town's history. She gets assigned the cold cases as the newbie on the team.

[The Nerd Daily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Marla Warren

I was excited to learn that Alice Blanchard’s Trace of Evil is the first book in a new series, as she has written an incredibly engaging character in Detective Natalie Lockhart: a young detective working in the town she has grown up in, so it is guaranteed that she will have some kind of history with, or pastime revolving around, most everyone she interacts with. It adds an extra layer to her story when we know that around every corner is not just the current situations, but always elements of the past as well.

Throughout the novel, over and over we see that Blanchard has started with a concept we read often, but the author then pushed past the typical mystery or thriller tropes to give us something new. Natalie’s father was a cop, but he passed away years ago and is not a figure in the current story. Natalie’s sister was murdered, but again this takes place many years before the events of this story – Natalie was not created to be an avenging angel for her sister. And what most drew me in was the fact that Natalie is not an old, jaded, bitter detective, but she is also not the “dumb rookie” who constantly needs to be rescued by her older (male) counterparts. Natalie comes across as a young detective, which gives her a distinctly different voice than many fictional female detectives, but she is also clearly a competent officer who has earned her position among her fellow detectives. The shifts away from the typical formula we have all read too much of made Trace of Evil a true page-turner.

The central mystery revolves around the murder of a popular high school teacher, whose husband happens to be one of Natalie’s fellow detectives. While it may seem there are some obvious suspects, it is just not that easy.

Nothing, in fact, in the town of Burning Lake, New York is simple, easy, or straight-forward. The town has a dark distant past closely associated with the Salem witch trials, but there is also clearly some interest in witchcraft and black magic in its much more recent past – and perhaps even in the present. Knowing all this, Natalie has to unlock the secrets the victim took to her grave, but also the secrets of many others in this insular town, including those of her friends and family.

Blanchard created an interesting cast of characters that all come across as real, distinct people. Her settings are beautifully detailed and her masterful twists and turns make for an exciting read with an ending that both completely satisfies, but still leave room for more Natalie Lockhart stories in the future.

The only negative comment I can make is that some of the dialogue in the first few chapters felt a bit clunky or awkward. There is always something of an information dump at the beginning of a story (or a television show, or a movie) and it is extraordinarily difficult to perfectly lay out all the necessary background exposition in a smooth organic way. Blanchard doesn’t always accomplish this, but as it only occurs in the very beginning, I likely would not have even remembered it by the end if I hadn’t been writing notes to myself along the way. It is momentarily distracting, but definitely does not take away from this fantastic thriller.

I am so excited about future books featuring Detective Lockhart, but in the meantime I am going to be adding some of Alice Blanchard’s back catalogue to my TBR!

I was excited to learn that Alice Blanchard’s Trace of Evil is the first book in a new series, as she has written an incredibly engaging character in Detective Natalie Lockhart: a young detective working in the town she has grown up in, so it is guaranteed that she will have some kind of history with, or pastime revolving around, most everyone she interacts with. It adds an extra layer to her story when we know that around every corner is not just the current situations, but always elements of the past as well.

Throughout the novel, over and over we see that Blanchard has started with a concept we read often, but the author then pushed past the typical mystery or thriller tropes to give us something new. Natalie’s father was a cop, but he passed away years ago and is not a figure in the current story. Natalie’s sister was murdered, but again this takes place many years before the events of this story – Natalie was not created to be an avenging angel for her sister. And what most drew me in was the fact that Natalie is not an old, jaded, bitter detective, but she is also not the “dumb rookie” who constantly needs to be rescued by her older (male) counterparts. Natalie comes across as a young detective, which gives her a distinctly different voice than many fictional female detectives, but she is also clearly a competent officer who has earned her position among her fellow detectives. The shifts away from the typical formula we have all read too much of made Trace of Evil a true page-turner.

The central mystery revolves around the murder of a popular high school teacher, whose husband happens to be one of Natalie’s fellow detectives. While it may seem there are some obvious suspects, it is just not that easy.

Nothing, in fact, in the town of Burning Lake, New York is simple, easy, or straight-forward. The town has a dark distant past closely associated with the Salem witch trials, but there is also clearly some interest in witchcraft and black magic in its much more recent past – and perhaps even in the present. Knowing all this, Natalie has to unlock the secrets the victim took to her grave, but also the secrets of many others in this insular town, including those of her friends and family.

Blanchard created an interesting cast of characters that all come across as real, distinct people. Her settings are beautifully detailed and her masterful twists and turns make for an exciting read with an ending that both completely satisfies, but still leave room for more Natalie Lockhart stories in the future.

The only negative comment I can make is that some of the dialogue in the first few chapters felt a bit clunky or awkward. There is always something of an information dump at the beginning of a story (or a television show, or a movie) and it is extraordinarily difficult to perfectly lay out all the necessary background exposition in a smooth organic way. Blanchard doesn’t always accomplish this, but as it only occurs in the very beginning, I likely would not have even remembered it by the end if I hadn’t been writing notes to myself along the way. It is momentarily distracting, but definitely does not take away from this fantastic thriller.

I am so excited about future books featuring Detective Lockhart, but in the meantime I am going to be adding some of Alice Blanchard’s back catalogue to my TBR!