Although I love the story of a tortured and troubled male detective, I sometimes wish for a more original and relatable lead detective. One with a somewhat healthy relationship with their family who is not addicted to drugs or alcohol. These stories are great but thankfully I cannot relate to them. I can just hope they can control their vices long enough to save a life or solve a crime. In Detective Natalie Lockheart, Blanchard created the detective I have been craving. A well adjusted, hardworking, female detective who has some issues, but has not allowed herself to be controlled by her past.

In Burning Lake New York, well regarded school teacher, Daisy Buckner has been murdered in her home. As usual her husband comes under suspicion. Natalie Lockheart is made the lead detective in Daisy’s case. Burning Lake is a small town where everyone knows everyone. Most of the witnesses and suspects Natalie interviews are her own friends or family. In order to find justice for Daisy, Natalie must put aside her feelings of loyalty to catch a killer.

Burning Lake NY has a history which has engrained itself within the community. The history of the town includes the death of three “witches” murdered for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The deaths of these women are acknowledged throughout the book. Many current residents of Burning Lake practiced witchcraft in their younger days. Mostly love spells and seances, witchcraft is now a sort of rite of passage for most of the young people in town. I really enjoyed reading how a town which once killed women for being different has now transformed into a more tolerant and accepting community.

In addition to the case of Daisy’s murder is the cold case of the Missing Nine. Nine young women who have gone missing in Burning Lake. The case is passed onto each new detective of the police department. Being the newest detective, Natalie is now the lead investigator on the case. With each new detective, the hope is that fresh eyes will uncover a new lead. Natalie gives as much of her time and dedication to the case of the Missing Nine as she gives to Daisy’s murder. Often times being told to table the investigation by her superior officer. The cold case has haunted the town of Burning Lake for years. Natalie’s stubborn dedication to solving the case of Missing Nine, will endear her to readers.

For readers looking for a new police procedural series with a down to earth, strong, female lead character look no further than Trace Of Evil. The central plot is gripping but without theatrics and shocks. Rather more of a simmering twist which kept me completely immersed in the story. Fans of Sharon Bolton’s The Craftsman should add Trace Of Evil to their list of must reads.

Murder and Moore Rating :
4.5 out of 5 Stars

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in her small hometown of Burning Lake, New York. Known for the deaths of 3 local witches during the Salem witch hunts and trials, witchcraft and the dark arts are prevalent among the town's younger residents.
Natalie is tasked with the cold case investigation of "the missing nine", nine missing persons who have vanished without a trace.
The youngest of three sisters, oldest sister Willow was murdered ten years ago, viciously stabbed to death. The killer was a jealous boyfriend who was quickly found and imprisoned for life.
Grace, the middle sister still lives in town with her daughter.
When Willow's good friend Daisy Bruckner is found dead on her kitchen floor, Natalie is brought into the case. Daisy was the wife of a fellow detective, a teacher who had just found out she was finally pregnant after trying for years.
As Natalie investigates, odd clues begin to turn up. Dead crows are found strung up near crime scenes. Connections between Daisy's murder, the missing nine and Natalie's sister Willow are discovered.
More than a trace of evil comes to light.
This was an engaging police procedural/mystery/thriller.
This slow burner had a variety of characters and a riveting plot.
An involved, multi layered storyline that really kept my interest.
A great start to a new series.
Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group for the e-ARC via NetGalley.






is slow burner had a variety of characters and a riveting plot.
An involved, multi layered storyline that really kept my interest.
A great start to a new series.
Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

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

This is not my usual genre, but I really enjoyed it! From the very first page I was drawn in. I loved the female lead and it left me on the edge of my seat after every turn of the page.

I really enjoyed Natalie’s character. She was super persistent! I loved her fearless attitude and how she was ready to just jump in wherever she needed to.

This book was an amazing thriller. I love how compelling the authors writing style is and how it just sucks you in. This book wasn't slow starting at all and kept its quick pacing all the way through. This book was definitely written to be continued! This world was too well worded to be a single book!

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the setting because I grew up in Upstate New York. I figured out who Willow's killer was. I didn't know who the second killer was.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

I will be the first to admit that I’m not much into detective books as a murder mystery. But this one grabs you from the first chapter and never lets go! I thank the author for that because of her well drawn out characters and the likeable main character of Detective Natalie Lockhart. The book begins on the 20th anniversary of the death of Natalie’s sister. She, her sister Grace and her niece all meet at the cemetery to pay respects as they do every year. Later that night, Natalie finds that a colleagues wife has been murdered. Natalie has been assigned to investigate this along with her usual job of cold case murders that occurred in their town. There are secrets in every corner from every person that you will get whiplash wondering who did what. Add in a bit of teenage witchcraft and you have a very creepy, thrilling, can’t out down book with a jaw dropping ending. If this is the first in a series, I’m so ready for more!

I jumped at the chance to read this book as soon as I saw that it featured a female detective main character as the focus of this book. I've really been hooked on finding new series like this to follow so I knew that this one needed to be on my TBR list immediately. I'm really glad that I didn't wait on this book because I enjoyed it a lot. One of the things that I liked most about this book was how atmospheric it was. From the very beginning, the author pulled me into this small town with its' dark past. I loved the hints of witchcraft that were sprinkled in throughout this book. It just added to the suspense and darkness that was present during the entire book. I also really enjoyed the fact that there were two different mysteries that Natalie was looking into. One is regarding the "Missing Nine" which is a cold case involving nine different missing persons throughout the years that have never been found. She is just starting to dig into that case when she becomes the lead detective on the murder of Daisy Buckner. These two cases have intersecting parts here and there that helped to keep me guessing the entire time. My one complaint with this book was the constant flashbacks or memories that were included. Normally, this isn't something that bothers me but when I say it was constant I'm not exaggerating. It happened with every single individual that Natalie came across and honestly it was a bit distracting at times. That being said, I enjoyed everything else about this book. The mysteries both kept me guessing until the very end. I also quite liked Natalie's character. She is persistent and unafraid to look into every single corner in search of the truth. The ending of this book really kept me reading and unable to put it down. I'm excited that this is just the first book in this series and that we will have more of Natalie and this creepy little town to look forward to in future books.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am definitely planning on continuing on with this series. I loved the fact that the author included hints of witchcraft throughout the book. It really added to the suspense and atmosphere of the entire book. This book also helped to reaffirm why I enjoy mysteries featuring female detectives as the leads so much! I think that I will always be drawn to police procedurals and books like this are exactly why. I love the mystery of them as well as watching the investigation go along as the characters search for the murderer and whys behind it all. I would recommend this book to readers of mysteries and suspense. Recommended!

Bottom Line: An atmospheric mystery that kept me guessing until the very end.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review thanks to the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I did find the combination of murder mystery and Wicca a little strange at first but it grew on me. I will definitely read future installments of this series. I did listen to part of this on audio book and I did not like the narrator at all. Very dull and monotone. For the story though this was a good read.

Natalie Lockhart a detective in the small town of Burning Lake, NY, a town known for the burning of three innocent women convicted of witchcraft which happened in 1712. Natalie's younger sister was brutally murder at the age of 18, the suspect was convicted although he maintained his innocence.

This thriller develops around Nine Cold cases witch Natalie is working on and the latest murder in Burning Lake of a teacher named Daisy Buckner, who is the best friend of Natalie's sister Grace. As the investigation unfolds the detective realizes that this case is also related to the "Missing Nine".

As Natalie hunts for Daisy’s killer, her search leads to a string of strange clues―about the Missing Nine, about Daisy’s secret life, and reviving fresh doubts about her sister’s murder.

This book is an amazing thriller, the writing is compelling and the characters so well-developed, especially Natalie. I enjoyed the mystery and the atmosphere in this book, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes creepy mysteries or police procedurals, can´t wait to read the second book of this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. #NetGalley #TraceofEvil

Natalie is a rookie detective in her little town of Burning Lake known for its "witchy" background. It is not uncommon for teenagers to form covens and use spells to try to influence the world around them, sometimes with black magic. While Natalie is working a cold case of the Missing Nine girls, transients or runaways who disappeared over the years, her partner's wife is murdered.

The rest of the book is an interesting interweaving of the cold case and the current one which forces Natalie to revisit a lot of things in her past. Blanchard's writing style made me feel as if I were inside Natalie's head and heart. I was essentially solving the case with her and using the very subtle hints dropped throughout the book to help guess how it might end.

I really hope this is a series because I grew very fond of Natalie and the town.

I love a good police novel! And considering the thriller authors that I usually read are all in between books right now, I was super excited to find this one. After all, the synopsis was engaging, and it's the start of a brand new series. What could be more perfect?

Unfortunately, this wound up being a tedious novel with too much "tell" and not enough "show". I never connected with any of the characters, not even the main character, Natalie. It would have been okay, had it not been for the glaring errors in the actual police work. Polygraphs that require answers above/beyond the standard yes or no? And by this, I mean full paragraphs? The lead investigator sharing in-depth details about the case with people she considers suspects?

I found myself skimming entire chapters, just to get through it. Which was a shame as when I first picked up this novel, it started off pretty strong. I will admit there were a couple of decently executed plot twists, but overall, everything about this just missed the mark for me.

In the end, while I most likely will not be continuing on with this series, I do believe there are people out there to whom this novel will appeal.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Trace of Evil is the first book in Alice Blanchard's Natalie Lockhart series. This is the first work by Ms. Blanchard that I've read. After this book, it certainly will not be the last. I was hooked!

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in a historic little New York town with a "witchy" past. Natalie followed her beloved father Joey's profession; he taught her all he knew, often leaving puzzles for her to solve. Willow, Natalie's oldest sister, was killed years ago, and it has colored her life in all the time since, as does an incident which occurred in Natalie's childhood when she was assaulted by a hooded figure. As a rookie detective, part of Natalie's job is to take a look at cold cases - in this case "the Missing Nine", transients who have disappeared. While investigating the Nine, Natalie comes across the murdered Daisy Buckner, a popular teacher and best friend of Natalie's sister Grace. The main suspect is in a coma. Did student Riley kill Daisy, or is this murder even more sinister than it appears?

This is one of those rare mystery-thrillers that leave you just gasping in the end, with genuine "I never saw THAT coming!" thoughts racing through your mind. This story actually revolves around three crimes: Daisy's murder, the Missing Nine and doubts about Willow's murder. There is also some creepy teenage angst dealing with kids playing with witchcraft that lends spooky atmosphere to the book. I really don't want to get more descriptive about the mysteries, as I want other readers to be just as surprised and shocked as I was. This is definitely a chilling book you will not want to miss!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Are you in the mood for a slow-burn mystery centered around a small-town murder, with a hint of witchcraft? Then look no further, because you should get your hands on a copy of Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard, stat!

This story follows newbie detective Natalie Lockhart, who recently moved back to her hometown of Burning Lake to follow in her father’s footsteps as a police officer. Her backstory is incredibly detailed, and we quickly learn that both her parents have since passed, and one of her sisters, Willow, was murdered when Natalie was still a little girl (with her killer now behind bars). Natalie, like most girls in her hometown, spent her teenage years dabbling in witchcraft, thanks to the town’s history, which is ripe with New England witch trials.

Like all newbies, Natalie is given case files for infamous cold cases dealing with local missing and murdered women. No one thinks she’ll find any new leads, but it’s tradition to see what new blood can do with old facts. However, this is put on hold when her other sister’s best friend, Daisy, is found dead. To make it more complicated, Daisy was also married to another detective, and was a well-known local high school teacher. The entire town is put on high alert while Natalie takes the lead in finding the killer.

You might be thinking, is Daisy’s murder somehow linked to Willow’s murder? You should know by now that I don’t reveal any spoilers, so you’ll have to read the story to find out for yourself!

The book spends a lot of time exploring the relationships of everyone in Burning Lake. Most of the adults Natalie knows were friends from high school, and in typical small-town fashion, everyone knows everyone’s business. It becomes difficult for Natalie to separate personal relationships from work, but this also shows how dedicated she is to her job, and finding justice. Despite all the background narrative throughout the book, I did enjoy learning more about her character, and seeing how everyone was connected.

Unlike a lot of recent thrillers, Trace of Evil doesn’t use unreliable narrators to drive the plot, which was a nice change of pace. It also doesn’t include any unnecessary, romantic sub-plots, or see female leads dealing with substance or physical abuse.

I’ve read a lot of thrillers, but nothing quite like Trace of Evil. It’s definitely a slower read, but the background information added a lot to the characters, and having the underlying theme of witchcraft made it more enjoyable. If you’re a fan of mystery, thriller, or crime fiction, be sure to check this one out!

Thank you to the publisher for an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. Trace of Evil came out on December 3, 2019, and can be purchased wherever books are sold.

I love all of Alice Blanchard's books, so I fully expected to love this one, and I was not disappointed! Natalie, the main character, is a detective in Burning Lake, a small town in upstate NY. She lives in the house she and her two sisters grew up in. Her oldest sister, Willow, was found murdered on a local abandoned farm when Natalie was a young child. The murder has never been solved. When Daisy Buckner, a local teacher and wife of a fellow detective, is found murdered in her kitchen, things at work and in town get dicey.

This book was very well written, with the past interwoven with current events in Burning Lake in a way that made clear how the case of Daisy's murder was ultimately linked to several other crimes and downright creepy events in the area. An absolute must read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Alice Blanchard, and the publisher St. Martin's Press, for allowing me the great pleasure of reading the ARC of this outstanding mystery. Knowing that this is the first in a series revolving around Detective Natalie Lockhart is great news. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

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--(view spoiler)
Not sure I will continue with this series, but I will hold out hope it will be a bit more researched and polished.

Title: Trace of Evil
Author: Alice Blanchard
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in the town she grew up in. Burning Lake, New York has a dark past, full of covens, mysteries, and murder. Now Natalie’s been tasked with finding a link between the Missing Nine—nine homeless people who have gone missing over the years. And Natalie sees a connection she doesn’t like—a connection to a decades’ old death.

Then Daisy Buckner, a local schoolteacher turns ups dead, and the one suspect collapses into a coma only hours later. Everyone loved Daisy—or so Natalie thinks—but Daisy was hiding secrets, secrets that just might have gotten her killed. But the darkness in Burning Lake hides secrets that Natalie cannot even fathom.

Trace of Evil is well-written, compelling, and I didn’t have a clue who the killer was. (Either of them, actually.) But, two things caught my attention: 1) I never felt like I was truly experiencing Natalie’s thoughts and feelings. The point-of-view felt quite distant to me. And 2)…No one in this town—adult, teenager, police officer, no one—gave a second thought to the prevalence of covens. They were everywhere, as if it were a normal, expected part of the teenage experience. Which seemed weird to me, honestly. I have zero experience with a place where teenage covens are the norm, so this seemed just past far-fetched to me. But that’s just my own experience.

Alice Blanchard is an award-winning author. Trace of Evil is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an

Trace of Evil pleasantly surprised me. What I expected was a police procedural, but turned out to be a dark twisted web about the darkness that plagues small towns.

Set in the quiet town of Burning Lake, New York, Trace of Evil follows Natalie, a young female detective, haunted by the murder of her sister Willow when she was a child. When Daisy, the wife of a fellow police officer is found murdered in her home, Natalie is assigned the case. As she begins to investigate the murder, she starts to draw similarities to her sister’s murder and begins to suspect the two might be linked.

I was fascinated by the town of Burning Lake. Once the sight of witch trials and murders, teenagers in the town dabble in Wicca rituals. Much of the novel deals with the consequences of witchcraft. Where Wicca rituals in a small town would typically be seen as occult and generally be discouraged, Burning Lake seems to more or less embrace them, and that made it all the more interesting.

Trace of Evil was an incredibly quick read. I read it over the span of two evenings, and I had a very hard time convincing myself to put it down. I held my breath through the last fifty pages as everything was revealed and all the loose ends were tied together. The ending thoroughly shook me, and I have a feeling it will stay with me for a long time to come.

I thoroughly recommend Trace of Evil to other thriller fans! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the review copy!

Loved this book!!! I loved The Breathtaker, so I was looking forward to reading this. The girls in Burning Lake definitely have too much free time on their hands. What is with the witch obsession and joining covens?? It seems like every girl who grew up there joined a coven, some even seeking out black magic. Loved Detective Natalie Lockhart. I was not expecting the ending!! Definitely a shock. So many twists and turns. Not sure how Natalie survived learning the truth about Willow and Daisy's death and the identity of the psychopath from the woods all in such a short time period. It's hard to believe everything was kept a secret for so long. All the answers Natalie was searching for over the years were hiding in plain sight. I'm hoping their will be a romance in Luke and Natalie's future.

Definitely recommend the book and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Natalie Lockhart grew up destined to be a cop. Her father was on the force, so she grew up with his stories and a love of mysteries. She is now a rookie detective on the Burning Lake police force where she has diligently worked her way up the rungs. For her first assignment, Natalie is given a series of cold missing persons cases known as “the Missing Nine”. These cases all involve individuals who disappeared over the years from around Burning Lake. They were either transient or from a low rung of society that simply did not leave them with anyone determined to find them.

Daisy Buckner, a popular school teacher, has been found murdered in her kitchen. Natalie is placed on the case of finding this beloved woman’s murderer. Could it have been her husband, a local cop? Was she seeing someone? Clues are scarce and Natalie must dig into the past for answers. Along the way she starts to find interesting information about her missing person’s cases. Could there be a connection? Secrets from the past never seem to stay buried.

TRACE OF EVIL is the start of a brand new series focused around Natalie Lockhart. Immediately the reader learns about Natalie’s journey to becoming a detective. There are events in her past, such a the murder of her sister and her father being a cop, that have always seemed to leave Natalie with this career choice as her destiny.

Alice Blanchard has given readers an extremely likeable main character with a complicated and emotional past that leaves the door open for a long running series. I instantly felt connected with Natalie and could feel how her past impacted her present day demeanor. All of the struggles with the loss of her sister have made Natalie a more dedicated and committed detective. She knows what it’s like to be on the other side of an investigation and works hard to ensure that the victim and the victim’s families are being provided the best service possible.

The town of Burning Lake is a fantastic setting for this story, as it has a history very similar to a town like Salem. The witchcraft elements of the town impacts those living there, as well as the cases that Natalie is working on. It seems everyone has been touched by witchcraft in some way, weather through firsthand experimentation or witnessing others. I absolutely love books that include this in their plot. I feel like the inclusion of witchcraft immediately makes the story creepier.

I highly recommend all crime fiction/mystery/thriller fans add TRACE OF EVIL to their TBR! Whether you are looking for a standalone read or are ready to commit to a new series, this is the perfect read for colder, moodier weather.

Disclosure: A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for sending me a free copy of this book!

Trace of Evil is a police procedural that revolves around the murder of Daisy Buckner, a high school teacher in Burning Lake, New York. I’m relatively new to the mystery genre and this is the first book I’ve read starring a detective. I was never a fan of shows like Criminal Minds and NCIS, so I was skeptical that I would enjoy Trace of Evil, but I ended up loving it.

The first thing that drew me into this book was Alice Blanchard’s writing style. Her use of descriptive language is impeccable. I was transported to Burning Lake, a midsize town in upstate New York that’s basically a second-rate Salem, famous for the wrongful execution of a trio of alleged witches in the eighteenth century. These days, the fictional town has embraced its occult past, and it’s common for Burning Lake teens to go through a witchy phase of their own.

Blanchard’s second strength is her characters, who leap off the page. The story is told entirely from the perspective of Detective Natalie Lockhart, the BLPD’s only female detective. Her father was a police officer, and her sister was killed by her violent ex-boyfriend when they were both teenagers. Blanchard’s side characters were as complex and three-dimensional as Natalie was. I thought the romance between Natalie and her childhood friend and fellow detective, Luke, was poorly integrated at times, but it was a relatively minor plot point so it wasn’t egregious.

In addition to the murder of Daisy Buckner, there were a few other mysteries that made for intriguing subplots. One of these subplots focused on the Missing Nine, nine transients in Burning Lake whose disappearances or deaths were never solved. Another focused on an unidentified boy who attacked Natalie when she was a child. I sped through this book; it was well-paced and the ending took me completely by surprise. Every time I thought I had figured something out, I was proven wrong.

I had only a few minor complaints. The dialogue was occasionally awkward and the narration occasionally cheesy. The narrative was unquestioningly pro-police, which I always find a little iffy, but I guess that’s to be expected from a procedural. The e-ARC I received had some formatting issues, but I’m confident those won’t appear in the final draft and I’m not counting them toward my rating.

This book moved steadily along in the way many mystery books do, but ended in an unexpected crescendo that felt slightly disjointed, but not necessarily in a bad way (hey, I did give it four stars after all). To me, this story centered on Detective Natalie Lockhart and her town of Burning Lake, NY was a solid read and if, in fact this is the first of a series I will certainly keep reading to see where this leads.