Ruth Benziger

Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder mystery series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence, was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, a nomination for the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and a nomination for an “Audie Award” for best mystery audiobook. Her work has appeared on numerous bestseller lists and earned a spot on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel.

In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, three Appaloosas, and two feisty, but loveable Blue Heelers.

Book Reviews for Books 4-6

Linda Castillo’s bestselling series continues with GONE MISSING—a deeply chilling novel about a rite of passage gone horribly wrong.

Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience life without the rules. It’s an exciting time of personal discovery and growth before committing to the church. But when a young teen disappears without a trace, the carefree fun comes to an abrupt and sinister end, and fear spreads through the community like a contagion.

A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in the Amish community, where family ties run deep. When the search for the presumed runaway turns up a dead body, the case quickly becomes a murder investigation. And chief of Police Kate Burkholder knows that in order to solve this case she will have to call upon everything she has to give not only as a cop, but as a woman whose own Amish roots run deep.

Kate and state agent, John Tomasetti, delve into the lives of the missing teen and discover links to cold cases that may go back years. But will Kate piece together all the parts of this sinister puzzle in time to save the missing teen and the Amish community from a devastating fate? Or will she find herself locked in a fight to the death with a merciless killer?

My Review

John Tomasetti, a state agent with BCI in Cleveland, Ohio, gets assigned a case with missing teenagers. He calls for the chief of police, Kate Burkholder’s help, because the missing teens are Amish. Having a background-raised Amish, she’s only happy to assist. It is also a plus that they not only work well together but are forming a relationship on a personal level.

All the missing teens have been troublemakers or broken the laws of the Amish faith. Kate and John work the cases and try to come up with a connection between the cases. They interview the family members and friends to ascertain the last whereabouts of the girls. When a missing teen hits home for Kate, she is even more determined to link the cases together.

This case was full of tricks and turns and uncertain outcomes. I wasn’t sure who was involved because the kids were being vague and secretive. When you thought it was one person, it turned on its head and went in a different direction.

I did have suspicions that did turn out to be on the right track, but in the end, I hadn’t considered an avenue. You’ll be shocked when you find out the involvement of one person that may not be likely in the minds of the reader. I would say try not to write people off. You never know where it may turn.

I was happy to see that John, jaded from losing his family in the past, is trying to take steps towards commitment with Kate. He gets vulnerable and tries to play it off when her response isn’t what he hoped. To see the softer side of him was nice because he’s always job-oriented and not as vulnerable. It seems the longer these two spend time together, the closer they become. I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads them.

I’m also surprised by the ending of this novel. Usually, Castillo leaves things relatively tied up until the next novel, when we see where Kate and John go next. This time, it was unique and more suspenseful, making me think that we will see this character or a case like it in the future.

n extraordinarily beautiful Amish woman, a dangerous femme fatale, is the central figure in a story that reveals a dark side of Painters Mill and its seemingly perfect Amish world

A rainy night, an Amish father returning home with his three children, a speeding car hurtling toward them out of nowhere.

What at first seems like a tragic, but routine car accident suddenly takes on a more sinister cast as evidence emerges that nothing about the crash is accidental. But who would want to kill an Amish deacon and two of his children? He leaves behind a grieving widow and a young boy who clings to life in the intensive care wing of a hospital, unable to communicate. He may be the only one who knows what happened that night. Desperate to find out who killed her best friend’s husband and why, Kate begins to suspect she is not looking for a reckless drunk, but instead is on the trail of a cold blooded killer amid the residents of Painter’s Mill. It is a search that takes her on a chilling journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart and makes her question everything she has ever believed about the Amish culture into which she was born.

My Review

When an accident involving a buggy that killed a man and his children occurs, Kate Burkholder is called to assist. Without a vehicle, they assume that it was a hit-and-run and try to solve the case as such.

The case is personal for Kate because the man and children who are parished belong to her former best friend. The case takes on new importance to her. With no leads, it looks like it will be impossible to figure out.

Meanwhile, another case involving Kate’s past bursts wide open and she is left reeling. John Tomasetti, the state BCI agent, and lover tries to calm her fears. But it leaves her reeling and wondering what is going to happen.

While Kate is stuck in the middle of two cases that are taking all her time and energy, she is struggling with her emotions when it comes to John. He’s asking her important questions that will change their relationship, and she’s not ready to deal with any of it. I found myself being sympathetic but also being annoyed that she was leaving Tomasetti dangling without answers. Make a decision, Kate! As we know, it isn’t that easy.

The case takes a turn toward the end that had my throat closing and my heart hammering. Her Last Breath is a clever title because that is exactly what I felt reading the ending and knowing what sinister plot took shape. I was appalled, shocked, and surprised. It gutted me to think of the implications and left me angry for the injustice of it all.

Tomasetti, as a loyal guy, is there through it all. I found myself smiling when they exchanged important and tender words. When you look at their pasts, the baggage they carry, and the improbable nature of where they find themselves, you can’t help but want to pull for them. With one case looming over her head, Tomasetti by her side, they have a bright future. As long as they don’t mess it up, I’m optimistic they will make a good unit.

Everyone in Painters Mill knows the abandoned Hochstetler farm is haunted. But only a handful of the residents remember the terrible secrets lost in the muted/hushed whispers of time—and now death is stalking them, seemingly from the grave.

On a late-night shift, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of an apparent suicide—an old man found hanging from the rafters in his dilapidated barn. But evidence quickly points to murder and Kate finds herself chasing a singularly difficult and elusive trail of evidence that somehow points back to the tragedy of that long ago incident. Meanwhile, Kate has moved in with state agent John Tomasetti and for the first time in so long, they’re both happy; a bliss quickly shattered when one of the men responsible for the murders of Tomasetti’s family four years ago is found not guilty, and walks away a free man. Will Tomasetti be pulled back to his own haunted past?

When a second man is found dead—also seemingly by his own hand—Kate discovers a link in the case that sends the investigation in a direction no one could imagine and revealing the horrifying truth of what really happened that terrible night thirty-five years ago, when an Amish father and his four children perished—and his young wife disappeared without a trace.

And, as Kate knows—the past never truly dies . . . in The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo

My Review

Kate Burkholder moved in with John Tomasetti (finally!), but after months of living together, one of the men responsible for the death of his wife and daughters goes free from a technicality. As you can imagine, the stress of that forced Tomasetti to withdraw from Kate and focus on himself. He did something questionable (very like him), and the results may have ended in a way that could be seen as favorable, but we don’t know whether that will lead to consequences or not.

Kate investigates the murder of a man who ends up being linked to a case from 1979. There are many questions with no answers. That is, until another person ends up dead, and a character we’ve seen in the Kate Burkholder series is linked to the case. Kate learns of what might have happened to the Hochstetler family all those years ago.

While people end up dead, we see the parallels of the case from long ago. We learn the identities, what roles they played, and what it looks like to commit targeted murders for what they did. This case had me scratching my head pretty often. I couldn’t quite get the handle on who I thought was responsible until the last handful of chapters.

When Castillo started talking about the Hochstetler family, the case, and details emerged, I had this funny feeling that I knew who the killer could be. My suspicions were affirmed when the killer was named, and we see the connection, the reason, and some really twisted and sick steps that were taken. I cringed when some realities came to light.

As many of the novels end with Kate and John’s story, I had to look back on what occurred in this particular saga. There were some fights and distance, and I see that Kate is feeling like she might be competing with a ghost. For a minute there, I thought it was going to come to a stop. I’m glad to see that they worked out some things, but it seems there is still more to talk about.

What I enjoy about Castillo’s books is that the relationship between Tomasetti and Kate is realistic, with a lot of ups and downs, and it doesn’t come easy. There is no romanticism, and we see the issues that arise from two damaged people trying to make a go at something worth having. I also appreciate that she is good with banter between all the characters. I become more attached to them as each novel passes.

I enjoy immensely that these crimes are complex, and she reveals details only enough to get you through until the next bit comes forward. It isn’t rushed, nor is it easy to figure out until you’ve realized the possibility. It’s quite entertaining to see what twisted information comes to light. It makes you cringe, but it is in a way that is satisfying because you know, most of the time, they get what is coming to them. There are some incredibly sad things that happen, too, and it’s interesting to see how the characters navigate their emotions through it all.