THE BURNING

5 stars out of 5

With a longstanding fascination for the Amish and their ways and some familiarity with the part of Ohio in which this series is set, it's a given that I'd be attracted to the books. But those interests alone probably wouldn't be sufficient to entice me to read more than one. Rather, it's the stories, and the characters, that keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment (of which this is the 16th).

For those not familiar, Kate Burkholder is chief of police in Painters Mill, located in the Buckeye State's largest Amish community (the second largest concentration in the world). She's a recent bride, the wife of John Tomasetti, an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. She's also Amish or, more accurately, she used to be; she left the old ways some time ago but still maintains a relationship with the local Amish, though it's tenuous at best. Her brother, Jacob, owns a local farm where he lives with his wife and son. 

This story begins with the particularly gruesome murder of an Amish man named Milan Swanz, who was burned alive on a stake (hardly a fun way to go). Tracking down clues to his identity and a motive proves difficult for Kate and her team, but it soon becomes clear he was far from an upstanding citizen and had, in fact, recently been excommunicated from the Order. Some evidence suggests that the murderer might be Amish, but that goes against their staunchly anti-violence nature. They're also notoriously closed-mouthed when it comes to speaking anything negative about their brethren - especially to the "English" folks at the police department, so eliciting information is akin to pulling hen's teeth.

Kate has a bit more luck, but not much - and much what she gets doesn't bode well for her brother Jacob, who had a serious run-in with the victim just a few days before the murder. Kate's relationship with her brother also calls into question her continued participation in the investigation; can she, or even should she, be involved when he's a major suspect? The same is claimed about her husband, who's been helping the department. Problem is, without Kate's understanding of the Amish and help from him, any meaningful investigation is likely to go nowhere fast.

It is at this point I must clam up; anything else I can say would reveal too much except that there's a very intriging look into a part of Anabaptist history thought to be long ago dead and buried. Besides that, there's plenty of action and close calls that kept me turning pages right up to the end. Now I'm once again looking forward to the next installment - and once again thanking the publisher, via NetGalley, for putting a pre-release copy of this one in my hands (or rather, on my Kindle). Well done!

The Burning by Linda Castillo (Minotaur Books, July 2024); 320 pp.