RAGE

5 stars out of 5

My initial interest in this wonderful series began mostly because of the location; I'm familiar with the part of Ohio in which the stories take place. I also have an interest in the Amish, often making trips to another section of the Buckeye State that gets mentioned in the books once in a while (in fact, in this, the 17th book of the series). That said, I wouldn't keep coming back for more unless the books are really, really good; they are, and this one carries on that honored tradition.

Now-veteran Painters Mill Police Chief Kate Burkholder is the primary reason for my enthusiasm, a unique character because she was born and grew up Amish but left the order in her late teens. Needless to say, that didn't sit well with anyone in the community where she later returned to work in law enforcement as an "English" - the term used for anyone who isn't Amish. Over the years, though, she's built up a healthy relationship with her family and neighbors, for the most part earning their respect. Kate's hunky husband, FBI agent John Tomasetti, complements her and adds both personal interest and professional help when needed - and he gets quite a bit of page time here, much to my delight.

This one begins with a grisly find - the dismembered parts of a young Amish man Samuel Eicher, who's been murdered and half buried not far from his landscaping business. According to a few sources, he and his best friend Aaron Shetler had been involved with some pretty shady characters, including a beautiful young woman named Cassidy, but by all accounts he was returning to the Amish fold. The search for Aaron takes up more of Kate's team's time, and that, too, ends in tragedy with the discovery of his body in a barrel that's been rolled down a ravine.

What on earth were the two friends into? And where is Samuel's reported girlfriend Cassidy? The search takes Kate to a couple of local bars and private clubs in which pole dancers and sex trafficking may be at play, so to speak - places in which Kate and her questions clearly are not welcome. When Kate's unrelenting investigation and yet another murder brings her way too close to the truth, she becomes the target and threatens to make a widower out of Tomasetti. It's a whirlwind finish that kept me on the edge of my recliner for sure. In short, it's another winner, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to stay tuned in by way of a pre-release copy. Bring on the next!

Rage by Linda Castillo (Minotaur Books, July 2025); 296 pp.

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.

AN EVIL HEART

5 stars out of 5

Holmes County, Ohio, has highest concentration of Amish in the world, and the largest in the Buckeye State, according to several reputable sources. Heading northeast a bit, Geauga County boasts Ohio's second largest settlement. By way of more than a nodding acquaintance in proximity to both, I was attracted to this series, which is set in Holmes County. But that was just at the outset; it's the stories that keep bringing me back for more (this is the 15th installment). For those who care about such things, I'll say that it's more graphic than the others I've read, but to me, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Kate Burkholder, who grew up Amish but officially left the fold nearly two decades ago, is the police chief in Painters Mill in Holmes County. As this story begins, she's about to be married to the guy she's been living with for a couple of years, FBI agent John Tomesetti, with the wedding held at her brother and sister-in-law's home in mostly Amish fashion. But not long before that happens, a 20-year-old Amish man is found dead along a rural roadside - shot twice with a crossbow. There's no acceptable version of murder, of course, but this was a particularly gruesome way to go. 

The death of Aden Karn is even more surprising in that he had a steady girlfriend everyone (including her) thought he'd marry, a job and an almost stellar reputation as one of the good guys. Why, then, would anyone want to kill him? Is this just a random act by a madman (or woman) who's out for no reason other than wanting to kill someone? It's a puzzlement, or at least until the investigation starts getting legs of its own; Aden, it seems, may not have been the quintessential Amish lad. Gradually, new facts emerge - some of them quite disturbing - to reveal a far more sinister side that may have sparked a motive. But getting to the whole truth also may have sparked a killer's desperate need to bring the investigation to a halt, thereby putting Kate in mortal danger.

All told, it's another intriguing and entertaining adventure that's well worth reading. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Well done!

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo (Minotaur Books, July 2023); 320 pp.

THE HIDDEN ONE

4.5 stars out of 5

I was introduced to this wonderful series just last year, although it's been around for a while (this is the 14th book). In part because I live not too far from Ohio's largest population of Amish and the second largest concentration in the world - Holmes County - and even closer to the fourth largest population in the world, Geauga County - I love learning all I can about the people and their traditions. Throw in a good murder or two, and I'm hooked.

The central character in this series is Kate Burkholder, police chief in Painters Mill, Ohio (Holmes County); she was born Amish and left the order when she turned 18, but she still maintains strong ties. She lives with her significant other John Tomasetti, an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent. She gets a visit from three Amish elders from Lancaster, Pennsylvania - another Amish stronghold - who ask for her help. Some 18 years earlier, the local bishop suddenly went missing; quite recently, his skull turned up in a farmer's field. But that's not the reason they need help; as it turns out, the person arrested for what has now been deemed a murder is Jonas Bowman. Kate and Jonas once were an "item"; their romance, deemed illicit by Holmes County religious leaders mostly because of their age difference, was the reason Jonas and his family moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania, leaving Kate devastated.

Although she hasn't seen him since, Kate feels she must do what she can to help; in her heart of hearts, she's certain Jonas could not possibly be a killer. Their first meeting, at the jail, is emotional - but he confirms what she already believes: that he's an innocent man. The local police, however, have a different perspective; they're convinced they've got their man. And they're not all that happy that a cop from another department - especially one with strong ties to the suspect - is sticking her nose in where they think it doesn't belong.

It doesn't take long, however, for Kate to learn that the dead bishop was respected in title only; by many accounts, he was a tyrant whose behavior more than once overstepped the boundaries of the Amish tenet of nonviolence. But it was long ago, and finding anyone still alive, much less willing to talk about days long gone by, isn't easy. On top of that, it soon becomes clear that someone isn't happy that she's trying to dredge up old secrets. Maybe, just maybe, the real killer is still out there and is setting his or her sights on Kate.

The whole thing was highly entertaining and kept me turning pages all the way to the exciting and satisfying end. There's a little too much repetition (mostly reminders of various Amish traditions) here and there, but that's balanced on the plus side by the liberal sprinkling of words and phrases from the Amish dialect. This has quickly become a favorite series for me; I highly recommend it (and this book) and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. 

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo (Minotaur Books, July 2022); 313 pp.

FALLEN

4 stars out of 5

As of 2020, Ohio boasted the second largest population of Amish (sandwiched between the border states of Pennsylvania, which ranks first, and Indiana at third), according to multiple sources. There are plenty in my neck of the woods, and I've been to Holmes County, Ohio, the site of the Buckeye State's largest settlement and the setting for this book. I've always had an interest in Amish culture and beliefs; combine that with a good old-fashioned police story and a strong woman leading the investigation, and this book had me from the giddyup.

That woman is Kate Burkholder, who was born Amish but left the order and now serves as police chief in Painters Mill. With significant other John Tomasetti, an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation officer, she lives in Wooster (yep, been there and no doubt passed their house several times). Serious crimes here are few and far between, but that streak comes to an abrupt end when Kate is called to a local motel room, where the badly beaten body of a woman has been found. Turns out it's Rachael Schwartz, whose nonconformist behavior got her thrown out of the Amish fold as a rebellious teenager. She hasn't returned home since, as far as anyone knows - so what brought her back and who would want to kill her?

As the investigation progresses, Kate gets help from her sweetie Tomasetti, the state and county cops, and the consensus is that Rachael's wild behavior made her far more enemies than friends (whether they be Amish or English). In fact, a local Amish woman seems to be the only person who can tolerate Rachael - and she claims to not have seen her for quite some time. Not long ago, Rachael wrote an expose book on life within her former Amish community; needless to say, it ruffled quite a few feathers, especially within a local splinter group that, for the most part, isn't much loved by the "regular" Amish .

With so many possible suspects - even Rachael's business partner wasn't all that fond of her, for goodness sake - it's hard for Kate to nail down solid clues. As she bounces around, though, it becomes clear that somebody wants her to stop - and just may be willing to go to great lengths to make sure she does exactly that. There's plenty of action in this, the 13th book in the series, as well as a couple of twists (one I pretty much saw coming and the other not at all). My only frustration, if you can call it that, is the (to me) excessive use of Amish phrases followed by English translations. On the one hand that's a much-appreciated feature for someone like me who wants to learn, but there were just too many and, Mein Gott, several that in context really didn't need an explanation.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book - and Kate - so much so that I plan to follow this series from now on. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. 

Fallen by Linda Castillo (Minotaur Books, July 2021); 320 pp.