A Gathering of Secrets/Linda Castillo/308 pages

     Kate Burkholder is Chief of Police in a small Amish community where a barn fire kills Daniel Gingerich, a likeable, polite, hardworking young Amish teen.  At first no one can understand why anyone would want to hurt Daniel, but little by little Kate uncovers the true story behind Daniel's death and several others.  At the core of the investigation -- the Amish community.  There are sweet young girls and their protective parents.  There are the Amish customs and beliefs and threaded through the story are Dutch phrases that at first frustrated me but by the end of the book I knew what they meant before they were translated.  The author keeps you guessing until the end for this who-done-it.  Spoiler alert:  This is not one of those sweet, light Amish romances.  There is violence, rape, and suicide mixed in with the really gruesome descriptions of the burned bodies.  This one is a different type of read for me but I enjoyed it.

Down a Dark Road/Linda Castillo/292 pgs.

This is the latest title in the Chief of Police Kate Burkholder series. Kate, a former member of the Amish community, is Chief of Police in Painters Mill--an Amish community. She is notified that Joseph King, convicted of murdering his Amish wife, has escaped from prison after only serving two years of his sentence. Their five children have been under the care of his wife's sister and brother-in-law, and the police are concerned that Joseph will come back for the children. Kate is heavily involved because Joseph was a childhood friend of hers, who she hasn't seen in years, but who has insisted all along that he didn't murder his wife. It's a very good mystery, and series, and one that I highly recommend!

Among the Wicked/Linda Castillo/306 pgs.

In this latest addition in the Chief of Police Kate Burkholder series, Kate is asked to go undercover in an Amish community in rural upstate New York. Kate was raised Amish, and even though she has broken with the Amish way of life, she can blend into the community. Against the wishes of her lover,  state agent John Tomasettie, Kate accepts the assignment--an assignment rife with suspense, murder, and surprises (and not good ones)! Highly recommended!

Sense and Sensibility / Sarah Price / 304 pgs

This Amish retelling of Jane Austen's classic was just released on March 1st. After having read a few other modern retellings of Jane Austen classics, I'm so glad to have finally read one that stayed true to Austen's original characters. The author did a wonderful job of bringing the classic romance to Amish Pennsylvania, mixing in some of the local Pennsylvania Dutch language and customs. Although Eleanor and Marianne's first names remain the same, some of the names change, most notably Colonel Brandon becomes a pastor, Christian Bechlder. As this was written by a Christian fiction author, and since it is set in Amish country, God and the Bible is mentioned heavily, so this book should be very popular with readers of Christian fiction but may not appeal to secular audiences. All in all, I definitely recommend this book for those hoping to read a different interpretation of Austen's Sense and Sensibility without being so modern that the characters no longer resemble the original ones.

For those unfamiliar with the original classic, Sense and Sensibility is the story of the three Detweiler sisters (Dashwood in the original), whose father has just died and whose home and farm are now the property of their older half-brother whose promise to take care of his step-mom and three younger sisters is broken. The Detweiler women must relocate to another Amish community and start a sewing business to provide for themselves. Meanwhile possible suitors appear for both of the elder sisters, but while one guards her heart by being proper and demure, the other loses both her heart and her head to a man who breaks it all too easily. 

After the Storm/Linda Castillo/306 pgs.

This is the latest Chief of Police Kate Burkholder series entry. After a tornado hits Painters Mill, Ohio, not only is destruction left behind, but also human remains. In trying to discover whose bones have been unearthed, Kate Burkholder opens up a missing person's case from thirty years ago. It's suspenseful, and thoroughly engrossing--Castillo's best effort to date!

Sworn to Silence/Linda Castillo/321 pages

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder has a big problem. Has a serial killer from long ago returned to Painter's Mill, Ohio? When the body of a brutally murdered woman is discovered, the town starts to panic. Does Kate have enough police experience to launch a hunt for a killer? Do her Amish roots, long abandoned, hinder or help when dealing with both the Amish population and the rest of the town?


The first in a promising series. The description of the murders are fairly gruesome, but the characters and the story make for a good mystery. Thanks to Mizzou77 for her review.

Her Last Breath/Linda Castillo/398 pgs.

This is another  in the Kate Burkholder series, and it keeps the reader guessing! What looks to be a routine hit and run accident, soon becomes a murder to be solved. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the crime scene only to learn that the husband, and two children, of her childhood friend, Mattie Borntrager, are the victims. The book takes off from there, keeping the reader guessing as to who are the good guys, and who are the bad. It's a very fast and engrossing read!

Gone Missing/Linda Castillo/277 pgs.

Number four in the Kate Burkholder series, Gone Missing is just as riveting as its predecessors. This latest entry in the series focuses on Rumspringa, the period of time in a teenage Amish person's life when he/she can experience life without all of the rules of the Amish community. When an Amish teenager goes missing, and ultimately turns up dead, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder, and state agent John Tomasetti become involved in solving the murder. As in the previous books in the series, there are twists and turns, mystery and suspense. It's a fast, engrossing read!

Breaking Silence/Linda Castillo/302 pgs.

This is the third Amish mystery featuring Kate Burkholder, police chief of Painter's Creek, Ohio--a community shared by both the Amish and the "English."  Three Slabaugh family members are dead: Solly and Rachel (husband and wife), and Abel, Solly's brother.This leaves four orphan children--Mose, 17, Salome, l5, Samuel, 12, and Ike, 10.  At first it appears as accidental deaths, until the coroner discovers a blow to Solly's head. In addition to these murders, Kate is trying to uncover the individuals responsible for hate crimes being committed against the Amish. Are the two related? To further complicate matters, Solly's estranged brother, Adam, wants custody of the kids. He was excommunicated by the Amish, so the Amish community doesn't want him raising the kids. All of these factors make for an interesting and fast moving read. It's a great series, and I highly recommend it!