When you find a book series you like, do you binge-read the whole thing? Or do you space it out over the months, to savor each story? I am a binge reader. I have discovered the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo – twelve books so far and I have read straight through to number eleven. Set in Painter’s Mill, Ohio, the books follow Kate Burkholder, police chief of her small hometown. She also happens to be ex-Amish in a county filled with Amish. Her family and former community live in relative calm with their ‘English’ neighbors, as long the ‘English’ stay away and don’t bother them. The ‘plain life’ is a central point to her books, providing a nice contrast of buggies and no electricity next to computers and GPS.

This first book in the series, Sworn to Silence,  is about a series of grisly murders where the victims are brutally marked. These markings match similar victims from sixteen years earlier. The killer was never found when the crimes simply stopped. So that case goes into cold case storage. But what if the case wasn’t really cold? Kate has a good idea what happened a decade and a half ago and why the killer mysteriously vanished.

I love this series because we get to know the characters so well. Kate is gruff, brash, strong, and still soft. After leaving the Amish community as a teen (in a left-of-my-own-free-will/get-out-now situation), she tells herself she doesn’t need their approval. She storms through life and her job with a ‘can-do’ attitude, straddling the divide between her childhood self and the independent woman she is now. Is she perfect? No, not by any means. Several times while reading, I would cringe and think, “Oh, Kate, be quiet! Don’t do that!” But I like that – she is willing to stand up for what she believes, admit when she is wrong and work hard to make things right. She is also reluctantly willing to admit that maybe she does need her family.

And the secondary characters! I love them! I can’t wait to see if fashion-forward dispatcher Mona gets to be a cop. Will septuagenarian Pickles get to be a full time officer again? Kate’s new love interest, federal agent John Tomasetti is tortured by his past and tragic loss. Will he find happiness? Can TJ, the rookie cop, find the perfect girl? Will Mayor Auggie get a backbone and stand up to the town council on behalf of the police? We slowly get to know and love these people in Kate’s life – her self-made family – and we cheer for them. (I am going to be so mad if one of them gets killed!)

This is a good series about small town life. Things are simple – everybody knows everybody, most are related, the café serves good coffee and pie, and usually the biggest worry is whether the high school football team will go to state. But even the most tranquil, bucolic town has a dark underbelly. Drugs like cocaine and meth are becoming more prevalent. Horrific crimes are committed and covered up. People disappear.

Be warned – these books are extremely intense. There is swearing and graphic violence. Lots of it. I was actually shocked at some of the descriptions and acts. I almost stopped reading but I liked the Amish versus Modern vibe. These books will not be for everyone, but I do encourage you to give them a chance.

BONUS! There is a Neve Campbell movie based on the book! Found it on YouTube! Where’s my popcorn?

 #Intense murder mystery at its best – try Linda Castillo Sworn to Silence!

A KILLER IS PREYING ON SACRED GROUND….

In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as chief of police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.