This is the second Kate Burkholder book I've read. The first one was good, but I really enjoyed this one. The story flowed along nicely, not too complicated (!) and an ending I didn't see coming. I have already ordered a couple more books in the series.
Dianna (savingsinseconds) reviewed Her Last Breath (Kate Burkholder, Bk 5) on + 52 more book reviews
Here's the thing about Linda Castillo --- she doesn't hesitate to take her readers on a wild ride. Buckle up because this one is a twisty, curvy one! It's very emotional, too, with the death of two children. I was so moved by Kate's emotions and sentimental attachment to her childhood friend. She's tough as nails, so it's not often that we get to glimpse her soft side but I'm glad she has one. This book wasn't my favorite of the series so far, but it's definitely worth reading.
This a great series! The characters come to life and you can almost put a face to each one in your mind. There are always two stories going and one is Kate's past and why she left the Amish but each book tells you enough you don't need to read them in order, the second one is the storyline of the current book which includes a crime committed in the Amish clan, interesting look into the world of the Amish without boring details. Even if you can 'guess' the outcome of the book it is still a good read.
I think I have learned a few things while reading Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series. They are as follows:
1. If Painters Mills is a real town, I don't want to go anywhere near it. There is way too much death and deceit going on there and I'm not sure if the police department would be able to keep my ass safe.
2. I think I have established an un-natural fear of the Amish. No seriously...
3. I will never pass by any abandoned farmhouse and not think of someone strung up in a dirty smelly room.
4. I will never look at the Underground Railway and tunnels the same way.
5. Everytime I pass a farm and smell manure I think of manure pits and how easily someone could be pushed into one.
6. Two words...Abandoned Silos
Now about the Book(s) - Kate has more baggage attached to her than a whorehouse full of ex nuns. WTF is wrong with this woman? As the books go on she seems to fall deeper and deeper into despair. She seems to be one of those people who does not learn from her mistakes. She figures out what went wrong at the end, but doesn't figure out how not to eff up the next case. She puts the Amish of Painters Mills on such a high pedestal that she seems to forget that they are people just like the rest of us who make mistakes and are capable of committing all kinds of heinous acts of crime. She may have physically left the faith, but mentally she never left. That is what she seems to struggle with in every book. Don't get me wrong, I love the flawed character. I think that is what makes these book so exciting. However, I'm hoping to see Kate grow a bit if more of these are to be written
1. If Painters Mills is a real town, I don't want to go anywhere near it. There is way too much death and deceit going on there and I'm not sure if the police department would be able to keep my ass safe.
2. I think I have established an un-natural fear of the Amish. No seriously...
3. I will never pass by any abandoned farmhouse and not think of someone strung up in a dirty smelly room.
4. I will never look at the Underground Railway and tunnels the same way.
5. Everytime I pass a farm and smell manure I think of manure pits and how easily someone could be pushed into one.
6. Two words...Abandoned Silos
Now about the Book(s) - Kate has more baggage attached to her than a whorehouse full of ex nuns. WTF is wrong with this woman? As the books go on she seems to fall deeper and deeper into despair. She seems to be one of those people who does not learn from her mistakes. She figures out what went wrong at the end, but doesn't figure out how not to eff up the next case. She puts the Amish of Painters Mills on such a high pedestal that she seems to forget that they are people just like the rest of us who make mistakes and are capable of committing all kinds of heinous acts of crime. She may have physically left the faith, but mentally she never left. That is what she seems to struggle with in every book. Don't get me wrong, I love the flawed character. I think that is what makes these book so exciting. However, I'm hoping to see Kate grow a bit if more of these are to be written
Love the book; Love the series. Kate is a complex, interesting woman, dragging a lot of baggage around. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book now that she has committed to hunky Tomasetti!! Five Stars!
Not the best in the series and certainly not showing the best of the main character. Tied up nicely at the end, too quickly and less believably.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
First Line: The clip-clop of the standardbred's shod hooves against asphalt echoed within the canopy of the trees.
In moments, an Amish family's lives are shattered by a hit-and-run driver. Kate Burkholder races to the scene and finds it very difficult to maintain any sort of composure. This man... this father... and his three children are the family of Kate's very best childhood friend. That friend, the breathtakingly beautiful Mattie, may never recover from this horrendous loss. And it gets worse. As the evidence begins to be pieced together, what at first seemed to be an accident is now seen to be deliberate. Who on earth would want to kill an Amish father and his children? Burkholder wants answers, and she wants them now. What she doesn't want is for old history-- in the form of old bones-- to be uncovered at the site of an old grain elevator.
The first part of this book concerning the hit-and-run and its aftermath had my heart in my throat and tears in my eyes. Having grown up close to an Amish community, I was there as those pages turned. The world could've come to an end, and I would not have been able to stop reading Linda Castillo's words. If the book had been able to maintain that pace, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book highly enough. But it did taper off a bit.
Kate's relationship with John Tomasetti is evolving at a faster rate than she'd like, but she worries too much and is too afraid, so I like seeing her shaken out of her comfort zone. Characters who grow and change are the best characters of all. However, I wish the one element from Kate's past that hasn't been resolved will be soon because her knee-jerk reactions are growing a bit old. Kate, tell 'em the truth, and face the music. If you're thrown out of the police chief's job, set up as a private investigator with Tomasetti. (Those of you who've read the previous books in the series will know to what I'm referring.)
As to the identity of the killer... I hate to say that I wasn't surprised about that either. I'm inherently suspicious of particular situations and certain people. It's just the way I'm wired. Another way that I'm wired is to enjoy a good read. This book had an absolutely fantastic beginning, and even though I deduced what happened and was somewhat disappointed that Kate's past was rearing its ugly head again, I still found a great deal to enjoy-- and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
In moments, an Amish family's lives are shattered by a hit-and-run driver. Kate Burkholder races to the scene and finds it very difficult to maintain any sort of composure. This man... this father... and his three children are the family of Kate's very best childhood friend. That friend, the breathtakingly beautiful Mattie, may never recover from this horrendous loss. And it gets worse. As the evidence begins to be pieced together, what at first seemed to be an accident is now seen to be deliberate. Who on earth would want to kill an Amish father and his children? Burkholder wants answers, and she wants them now. What she doesn't want is for old history-- in the form of old bones-- to be uncovered at the site of an old grain elevator.
The first part of this book concerning the hit-and-run and its aftermath had my heart in my throat and tears in my eyes. Having grown up close to an Amish community, I was there as those pages turned. The world could've come to an end, and I would not have been able to stop reading Linda Castillo's words. If the book had been able to maintain that pace, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book highly enough. But it did taper off a bit.
Kate's relationship with John Tomasetti is evolving at a faster rate than she'd like, but she worries too much and is too afraid, so I like seeing her shaken out of her comfort zone. Characters who grow and change are the best characters of all. However, I wish the one element from Kate's past that hasn't been resolved will be soon because her knee-jerk reactions are growing a bit old. Kate, tell 'em the truth, and face the music. If you're thrown out of the police chief's job, set up as a private investigator with Tomasetti. (Those of you who've read the previous books in the series will know to what I'm referring.)
As to the identity of the killer... I hate to say that I wasn't surprised about that either. I'm inherently suspicious of particular situations and certain people. It's just the way I'm wired. Another way that I'm wired is to enjoy a good read. This book had an absolutely fantastic beginning, and even though I deduced what happened and was somewhat disappointed that Kate's past was rearing its ugly head again, I still found a great deal to enjoy-- and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
An Amish buggy was broad-sided by a speeding truck leaving a father and two children dead, a third child in critical condition. When Police Chief Kate Burkholder arrives on the scene, she discovers that the victims are the family of her childhood best friend, Mattie Borntrager. Kate makes a vow to Mattie that she will find the person responsible for killing Mattie's husband and children. But as Kate looks through the wreckage, she finds evidence that the hit and run was not an was murder.
As Kate struggles with the investigation, she finds her past coming back to haunt her. She must also deal with State Agent John Tomasetti's request that she move in with him. Not sure if she is ready to take that step, Kate avoids the issue as best she can.
This is a good mystery focusing on the premeditated murder of an Amish man and his children. Did the perpetrator randomly pick his victims or were they targeted? I enjoyed this story and actually figured out who the culprit was. My rating: 4 Stars.
As Kate struggles with the investigation, she finds her past coming back to haunt her. She must also deal with State Agent John Tomasetti's request that she move in with him. Not sure if she is ready to take that step, Kate avoids the issue as best she can.
This is a good mystery focusing on the premeditated murder of an Amish man and his children. Did the perpetrator randomly pick his victims or were they targeted? I enjoyed this story and actually figured out who the culprit was. My rating: 4 Stars.
