FIVE STARS

This book hits the ground on page one and starts running at a rate of speed that slows seldom and not for long!!!

I read a "LOT" and I'm usually pretty darn good at figuring out who did it but I have to admit I missed this one until I was 95% of the way through.

AND even after you know who the REALLY bad guy is it's still edge of your seat reading.

I will tell you that the descriptions of the crimes and what happens to the victims is very graphic so if you have an aversion to this you can either skip over those pages "like I did" or do not get this book.

The characters are very well developed and it feels as though you know them long before the end of the book.


I gave this book FIVE stars because it definitely kept my interest all the way through.

I have already started "Pray For Silence" and I have to tell you it starts off at the same rate of speed as this one did and has not let up.

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This book had me hooked. I liked Kate Burkholder's style and her own personal story. It was a little gory though so this is not for the squeamish!

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Since this book has been on my PBS wish list since August 2009 after reading several favorable reviews, I couldn't resist buying in during a weak moment in a bookstore. I liked the main character, a woman chief of police who was raised in the Amish community, but the supporting characters seemed to be stereotypes, and it was easy to narrow the evildoer down to a couple of people. I'll read the next one - I'd like to see what happens to the heroine next and if the writing evolves - but I'll get it from the library.

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If you enjoy Stephanie Plum or Regan Reilly, you will love Kate Burkholder!

Kate Burkholder is the Chief of Police in Painters Mill, Ohio. She's no stranger to the town, as she grew up there in an Amish household.

Small town politics, personal demons and a sadistic killer explode in a captivating thriller with more twists and turns than old country road.

Author Linda Castillo delivers a powerful mystery and her roots in romance writing are evident in the strong characters and the relationships that surround them.

Evanovich and Higgins-Clark fans will surely enjoy Castillo, and her heroine Kate Burkholder.

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I wish I could give this one 3.5 stars. For one thing, it is a hard core, down and dirty, bloody thriller that will keep you up at night. And, it kept me up till 2 am reading until I finished it. I just couldn't leave the characters hanging by putting it down.

The item that kept me from giving it more stars was the editing. There were enough errors in editing left in that I actually checked to make sure I was not reading an uncorrected proof which I could have been since my copy was a win from Goodreads (thank you so much).

The story line is a small New England town that has a young female sheriff with a secret. The town is both Amish and English as is the sheriff and now they have a serial killer that is back after a 16 year absence. The story is well written, keeps you guessing, but as I stated earlier, poorly edited. Maybe I noticed it more because I read the book all in one sitting. I would give the book a 7/10 with great points for storytelling and suspense and minuses for editing. I will definitely read the second book that will be about the same town and sheriff.

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Good mystery. However, the killings are very graphic. It is not often a book keeps me awake at night.

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Katie Burkholder grew up Amish, but left the community when she was eighteen. Now she has returned to her hometown to take the job as Chief of Police. Chief Burkholder is tough and competent, respected by her officers and staff. When the brutal murder of a young woman sends shock waves through the community, Kate's past comes back to haunt her. Sixteen years ago, a series of unsolved murders in the small town ended when Kate killed the man who raped her. Her family covered up the death by disposing of the body and refusing to report it. Now a new murder has occurred and the clues make it look like the same serial killer is back. Is this a copycat? Did the man that Kate knew not actually die?

As Kate begins her investigation, the town council question her experience in such matters. They call for the assistance of the County Sheriff's department and and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. Trying to solve the murder while staying in charge of the investigation and keeping her own secrets buried gets harder when another dead body is discovered.

This story had me hooked from the first chapter. It is a good mystery/suspense book with well developed characters. Kate Burkholder and BCI Agent John Tomasetti are deeply flawed but realistic characters. The Amish community seems to be portrayed accurately. The mixed community of "English" and Amish very much reminds me of the small town I live in (without the murders). I will definitely be searching for the next book in the series and hope to read it soon. My rating: 5 Stars.

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It was a good read. Kinda dragged along until about the middle of the book then really started moving.

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This book is a little bit to descriptive for me about the murders but otherwise it was a great read.

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Love it! Read it super fast as it was hard to put down!

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Kate Burholder is not your usual Police Chief, being ex-Amish and returning to her childhood home of Painters Mill, Ohio is not the life that most would pick, but she felt that it was the best choice. A choice where she could use her understanding of both the Amish and English worlds and act as a go between when sticky situations arise.

On a dark winter evening, one of Kate's young officers is sent out on a routine call; unfortunately, it wasn't just wandering cows that he found along the road, there was a brutalized body, a body that bore striking similarities to a serial killer that had struck 16 years before. A killer that Kate knew couldn't be back, but yet the proof was written all over his victim's body.

Kate isn't the only one with secrets; John Tomasetti is just one bar stool away from permanently being removed from his official position. His past is just as grueling as Kate's is, but between the two of them, they either solve this case or there is nothing left of their lives for them to live. With their combined expertise and the help of the Painers Mill Police Department, a killer must be brought to justice before they have to tell another family of a tragic loss.

I can usually pick out the killer early on in a book, the author usually leaves enough clues that the climatic moment just usually leaves a lot to be desired, but I can honestly tell you that I didn't pick this one. The storyline flowed, the characters were given their own voices and their own directions, and when a final clue was given, I literally said, "really?".

Very good book, very good conclusion and I look forward to the next book by Linda Castillo.

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This book is stunning. I almost gave it 5 stars. It is a perfect crafted thriller. Some parts are gory but so well-written that it is makes the gruesome parts easier to read. Linda Castillo should be given kudos for her first book. "Sworn to Silence" is a vivid, intense, and brutal page-turner of a novel. I look forward to her second novel, "Pray For Silence" which will be published June 22.

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