Through unexpected conflicts, the stresses of an opening murder investigation and Burkholder’s personal history, Castillo constructs a horrorscape of murder, fear and mistrust. When a pushy councilwoman involves the BCI, Katie’s dilemma is multiplied exponentially. Katie’s own experience with the serial killer sixteen years ago goes deeper than anyone knows, adding a new urgency to her investigation. Breaking with the beliefs of her Amish family, Katie understands the complexities of her town and the significance of this fresh murder. The sheriff of Painter’s Mill, Katie Burkholder, knows this place intimately. Now, with the discovery of a murdered young woman, the nightmare reawakens, the ritualized killing too similar to the others to be ignored. In this picturesque melding of past and present, where the Amish population coexists with their modern-day counterparts, a series of heinous murders committed sixteen years ago have scarred the community psyche, a history long-buried. The excitement is in the chase.įortunately, Castillo gives her story not only a compelling plot but also a unique setting: an Amish community in Painter’s Mill, Ohio. The enjoyment in reading a well-crafted mystery is in the building of the tension, the slow revelation of actions and clues, the unveiling of horror lurking beneath the rituals of everyday existence. Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder Mysteries) But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past―and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.Book review: Linda Castillo's *Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder Mysteries)* Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. She's certain she's come to terms with her past―until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Her Amish roots and big-city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. but ultimately decided to leave her community.Ī wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as chief of police. A young Amish girl named Kate Burkholder survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and 'English' residents have lived side by side for two centuries. Some crimes are too unspeakable to solve. Sworn to Silence is the first in Linda Castillo's New York Times bestselling Kate Burkholder series.

Now the subject of the Lifetime original movie An Amish Murder

Sworn to silence