MT Review: Her Last Breath: A Novel

I've finished "Her Last Breath" the 5th book in her Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo.

Product Description

An extraordinarily beautiful Amish woman, a dangerous femme fatale, is the central figure in a story that reveals a dark side of Painters Mill and its seemingly perfect Amish world.

A rainy night, an Amish father returning home with his three children, a speeding car hurtling toward them out of nowhere.

What at first seems like a tragic, but routine car accident suddenly takes on a more sinister cast as evidence emerges that nothing about the crash is accidental. But who would want to kill an Amish deacon and two of his children? He leaves behind a grieving widow and a young boy who clings to life in the intensive care wing of a hospital, unable to communicate. He may be the only one who knows what happened that night. Desperate to find out who killed her best friend’s husband and why, Kate begins to suspect she is not looking for a reckless drunk, but instead is on the trail of a cold blooded killer amid the residents of Painter’s Mill. It is a search that takes her on a chilling journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart and makes her question everything she has ever believed about the Amish culture into which she was born.

My Review:

The beginning opens with a father coming home with his three children when a car sideswipes them.  Kate takes the call and when she arrives she is horrified at what she sees.  When she realizes it's Paul and his children who is married to her best friend in childhood she is devastated.  There is only one survivor the oldest child David 9 years old but he is in bad shape and is taken to the hospital.

If that wasn't even enough she has to deal with her love life.  John Tomassetti her criminal investigator lover wants to move to the next step in their relationship - he wants her to move in with him.  She is wary and trying to deal with the situation without hurting John.

If that wasn't enough the remains of Daniel Lapp the rapist who attacked her when she was 14 years old is found in an abandoned mine.

This book was well written, fast paced and twisted plot with sick psycho villains who have no remorse whatsoever.  

4/5

MT Review: Gone Missing: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder) [Hardcover]

I've finished "Gone Missing" the 4th book in her Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo.

Product Description

Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience life without the rules. It’s an exciting time of personal discovery and growth before committing to the church. But when a young teen disappears without a trace, the carefree fun comes to an abrupt and sinister end, and fear spreads through the community like a contagion.

A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in the Amish community, where family ties run deep. When the search for the presumed runaway turns up a dead body, the case quickly becomes a murder investigation. And chief of Police Kate Burkholder knows that in order to solve this case she will have to call upon everything she has to give not only as a cop, but as a woman whose own Amish roots run deep.

Kate and state agent, John Tomasetti, delve into the lives of the missing teen and discover links to cold cases that may go back years. But will Kate piece together all the parts of this sinister puzzle in time to save the missing teen and the Amish community from a devastating fate? Or will she find herself locked in a fight to the death with a merciless killer?

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book in this series, also set in Amish Country and featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. Visit www.lindacastillo.com to learn more.

Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (June 19, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312658567
ISBN-13: 978-0312658564

My Review:

Agent John Tomasetti who works for the BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) has asked Chief of Police Kate Burkholder (who is a former Amish) to help them with their investigation of finding Amish girls that are missing.  John has asked to be a Amish liaison.

Kate and John travel to different Amish communities within a 100 mile radius to find information about the Amish teens.  During their investigation they come to the conclusion all the Amish teens have something in common.  They are all rebelling against their extremely strict upbringing.  As Kate investigates further she finally deals with her Amish background and why she left that lifestyle.  John also deals with his nightmares of losing his wife and two daughters three years ago.  This case hits hard with John because the Amish girls would be the same age as his daughters if they had lived.

There were some truly vile suspects:

1.  A church that vocalizes their hatred of the Amish lifestyle and their Reverend leader that tries to covert their Amish teenagers;

2.  A photographer who was charged with taking pornographic pictures of Amish teens (without them knowing);

3.  An ex-communicated Amish man who helps those in need who want to leave the Amish lifestyle.

This book really held my interest with the well written storyline and well developed characters.  I read this book within a day that tells you how much I enjoyed it.  We learn more about Kate and John's past and how they are dealing with it now compared to when we first met them in "Sworn to Silence".  Their relationship even deepens but they don't know what to call it.

This book deals with the plot which is fast paced which leads to lots of twists and turns.  The book ends in a twist and turn even after we find out who the culprit is.

4/5

Books in series:

1.  Sworn to Silence
2.  Pray for Silence 
3.  Breaking Silence
4.  Gone Missing

Thanks St. Martin's Press for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Breaking Silence (Kate Burkholder) [Hardcover]

I've finished "Breaking Silence" the 3rd book in her Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo.

Product Description

The New York Times bestselling series hailed as “gripping” (People magazine) and “compelling” (USA Today) returns with Police Chief Kate Burkholder called to the scene of a horrific tragedy on a peaceful Amish farm.

The Slabaugh family are model Amish farmers, prosperous and hardworking, with four children and a happy extended family. When the parents and an uncle are found dead in their barn, it appears to be a gruesome accident: methane gas asphyxiation caused by a poorly ventilated cesspit. But in the course of a routine autopsy, the coroner discovers that one of the victims suffered a head wound before death — clearly, foul play was involved. But who would want to make orphans of the Slabaughs’ children? And is this murder somehow related to a recent string of shocking hate crimes against the Amish?

Having grown up Amish, Kate is determined to bring the killer to justice. Because the other series of attacks are designated hate crimes, the state sends in agent John Tomasetti, with whom Kate has a long and complex relationship. Together, they search for the link between the crimes — and uncover a dark secret at work beneath the placid surface of this idyllic Amish community.

Product Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (June 21, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312374992
ISBN-13: 978-0312374990

My Review:

Storyline:  A 911 call was made to go to Slabaugh's farm house. The Slabaugh's are Amish. Kate responded right away and was first on scene. She saw two male victims face down in the manure pit with poor area ventilation and a third victim was an Amish female lying face up. Kate went down into the pit to try to save the mother of four children. It was too late. Mother, father and uncle all died from the pit's Methane gas by the time EMS and the fire department arrived. Kate thought this was an accident until Doc Coblentz, in his preliminary examination, found that the father, Solly Slabaugh, had blunt-force trauma to the head that caused his death.

There have been a rash of hate crimes against the Amish like killing an old lady's sheep, forcing the Amish buggies off the road, and just plain nasty intimidation vetted towards innocent people for no particular reason. The injured or violated don't want to press charges or even contact the police.  Minor crimes are one thing, but now things have taken a terrible turn. Agent John Tomasetti was requested to help with the investigation of the hate crimes. Kate and John believe the hate crimes and the murder of Solly Slabaugh are not related.

Characters:  Kate and John have both grown from the first book to now.  This case is really affecting Kate and she is still dealing with her demons and a past.  She was once a Amish too but was forced out after a tragic incident when she was 14.  She drinking heavily and smoking to deal with her pain.  John also has a painful past but he has dealed with it and meeting Kate has helped him out of that dark place.

Romance:  Kate and John have an on again and off again relationship.  They both have come from deeply damaged pasts and really understand what each other is going through.  I'm glad they both took their relationship to the next level.

Killer(s):  They were truly nasty characters with twisted reasons on why they were killing and the cruel things they were doing to other people.  Truly some sick and twisted people out there.

This series has a great blend of truly horrifying crimes, well written characters and the right amount of romance.

This book had lots of twists and turns it was shocking to find who the killer and motive of why Slabaugh were killed.  What a great ending and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

5/5

Thanks Minotaur Books/St Martin's Press for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I've just finished reading "Sworn to Silence" the 1st book in her Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo.

Product Description

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.

About the Author

Linda Castillo lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book in this series, also set in Amish Country and featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder.

My review:

I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait for the next Kate book to come out next year.

It was fast paced right from the beginning and I had a hard time putting it down.

I liked the romance between Kate and John (they both were damaged and knew what each other was going through) and you didn't know who the killer was at the end.

5/5