Publishers Weekly
06/10/2024
At the start of Castillo’s enthralling 16th mystery featuring Painters Mill, Ohio, police chief Kate Burkholder (after An Evil Heart), Kate’s colleagues find the charred body of 36-year-old Milan Swanz bound to a stake in the middle of the woods. Milan had a reputation for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, but Kate is still surprised to learn that he’d divorced his wife and been excommunicated from Painter Hill’s Amish community a few months earlier. On further investigation, Kate learns Milan had made several enemies in recent years, including Kate’s brother, Jacob. When one of Milan’s neighbors claims to have seen Milan and Jacob in a physical altercation days before Milan was killed, the sheriff arrests Jacob for Milan’s murder, despite Kate’s protests. Though she’s taken off the case, she remains determined to prove her brother’s innocence, and pulls her husband into an off-the-books investigation—which she continues even when a masked stranger threatens her. Well-shaded characters, near-perfect pacing, and a fascinating glimpse into Ohio’s Amish community mark this as another winner for Castillo. This series is nowhere near out of steam. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Burning:
"Riveting... fans will be eager for the latest well-developed mystery set in Ohio's Amish country." —Library Journal, starred
“A brutal, gripping look at murder in a self-enclosed community with many secrets to hide.” —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for An Evil Heart:
"Skillful storytelling... An Evil Heart proves this is a series that continues to soar." —Oline Cogdill, Shelf Awareness, starred review
“Characters you care about and a clear-eyed look at their unique culture make this series the best of the Amish bunch.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Castillo’s punchy prose and well-developed characters keep the pages turning... Series fans will be eager for the next entry." —Publishers Weekly
Library Journal
★ 05/01/2024
When two members of the Painters Mill, OH, police force hear screams in the woods, they find a body still on fire. Police Chief Kate Burkholder investigates the victim's past, learning that Milan Swanz was Amish but had been excommunicated after he was given numerous chances to change his ways. Rumors of fallen men called schwertlers go back over 70 years, but the stories of the past remind Kate of the victim, who was burned at the stake. Kate is caught between unfounded legends, the area's Amish community, which is reluctant to report crimes or speak ill of the dead, and her law enforcement colleagues who feel she is protecting the perpetrator of the murder. When her brother becomes a suspect, Kate is sidelined but continues to investigate. While she's threatened and viciously attacked, her husband, Tomasetti, and her small team continue to support her. VERDICT The 16th Kate Burkholder mystery (following An Evil Heart) is another riveting police procedural. Despite the violence and some graphic, gruesome details, fans will be eager for the latest well-developed mystery set in Ohio's Amish country. —Lesa Holstine
Kirkus Reviews
2024-05-17
When two police officers stop for a bit of dalliance, screams from the nearby woods introduce them to a puzzling and horrifying murder.
Chuck Skidmore and Mona Kurtz don’t arrive in time to rescue a man who’s being burned at the stake, a sight that will haunt their dreams. Police Chief Kate Burkholder arrives on the scene with her husband, John Tomasetti, an agent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who’ll join her and many other cops in a task force investigating the bizarre murder. Born Amish, Kate ran away from Painters Mill, found her vocation in law enforcement, and eventually came home as the police department’s chief. Over the years, she’s built up some trust with the local Amish community, who generally prefer to keep their problems to themselves. The victim is Milan Swanz, a troubled former schoolmate of Kate’s whom she’s arrested several times. A divorced man with four children, he’d been recently excommunicated by the Amish. Although Milan was far from popular, Kate meets a wall of silence from even her own brother, one of many people who had disputes with the hot-tempered man. Kate’s theory of the crime, based on stories in a book popular with the Amish, is so bizarre that she has trouble believing it herself. When her brother is arrested, she’s removed from the task force but continues to investigate, putting her in the sights of some very determined killers.
A brutal, gripping look at murder in a self-enclosed community with many secrets to hide.
