In this 7th book in the 'Kate Burkholder' series, the Police Chief is threatened by a stalker as she tries to solve a murder. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the series is beneficial.
*****
A ferocious tornado rips through Painters Mill, Ohio causing damage and fatalities.
Two consequences of the tornado are especially relevant to Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. First, Kate rescues a baby from a crumpled trailer. The baby later dies and the parents blame Kate.
Second, the bones of a man who disappeared decades ago are found among the ruins of an old barn on an Amish farm.
Kate - who was raised Amish but left the fold long ago - investigates with her detectives.
Though it takes the police some time to identify the dead man the reader can guess who it is pretty quickly from the book's prolog where a man is pushed into a pen of hogs and eaten.
Meanwhile, Kate is now living with her boyfriend, investigator John Tomasetti, from whom she's hiding a secret. To add to Kate's problems, someone is trying to kill her - and Kate suspects it's the baby's meth-head father. He's elusive, though, and the police can't track him down.
The investigation into the dead man requires Kate to question several Amish families, who are less than cooperative.
Nevertheless, Kate is able to put together a number of clues, connect the dots, and get on track to solve the crime. This isn't all smooth sailing because Kate tends to be reckless and keeps putting herself in dangerous situations - a bad idea when someone is trying to kill you.
The plot is well-crafted and the book's characters - including the various suspects, Kate's detectives, the police dispatchers, Kate's family, the baby's parents, and more - add interest to the story. I also liked the peeks into the Amish community, including aspects of their lifestyle and beliefs.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it highly to mystery fans.
Rating: 4 stars
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