In this 16th book in the Kate Burkholder series, the Police Chief investigates the brutal murder of an Amish man who'd been excommunicated. The novel provides enough background information to be read as a standalone.
*****
Police Chief Kate Burkholder grew up in an Amish community in Painter's Mill, Ohio but left as a teenager.
After Kate became a law enforcement officer, Painter's Mill offered her a job and she returned to head the police department. Kate's Amish background is advantageous because she speaks Pennsylvania Dutch and is familiar with Amish culture.
Kate is now married to John Tomasetti, an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The couple's dual law enforcement careers are advantageous, because, when it's appropriate, Tomasetti can provide support for Kate's investigations.
Author Linda Castillo 'kills off' the victims in her books in the most gruesome fashions, and this story is no exception. As the story opens, Milan Swanz is drunk, and walking home from a bar in ankle deep snow.
When Milan is offered a ride in a passing car, he accepts with alacrity. Big mistake!! Before long, Milan is tied to a stake in the woods and burned alive.
Police Chief Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of the crime, which is soon crawling with law enforcement personnel. Kate looks at the blackened corpse with peeling skin and feels sick to her stomach. She thinks, "Milan Swanz was a troubled man who made plenty of mistakes in the thirty-six years he'd been on this earth. But he was a human being with a wife and children and parents who'd loved him despite his flaws."
Or maybe not so much! As Kate begins her investigation, she learns that Milan had been excommunicated from the church for repeated wrongdoing. Moreover, Milan and his wife Bertha were divorced (an unimaginable no-no in the Amish culture), and Bertha doesn't seem too shocked about Milan's death.
Bertha is reluctant to speak about her ex-husband because the Amish are extremely insular, and never air their dirty laundry to 'Englischers'. For that reason, Kate finds it hard to find out about Milan's transgressions. Nevertheless, Kate eventually learns that unfortunate things happened to people who angered Milan. For instance, after Milan was fired from his job in a cabinet shop, the shop 'accidently' burned to the ground; and the Diener (church officials) who excommunicated Milan.....
.....suffered personal injuries or damage to their crops.
Kate even learns that her own brother, an Amish farmer named Jacob, had a run-in with Milan....but Jacob refuses to discuss the matter with Kate.
As Kate pursues her inquiries, she hears about an old sect called the Schwertler Anabaptists, who 'dealt with' wrongdoers in Amish sects.
When Kate tries to determine if Schwertler Anabaptists are still active, she's warned off and told, "If you cross them, they will come for you. They will find you. They will devour you. The pieces of you will never be found." Fateful words, since Kate is repeatedly attacked by a stranger dressed in black.
There's more drama in the book when a BCI agent named Neil Chambers insists Kate recuse herself from the investigation because her brother Jacob is a possible suspect. You can't keep a good police chief down though, and Kate keeps looking into Milan's death. All this leads to an exciting and heart-stopping climax, which readers familiar with the series know to expect.
On a more personal note, newlyweds Kate and Tomasetti enjoy a romantic evening with a charcuterie board, wine, and a lit candle.
I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers, especially Kate Burkholder fans.
Thanks to Netgalley, Linda Castillo, and Minotaur books for a copy of the manuscript.
Rating: 4 stars
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