The Hidden One - Linda Castillo

 The Hidden One - Linda Castillo

She read

Publication Date: July 5, 2022

I only recently discovered the Kate Burkholder series.  Although this is the fourteenth, it is only the second one I have read.  

Kate, who grew up Amish, left the church, and is now the police chief in the small Ohio town of Painters Mill.  Three Bishops from an Amish community in Pennsylvania visit her to request her assistance in the case of recently discovered remains of a long ago murdered Bishop.  She agrees to travel to PA to investigate as the person who has been charged with the crime is the man who was her childhood friend and first love. 

With a solid plot, this is an engrossing, fast read. Where else can you find a mystery, a thriller, and insight into the Amish culture?

I like the main character.  She is smart, persistent, has a strong sense of justice, but does seem to find herself in dangerous predicaments. Set in a location outside of Painters Mill, I did miss the usual characters who surround her at home.    

Seeing someone who once played a big role in her life was emotional for Kate, but also gave her a sense of resolution and growth. I liked the ending; especially Kate’s bittersweet recollections about the passage of time and the fragility of life.  

This could easily be read as a standalone. If I ever find the time, I want to go back and read numbers one through twelve!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur for the DRC

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