Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of A Gathering of Secrets. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

A Gathering of Secrets is the latest offering by author Linda Castillo, in a series that features Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. When a mysterious death by fire occurs at the home of a member of the Amish community, will Kate be able to use her abilities to help? Will her status as a former Amish be a help or a hindrance?

I usually like the Kate Burkholder novels, but this one did not hold my interest all that well. The case was a little too predictable for my taste, as I figured out what was happening long before the conclusion. I am growing a little tired of the character, as there was really no new character development. A Gathering of Secrets was a quick read and I would recommend it to those who have read the other books in the series.

Saying it is better than her last book, “Down a Dark Road”, is not really saying much considering that I thought that was the weakest book of the series. What I can say, is “A Gather of Secrets”, was reminiscent of her very first book “Sworn to Silence”, and that is not because Kate Burkholder is comparing what happened to her as a child with what is happening to the girls in Painter’s Mill and surrounding areas, but there is a spark in this book that has been missing for the recent Kate Burkholder books. The spark that had drawn me to this series in the first place.

What began with the deliberate arson of a barn exposes the fact that the sainted Danny Gingerich might not have been so golden after all. He had secrets, those around him kept his secrets, and most importantly, the girls of the community had to bear their shame in silence since they did not want to be shunned by their community.

No one is willing to talk. The Amish keep to themselves and bear their pain in silence. This is not going to work for Police Chief Burkholder. She owes her community and she owes a healing to herself for the choice she had to make one dark day. Though the final choice was different for the two girls, if mothers were open, and had protected their daughters, they would not have had to endure having to make a choice and the emotional pain that follows.

As a reader, you are going to be angry at certain parts of this book. You are going to stop and wonder if you would have handled things differently and most importantly, can you find the arsonist guilty for doing what a community should have been responsible for.

This engrossing novel is part of a series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything due to not reading the other books. This book was well written and the plot moved at a great pace!

Hard hitting in your face action from the beginning gives this book a punch into the world of secrets and discoveries in a small community of the Amish . I was shocked at the opening pages and wondered where the story was heading. I must say it was realistic and opens the door to something that happens more often than we know.

I loved how the author weaved the characters together to a place were they connected in a way that unleashes terror in a small town. The fire that was mysterious started in a barn takes the life of Daniel Gingerich. He was respected in the community and seemed to be a good kid. As the story progresses, the dark hidden side of Daniel starts to emerge. I was so upset reading what this young man did , I wanted to scream and cry at the same time. I wonder how much of this is done that is never reported?

When the investigation continues into his death, people aren't so free with information. It has always surprised me that the Amish don't really like the police and would rather keep things within the community. Kate is having a hard time piecing together who killed Daniel. One thing is clear however; Daniel has led a double life and it seems to have caught up with him. I loved how strong Kate is and her unique way of getting information. She is sharp and very intuitive. There is a bit of strong language in the book, but don't let that stop you from reading a chilling, well written story that explodes with suspects and secrets that will shock a community to its core. Who killed Daniel Gingerich? The ending is powerful and I was very surprised at who the guilty person was.This is one of the author's best books written to date. Grab a copy and find out what secrets can get a person killed.

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.

As always, Castillo has a way of writing a story bearing a striking resemblance to my own.
The story contains a few strong topics, possibly designed to make the reader think.
Highly recommend to women's’ book clubs and, especially, Mother-Daughter book clubs.

Linda Castillo consistently delivers wonderful mysteries without becoming repetitive. The Amish community she presents is as multi dimensional as the characters of Katie and her crew. Always an enjoyable read.

I love this mystery series for its smart main characters, its peek into an unfamiliar way of life, and its complex plots. I look forward to each new title! This one did not disappoint, although I felt one clue--<spoiler>the birthmark</spoiler>--was too obvious, and I also pretty much figured out the solution to the mystery a fair bit before the ending. That's unusual for me in these mysteries, but I felt Castillo made it a little too obvious this time around. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and was engaged to the very end. Castillo has great skill at letting us discover both the goodness and evil that humans can embody. People are rarely as they seem at first glance, and these books really delve into that, and into the choices people make when desperate.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Castillo’s Amish mysteries and look forward to them every year. This newest is one of her best yet. Lots of surprise twists and turns keep the reader guessing. Will recommend to my customers who enjoy the books of CJ Box, lots in common.

This was another good volume in the Kate Burkholder series, mixing mystery, love, and Amish life. I felt like the book ended too soon, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It certainly has be waiting for the next book. I have come to love Kate and the recurring characters and want to know what happens next in their lives.

This was my fifth Kate Burkholder book and as usual, this one did not disappoint. I came onto this Amish country sheriff's scene a little late. Considering I started with book number 6. However, not reading the first 5 have not hindered my enjoyment of these stories in the least.

I always find it fascinating to hear about Amish life (it's just so different) and the way that Kate handles all the bad things that come through her little part of the world.

I do have to say, however, that I hope Kate and Tomassette (sp?) never get caught living together. I love them as a couple.

An excellent series that I have found to be very interesting and very good reading.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This is my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it! I didn’t realize at the time I requested it from NetGalley that it was part of a series, but that doesn’t affect the reading experience at all.

Kate gets called out to investigate a fire in which a teenage boy died. The circumstances of the fire lead the coroner to rule it a homicide, a difficult case to solve as arson often leaves little to no evidence. Even more difficult is the fact that this has happened in an Amish community. Kate grew up in the Amish community but left, giving her some advantage and knowledge that another investigator might not have.

As she begins to question those who knew the victim, she uncovers a series of crimes that went unreported, leaving her with all too many suspects in the murder. Even worse is the fact that too often the Amish community protects its own, staying quiet about information they have.

The climax of the story was beautifully done. There is a bit of a trick ending, a piece of the puzzle that doesn’t quite fit until the very end of the novel. The novel overall is a bit sad and has some difficult themes to read about, and I was often left feeling incredibly sorry for so many of the characters. I love books that make you empathize with “bad” characters, and this one did that.

If you’re interested in crime novels, definitely pick this one up!

I had never read Linda Castillo’s mysteries featuring Kate Burkholder before reading A Gathering of Secrets. It reminded me of why I like mysteries. Kate grew up in an Amish family, and now is the chief of police in an Amish community. She no longer practices but has an understanding of the community and its values. In that context, she is called upon to investigate the death of a seemingly well loved young man. I won’t say more because it would spoil how the mystery unfolds step by step. But I will say that there is so much I appreciated about this mystery. I loved the setting and the view into an unfamiliar community. I loved how Castillo did not make the community or its members unidimensional. I liked that Kate’s backstory is part of the story without being its dominant feature. And the mystery itself was good, with the Amish community’s reticence posing special challenges and some interesting moral questions thrown in at the end.

Normally I prefer to start a series from the beginning, I got a chance to read an advance copy of this one and I’m glad I did. Time permitting, I would definitely go back and read from the beginning. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

A GATHERING OF SECRETS: A Kate Burkholder Novel
Linda Castillo
Minotaur Books
ISBN 978-1-250-12131-8
Hardcover
Thriller

Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series has been terrific since its quiet beginning a decade or so ago. It is only recently, however, that it has received the commercial attention which it has long deserved. The series is set in semi-fictitious town of Painters Mill within very real Holmes County, Ohio (about an hour away from where this reviewer lives) and features Burkholder, who was raised as Amish in the community but who is now the town’s police chief. Castillo has slowly but steadily developed and evolved the main and supporting characters in each installment in the series, paying equal attention to their respective pasts while utilizing genuine and perplexing mysteries to to anchor each book. That brings us to A GATHERING OF SECRETS, the newly published Burkholder book which is the best of the bunch to date.

Please note that A GATHERING OF SECRETS doesn’t waste any time getting the reader’s attention. The Prologue introduces an instantly likeable young woman on the first page and a sense of foreboding which turns into unease and then frank, unadulterated terror, all within four pages. The introductory first chapter, which occurs six months later, gives and then takes away an eighteen year old Amish man named Daniel Gingerich, who is murdered in one of the most ways one can perish. His violent death within the Amish community would be perplexing in any event, but what is puzzling is that Burkholder’s initial investigation indicates that Gingerich, a hard-working and good looking young man, was well-liked by everyone and didn’t have an enemy. It is obvious from the manner of his passing, however, that someone didn’t like him. Burkholder, with some assistance from her department and John Tomasetti, an agent for the Ohio Department of Criminal Investigation (and Burkholder’s semi-downlow love interest), slowly follow the evidence. It’s a rocky path, given the reticence of the Amish community to discuss matters with those outside of it. Burkholder, using her unique status of being from the community but not of it, knows how to delicately navigate her way around custom and culture, and does so with aplomb, applying gentleness and firmness when and where each is called for. Yet even she is shocked by what she discovers. Gingerich apparently had some dark secrets of his own which has cast a pall upon particular segments of the community and has resulted in a ripple effect. Burkholder herself is caught in the effects of Gingerich’s prior actions and his murder when she is the target of life-threatening attacks. While those seem to provide Burkholder with evidence to close the case, however, there are other factors which lead Burkholder to believe that there is even more to Gingerich’s untimely death than there appears to be. This leaves Burkholder with a dilemma, one which has the potential to be affected by a violent incident in her own past which continues to haunt her, and which has been a quiet but nonetheless present part of the ongoing storyline of the series. The ultimate result is not predictable, but is certainly realistic.

Those heretofore unfamiliar with the Burkholder series should jump on now. Castillo, who cannot write badly, continues to improve and sharpen her vision with each book, casting her sympathetic and believable protagonist in a variation of the fish-out-of-water setting which is both familiar and unique. Come for the mystery and stay for the backdrop. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2018, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

A young Amish man, Daniel Gingerich, on Rumspringa is brutally murdered. His family are pillars of their small community, well liked and admired, so would want to kill Daniel in such a horrific manner? Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police of Painted Mills in Ohio, is stumped for a motive and sickened by the violence of the crime.

When Chief Burkholder starts peeling back the layers of Daniel's life, it appears he may be more than he seems. His best friend no longer talks to him and several girls are afraid to be around him. Is he connected into the suicide of a young, pregnant Amish girl six months ago? How well does he know the three young girls at the new Amish store? Did he live two lives?

The crime is quite personal to Kate and takes her back to her past as a young Amish girl. It becomes harder to be objective and then it becomes personal. Someone starts taking shots at Kate and she gets into some quite difficult situations. The ending is a stunner.

I love this series. Kate is a former Amish and speaks the Dutch language which really helps the investigations she undertakes in Painter's Mill. I am fascinated by Amish culture and the degrees of strictness between varying sects. I was surprised to read that some Amish are allowed to drive trucks and use milking machines and some still use horse and buggy. It's a fascinating look at a culture that resolutely holds on to its beliefs even in this day and age.

The story moves along at a rapid rate and I had a hard time putting it down. It can absolutely be read as a stand alone. I highly recommend this book and series

A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo is the 10th book in the Kate Burkholder mystery series, and another great book. I love this series, and this book is no exception. Kate was raised Amish, but she left the community and now she is the Chief of Police in Ohio. Kate covers both the Amish and Englischers area. When a Amish man is found burned to death in a barn, Kate, her officers, and boyfriend, Tomasetti, investigate. This is one of my favorite series, and I strongly recommend this book. To understand Kate more, I also recommend you read the books in order, you will not be disappointed.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First book I’ve read in this series....I had no problem not reading the others. I will go back and read the others at some point.

This book held me captive for the past 24 hours. Ms. Castillo’s writing is graphic, she explains things thoroughly...from suicide, to fire, to the steps taken to solve the crime of a murdered Amish teen. The Amish community is described in detail. Your heart will break for all involved..and anger you as well. Her characters are very realistic, they come to life on these pages. You can so feel the conflicting emotions, whether it’s a parents love for their child, a life long friendship, a cop trying to solve the case and not liking where it was going.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

This is a series that I have read from the beginning. Each book layers upon the last but each book is also able to be read standalone. I suggest reading the series in order to understand the progression of the characters and their relationships to one another.

In this book, Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is investigating the death of a young Amish man in a barn fire. As clues start to add in, it becomes a murder investigation.

As she investigates this crime, Kate finds out more about the dead young man and not all of it is good. As Kate digs deeper, other crimes call out and bring back memories from her own life with Amish.

There are moments in the book that are hard-hitting and, the scenes involving fire are a little more than that.

As I’ve found with all the books in this series, Ms. Castillo has written a story with a plot that grabs me and doesn’t let me go until the last word is read. I look forward to more in the future with one of my favorite mystery series.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Chris Wolak’s introduction to her review of Sworn to Silence, the first in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series, perfectly captures Castillo’s appeal.

The story is set in the small fictional town of Painters Mill, Ohio, in the heart of Amish country. Although Castillo herself grew up in a small Ohio town, she didn’t know much about the Amish. Her initial interest has grown into annual research visits. She writes in her Introduction about how important it is to her to “depict the Amish culture correctly, without bias, and without stereotype.” Castillo’s straightforward use of details regarding Amish life set against the horrific crimes of a serial killer is startling.

Painters Mill, Ohio, where Kate Burkholder is chief of police, has somewhat of a Cabot’s Cove feel, with more than its share of unfortunate happenings. To an Englischer, crime in the Amish community seems unthinkable, the 1985 movie Witness notwithstanding. Also, the turmoil in Witness comes to the Amish from the outside world. But Linda Castillo knows that no community is immune from strife and struggles, as her opening epitaph to A Gathering of Secrets makes clear.

There is some soul of goodness in things evil,

Would men observingly distil it out.

—Shakespeare, HENRY V

The quiet starkness of Castillo’s descriptions is chilling. Why would a young girl be alone in a barn, fingering a coil of rope while her family is at church? She told her Mamm that “she’d been sick and throwing up half the night.” But that wasn’t true.

She didn’t let herself think about her family or what this would do to them as she uncoiled the rope. They wouldn’t understand, and that would hurt them. But there was no recourse. God had spoken to her, and she had listened. This was the only way she could keep her secret.

She ties the rope carefully around a rafter and then “slipped the loop over her head, careful not to skew her kapp.” It’s such a poignant notion, concern over her appearance in the face of anguish. Her last thoughts are of her family, her belief in the Lord, and the reason for her decision.

She didn’t think about what came next, but prayed it would be over quickly enough. Once it was done, she would be free.

“I forgive you,” she whispered.

Closing her eyes, she stepped forward and fell into space.

Six months later, Danny Gingerich, a young Amish man who’s reveling being on Rumspringa, sneaks out of his house late at night to meet a girl in the tack room of his family’s barn.

“Rumspringa” is the Deitsh word for “running around.” It’s the time in a young Amish person’s life when they have the opportunity to experience the world without all those Amish rules, usually right before they become baptized and join the church.

A lit candle, horse blankets, a bottle of wine, and two plastic glasses are arrayed in the tack room while “the smells of freshly oiled leather and kerosene and the lingering redolence of her perfume filled the air.” Everything in place except the girl. Danny sits down to wait but “then the door slammed hard enough to jangle the halters hanging on the wall,” trapping him. He smells smoke.

Fire burst into the room, a rabid, roaring beast that came down on top of him, tore into him with white-hot teeth. Smoke seared his face and neck and chest. The full force of his predicament slammed into him.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder hopes against hope that the burnt body discovered in the ashes of the Gingerich family’s barn is not their missing son Danny, but it’s him. Painstakingly, she reconstructs Danny’s life and relationships. It’s quite difficult because Danny is described as a paragon of virtues, beloved by his community and the Englisch alike. However, Kate grew up Amish and senses how much is being concealed from her. Her colleague Mona tells Kate that Emma Miller, the young girl that committed suicide six months ago, was pregnant—could there be a connection?

“Well, hell.” Even as I feel that jump of cop’s excitement, another part of me is saddened by the thought of a seventeen-year-old Amish girl believing death was a better alternative than life.

The dichotomy between painstaking police work and the mores of the Amish community gives A Gathering of Secrets great depth. The harder Kate works to gather and understand secrets, the opaquer the response from the Amish community. The #MeToo movement, with its overarching tenet to “Believe Women,” forms a backdrop to Kate’s inquiries, particularly when Mrs. Miller, reluctantly admitting that Emma was raped, whispers, “I told her God doesn’t let things like that happen to good girls.” Kate’s own painful past makes this mindset among the Amish almost unbearable. She thinks, “It’s one of the reasons I have a love-hate relationship with the community to which I was born.”

Circling back to Wolak’s thoughts, “the great thing about coming to a series that’s in full-swing—you don’t have to wait a whole year for the next book!” Undoubtedly, fans of Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series are immersed in a massive reread before A Gathering of Secrets (10th in the series) is released.

Wow! This book grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go. Full of twists and turns, just when you think you have it figured out, the author throws you another curve ball. This may be the tenth book in the series, but the story-line is fresh and original. These characters are compelling. Kate is a flawed and intriguing character who stays with you well past the last page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️dazzling stars

What a fantastic addition to one of my favorite series!

Set in Ohio Amish Country, Kate Burkholder is the Chief of police of bucolic, Painters Mill. Born into a traditional Amish lifestyle, she moved away long ago to live an English life for “personal reasons.”

Kate has just responded to a barn fire on the property of an Amish family. But with the last ember extinguished, the trouble is just beginning. A body is discovered locked in the tack room.

Identified as 18 year-old Danny Gingrich, his whole life should have been ahead of him. A young man everyone loved and couldn’t say enough good things about. But as Kate digs deeper to determine why Danny was locked in the barn, secrets begin bubbling to the surface. Disturbing secrets that there may have been a very different side to Danny, cleverly hidden from most everyone.

This case is about to open up old wounds for Kate that she may not be ready to deal with.

Linda Castillo always manages to create the perfect balance between a suspenseful mystery and Kate’s personal life. One of the added bonuses for me about as well, is that with each book I learn just a bit more about the Amish culture. Fascinating.

I can’t recommend this series enough! This book stands firmly on its own, but I would highly recommend starting at the beginning! Now I’m left waiting for Linda Castillo to release the next in the series. Linda...please hurry!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Linda Castillo for my advanced copy to read and review.