This series is one example of a longer series that can continue to find fresh ways to tell stories, even within the confines of a small and somewhat isolated community. Outsider gives a small look into what Kate's days as a younger cop were like, through the appearance in her life of an old, estranged friend. There are plenty of tense moments, and to some extent we see Kate living the Amish life more than ever before, and having to explain it more than usual. This book was unexpectedly timely with its topics of dirty police and no-knock warrants, as well, so warning if you are reading for escape.

Outsider is book twelve in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series. Though this novel is part of a well-established series it reads well as a standalone.

Kate Burkholder is the Police Chief of Painters Mill, Ohio, where a third of the community is Amish. Kate was raised Plain, Amish, but left the community at age eighteen, because she didn’t agree with all of the rules and traditions. She was offered the position of Police Chief partly because of her ties to the Amish.

Kate is called to the home of childhood friend, Adam Lengacher. He and his children rescued a woman who was unconscious and freezing in a winter storm. Kate arrives and is shocked to find her former best friend and fellow police officer, Gina Colorosa. Gina has always been one to fly by the seat of her pants, but this time she may have gone too far and is now wanted by police, herself. Kate wants to believe Gina’s claims of innocence, but she’s reluctant to accept that there is such corruption in a police department she worked for.

Outsider is a successful addition to the Kate Burkholder series. The plot is compelling with just the right amount of action. Characterization is a strong element of this novel. The characters are vibrant and believable. This is a truly enjoyable book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all readers who enjoy a good mystery.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

The book is set in Amish country and tells the story of crooked police in the city. A police officer from the vice squad escapes with a warrant out for her arrest. She winds up in Amish country, the homebase of her former best friend and partner who is now chief of police in a small town. The story unfolds against the backdrop of a snow storm as other members of the vice squad try to find her and try to keep her silent. The worlds contrast and past decisions come back to haunt. All along you try to figure out if the cop is good or crooked down to a final battle scene. The story felt a bit slow to me and I was hoping for some unexpected twists but the story fell a little flat. I now understand that there are many books to this series so if I had followed it along, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

Outsider is the twelfth Kate Burkholder Amish-set mystery. Linda Castillo published Sworn to Silence in 2009: since then the series has gone from strength to strength. Readers who are curious about Kate’s early police career will relish Outsider.

A wicked snowstorm in Painters Mill, Ohio doesn’t deter Amish widower Adam Lengacher from taking his rambunctious children for a sleigh ride. It’s been two years since his wife Leah died in childbirth but Samuel, 8, Lizzie, “barely seven,” and Annie, 5, keep Adam busy.

“Samuel, help your sisters into the shlay,” Adam said.



As the children boarded, Adam looked around, assessing the weather. It snowed most of the night, and it was still falling at a good clip.

The inclement weather is the third rail of Outsider. Adam knows a blizzard is on its way, but he feels the weight on his shoulders lift when he’s outside with his laughing children: “The trees and branches sparkled white.” When the temperature drops, Adam makes a detour to the county road. They spot “the hump of a vehicle in the ditch,” and Sammy thinks it’s an Englischer car. It’s a mess, cracked windshield, deployed airbag, and disturbingly, blood: “Too much, a little voice whispered.” Adam sees six bullet holes in the rear window—what’s going on? He finds a woman half-frozen in the snow. She’s so rude, saying, “Get the fuck away from me.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Raising his hands, he sat back on his haunches. “I’m going to help you.”



“Back off.” She raised her left hand as if to fend him off. “I mean it.”



“You were in an accident,” he told her. “You’re bleeding. You need a doctor.”



“No doctor.”

She pulls a gun on Adam before she collapses: “I’m spent.” Adam tries one last time to help.

“Get Kate Burkholder,” she ground out. “I’m a cop. Get her.”



Adam knew the name. He’d known Katie Burkholder most of his life. How did this stranger know her? This was not the time to question her. She was injured and weak.

We’ve seen this scenario before, albeit with more clement weather but Outsider is no Witness. All the injured woman has in common with Harrison Ford’s John Book is that she’s “a big city cop who knows too much.” Dispatch tells Kate that Adam Lengacher has an injured woman in his house who’s asking for her. Kate and Adam were childhood friends.

Those carefree days didn’t last and we lost touch as we entered our teen years. Adam married and started a family. I fell out of favor with my Amish brethren and eventually left the fold, trading Painters Mill for the big-city lights of Columbus.

If Adam wasn’t Amish, Kate would question why he brought an injured, gun-toting woman into his home. But Amish folk “don’t leave anyone, including an outsider, to the elements, especially if they’re hurt.” It’s been ten years, but Kate recognizes Gina Colorosa right away. Gina got her into law enforcement.

Her voice is rougher than I remember. Weak despite the echo of the old attitude I used to admire back when I was too young, too naïve, to know better. I don’t know what to say to her. Or how to feel. I can’t stop looking at her. I can’t believe she’s here in Painters Mill. That we didn’t part on good terms adds an uncomfortable dimension to all of it.

What’s Gina doing in Painters Mill and what is she keeping from Kate? Gina has been on the Columbus vice unit for years: “a lot of young cops clamored to be part of it, especially the adrenaline junkies.” Then she became disillusioned.

Knowing there’s more to all of this than she’s telling me, I rise and stalk to the window, look out at the whiteout conditions beyond. “You looked the other way.”



“Pretty much. I made some bad choices.”



“Bad choices? What is that, Gina? Secret code for your letting a bunch of dirty cops continue being dirty cops?”

No wonder Gina refused medical help: her fellow-cops are after her. Kate finds an Amish pseudo-vet to patch her up but she’s too weak to leave. The blizzard maroons Kate so the two cops are stuck. Kate is worried Gina may endanger Adam and his family. There’s a warrant out on her: is Kate harboring a fugitive?

Gina wants immunity before she’ll spill the goods on the criminals hiding behind a blue shield but state agent John Tomasetti, Kate’s significant other, is skeptical, as is Kate. Underpinning Kate’s doubts are the memories of why she left Columbus. The girls had made plans to spend a long weekend by the shores of Lake Erie. Kate got off work early: she tracked down her friend in a garage and found her surrounded by other cops (plus beat-up perps). Everything felt off: “when I looked at Gina, her eyes skittered away from mine.” An older cop tells Kate to take off.

“See you around.” Taking a final look at Gina, I turned and started for the door.



We never made it to the lake that weekend. When my shift ended, I went home, packed my things, and moved out. It was one of the most painful things I’d ever had to do, but I realized she wasn’t going to change.

Is Gina playing Kate and John? “How long has the vice unit been on the take?” The more Kate learns, the more she realizes the tainted cops won’t stop until they find Gina. In the words of Toby Keith, “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then, I wish I could start this whole thing over again,” but Kate can’t forget that Gina crossed the line. The theme of police corruption could scarcely be more topical. It’s complicated but it explains why Kate fled Columbus in favor of policing in a small rural community.

Police work coexists with Amish mores and a working farm in a believable way. When John Tomasetti brings pizza and Pepsi to the snowed-in group, the delight of the children is palpable.

The words and actions of Adam are my takeaway from Outsider: Gina apologizes for her intrusion into his life.

“You saved my life. You opened your home to me.”



“You were lost and cold and hurt,” he tells her.



“The circumstances were questionable,” she admits, “and yet you stepped in anyway. Thank you.”



“The only time to look down on your neighbor is when you’re bending over to help them.”

Words to live by. Fans of police chief Kate Burkholder will have a deeper understanding of her past and her journey back to the countryside of her youth after reading Outsider. Neither the Amish nor the Englisch are immune to sorrow and pain but there’s a peace and righteousness to the Amish community that softens the harshness of modernity.

I went into this book never having read any of the other books in the Kate Burkholder series but it was still great as a stand alone. It also made me want to go back and read more! There was so much interesting back story with regards to Kate and her former life in the Amish community and how she got to where she is today. I loved the bit of girl power in this book, no need for a man to save the day. The story grips you from the very start and remains fast past and exciting throughout until it's conclusion. Highly recommend!

Kate Burkholder left the Amish way of life many years ago and is now the Chief of Police in her hometown of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. Katie’s childhood friend, Adam Lengacher, is a widower with three young children. Adam discovers a woman half frozen and wounded on the side of the road during a snowstorm who asks him to contact Kate. When Kate arrives at Adam’s farm, she is shocked to see the woman he has rescued is her old friend from their police academy days, Gina Colorosa. Gina is being accused of committing serious crimes but she claims her old unit in Columbus is crooked. Kate wants to help her old friend, but can tell she’s holding something back. Will she be able to figure out what’s really going on before innocent lives are placed in danger.

This book is part of an ongoing series. I’ve only read a couple of the prior books and short stories and I had no problems enjoying the book. Readers who are new to the author should be aware that this series is full of gritty mysteries and is not the sweet, gentle stories common in a lot of Amish fiction. “Outsider” lets you know up front who most of the villains are and is more of a thriller as Kate, Gina, and others are in danger. The atmosphere becomes tense as Kate learns more and more about what her former friend has been involved in during the last few years. I like Kate and enjoyed learning more about her background through the flashbacks included throughout the book. She doesn't have a lot of scenes with state agent John Tomasetti, but from what we see of the two, they make a great couple. The information about Amish customs is interesting and from what I know about that culture, the look at Amish life seems to be realistic and not overly romanticized.

Even though Gina is in danger throughout the book, I just couldn’t warm to her character. She constantly lies putting everyone around her, including young children, in danger. I understand she was in hiding, but I couldn't get behind that part of the plot that had her hiding in Adam’s home when it put his children at risk. The book starts somewhat slow, but things quickly pick up and the final confrontation is very dramatic and full of twists and turns. The plot wasn’t my favorite, but Castillo is a skilled author and great at creating interesting characters. I will definitely seek out other books in this series.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Minotaur Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Burkholder Series is up to book twelve with Outsider by Linda Castillo. I haven’t read all of the series but it is one I have not tired of which often happens when there are many books in a series. This one stays fresh and always gives more insight into the complex main character, Kate. The police chief is reunited with a former police academy classmate, Gina. All is not well.

The danger follows Gina to the Ohio Amish countryside. The writing is beautiful while the thrill of stopping danger is exciting. Such a contrast between the ones who follow Gina and those on Adam Lengacher's farm. As always the truth is hard to swallow where corruption can be found wherever you find people. One of the best of the series.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always look forward to the next installment in the Kate Burkholder series. The twelfth book reveals more about Kate's own past when an old friend from her first years away from Painters Mill suddenly shows up - needing help. It's a fast-paced read and nice to see more development in Kate's own history and character.

With brief chapters, this is a fast-paced read that made me gasp and laugh out loud while reading, much to my family's amusement. I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish! I really liked the stories of Kate's early days of freedom and while this would also work as a standalone, I think that it made me a bit nostalgic to re-read some of the earlier books in the series sometime soon! The newly introduced characters here - particularly the children- really shine. The plot may been less of a driving force here than it is in some of the other books, but this still makes for a gripping read. And, as always, upon finishing it, I am just all the more eager to see what the next book in the series will bring!

I feel like all you really need to know about Outsider by Linda Castillo is that I found my leg helplessly jiggling with 40 pages to go. A novel of suspense, indeed!

A woman goes on the run in the first scene and from there I was pretty well hooked. Gina (said woman) is a cop, but she's managed to get herself in some...trouble. She used to be friends with Kate Burkholder, the small town Chief of Police this series in built around. (Outsider is book 12 in the series, but my first -- I didn't feel like I lost anything by not having read the previous 11.) Anyways, Gina's on the run from fellow officers, there's a white-out blizzard, and Kate isn't sure who to trust. I know, that doesn't sound suspenseful at all, because I'm not a writer. But Castillo is!

This is the sort of book you can read in half of in one sitting, look up, and wonder when the sun went down. Maybe like a less dramatic No Exit? Suspense, mounds of snow, and a fun ride even if you manage to figure out how things might play out.

Outsider by Linda Castillo, 320 pages

On the run from the crooked cops she works with (and who framed her for murder, among other things), Gina Colorosa can think of only one person to turn to: her former roommate Kate Burkholder, who is chief of police in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Ohio. Unfortunately, before she reaches Kate, Gina gets caught in a snowstorm and ends up rescued by an Amish widower and his children, who are out on a sleigh ride. Thankfully, he knows Kate and pretty soon these two outsider women are snowbound with the Amish, attempting to sort out Gina's escape to safety before she's caught.

This wasn't a great book by any means, though it's also the twelfth in the Kate Burkholder series, so perhaps I would have appreciated it more if I'd read those first. But reading about a snowstorm as I'm sweating my way through July? That was a nice way to cool off. So there's that.

Another rewarding novel from Ms. Castillo.

Even-paced narrative and well-plotted.

Highly recommended for all Castillo fans and to those who enjoy Amish mysteries.

This was a great read for the holiday weekend. The story begins with the execution of a no-knock warrant served on a woman who was expecting it. My heart began pounding as I read of her frenzied escape. After that exciting prologue, the story lags for a bit. It then took me a little while to get back into the story, but once I did, I was hooked as the tension and suspense intensified. I was drawn into the story of police corruption, the innocence of believers, and redemption. I did not want to put it down. A brilliantly written thriller!

I enjoy the glimpses into the life of the Amish this series provides. The female protagonist Sheriff Kate Burkholder grew up within the Amish community, left it, and has returned as the small-town chief of police for the area she grew up in. Gina Colorosa, the woman fleeing from the police, is a fellow police officer that Burkholder went through the police academy with and was once best friends with. But now Gina has serious secrets that could get her and Kate killed.

Castillo always presents characters that the reader comes to genuinely care about. In this, the 12th, book in the series, we are introduced to Amish farmer Adam, a widower, with three small children. This family reflected the teachings of the Amish with their innocence and compassion for their fellow humankind. My heart ached for them when their act of kindness inadvertently puts them in danger. There is a smattering of romance as Kate’s relationship with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Officer John Tomasetti deepens.

While this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Outsider by Linda Castillo is the 12th book in the Kate Burkholder mystery series, and another great novel. 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 Painter’s Mill, Ohio. Kate covers both the Amish and Englischers area. In this exciting story Kate is called to investigate an unconscious women in the middle of a blizzard. An Amish man, Adam, finds her in the snow and offers to help. The women turns out to be Kate's former best friend and fellow officer, Gina, and she has been shot. Due to the blizzard Kate and Gina are staying at Adam's home until Gina is healthier, and Kate can get her vehicle out. Kate and boyfriend, Tomasetti, investigate, because Gina has a warrant out for her arrest, and shes is speaking out about corruption of the police force in Columbus. There are so many twists and turns in this book, like always. This is one of my favorite mystery 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 anxiously await Kate's next case.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you enjoy a good detective story involving corrupt cops, coverups, and investigations, this is your book! I really enjoyed the writing style and found this to be a quick read that was easy to follow. What I loved about it was that the story felt original because the setting was in the home of an Amish family.⁣⁣
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Midway through the book this was a 4.5⭐️ rating for me, but the ending felt a little flat and had almost no twist or surprise.

I have been a huge fan of Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series since Sworn to Silence was published in 2009. I look forward to the next book every year. Outsider takes place during a terrible blizzard and during a time frame of just a matter of hours. Gina Colorosa is a fellow cop and a friend from Kate's past. She is involved in a case of police corruption and needs Kate's help after she is shot. They both end up at an Amish farm sheltering from the storm and hiding from corrupt cops. The tension starts building from the first sentence and doesn't let up until the adrenalin fueled conclusion.
Linda Castillo shines a light on the simplicity and love in an Amish home without the over sentimentality that some authors are prone to do.
Because of the time frame and the isolation we don't get to spend much time with the other members of Kate's team....and I missed them, Even Thomasetti didn't get much page time, but he continues to be Kate's anchor and is working behind the scenes to lend a hand.
This series continues to be one of the best mystery/crime series written today. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gina Colorsa was Kate Burkholder's dear friend in Columbus years ago but they parted ways and now Gina is on the run and she's landed smack in the middle of Kate's community. At the home of Adam, an Amish widower with three small children to be exact. AND, her colleagues on the vice squad back in Columbus are after her. This is a bit different from the usual in the series- making it a perfect standalone. Kate was Amish until she wasn't but now she's the police chief in Painter's Mill and she's in a committed relationship with Tomasetti, another law enforcement officer. While the issues involving Gina and corruption in Columbus form the basis for this latest installment, its charm lies in the depiction of life on the Lengacher farm. There's a baby cow, there's propane light and canned vegetables, there's a horrible snow storm, there's horses and a sleigh, there's a harrowing scene when the family goes ice skating. AND there's Sammy, a 7 year old dynamo. Kate's got to figure out what to do with Gina, how to keep the family safe, and what's really going on. Castillo does an excellent job of building the tension- and the ending is quite something. I'm a huge fan of Castill0 - I look forward to her every year- and thus greatly thank the publisher for the ARC. Two thumbs up and highly recommend for a fast paced read with a good heart.

Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series is one of my favorite treats to myself. Her books are always filled with enough detail and background to keep you engrossed in the back stories while you try and work through the puzzles with Kate as she tries to keep her town and it's citizens safe. The differences between the Amish and the rest of the town test her peace keeping skills while the mysteries are definitely original.
Outsider is a term for the non-Amish that we've heard used before. In this case, Kate's past brings trouble straight to her door. A woman with whom Kate shares many great memories, now finds herself hunted by her fellow police officers. Kate must hide her friend while investigating her claims. Complicated by the involvement of an Amish widower and a snowstorm, the 12th book in this series is just as good as advertised. You can read as a stand alone, but the first books are well worth your reading time, too.

The newest volume of the Kate Burkholder series may remind readers of Harrison Ford's movie WITNESS, but there are unique aspects to the story. Kate and a close cop friend from her past are confined to an Amish farm because of a blizzard and because the cop friend is being pursued by corrupt cops. The Amish farmer is a widower with three children who is trying to be a good neighbor while keeping his family safe. During the story, Kate thinks back to her early years after leaving her Amish home and becoming a cop. This information is welcome and provides interesting background on Kate. I enjoyed reading about daily life on an Amish farm interspersed with action scenes and dramatic events. Excellent story, terrific writing, fast-moving action, and strong, vivid characters make this a riveting read. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing an ARC so that I could read this book early, but I love the story so much that I will purchase my own print copy on publication day.

Linda Castillo is definitely one of my go-to authors. She did not disappoint me with this thriller! I feel like I know Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti. From the beginning of the book, I just didn't feel right about Gina and what she was up to. This is a book that will keep you reading well past bedtime. I will be recommending this book and look forward to Castillo's next installment!

Rating 4.5
Thank you to Macmillan & Net Galley for providing an ARC
I didn’t know Outsider was part of an established series. This is the 12th book in the Kate Burkholder series. The story takes off with a bang. I’m immersed in this thriller immediately and at no point did I feel lost.
The main character Kate Burkholder is Sheriff in a small town in Ohio with a large Amish community. During a snowstorm Gina, an old friend & fellow cop from the Columbus P.D. shows up in town seeking Kate's help.
Kate hadn’t had any contact with Gina in years & the friendship did not end on good terms. As the mystery unfolds Kate is wondering how much of Gina’s story is true.
This story takes place over a handful of days. We experience some of the Amish lifestyle. We see Kate as a very vivid character and are treated to a good thriller.
Yes, I would recommend this book. I’m looking forward to reading the previous Kate Burkholder thrillers.