This maybe #13 but it is just as good as #1. Linda Castillo never disappoints with stories of Chief Burkholder and the Amish!! The characters and storyline are captivating.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series of books and I do recommend starting from the beginning to know more of the past storylines. That being said this book was still good as a stand-alone. I would recommend.

Wow! I was caught off guard by this book. I saw the Amish character on the cover and assumed I was getting a sweet Amish story. It's a good story but it's not sweet! The first couple of chapters were pretty graphic in the description of a murder. That alone shocked me into listening more closely. I was not aware that this is a book in a series. In fact, it's 13th in a series but that didn't bother me at all. I was not a fan of the nararator but the style of reading may not bother you at all. If you enjoy police type mysteries, give this one a try!

This was the first in the series that I have read or listened to. I was able to comfortably “drop in” without being confused, but enjoyed it so much I will likely go start from book 1.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this arc. I love Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series. Fallen is the thirteenth book in this series and each one is better then the last. The narrator for these books is Kathleen McInerny and she is awesome. Although Fallen and the other books in this series can be read as a standalone, I would recommend you read them all. If you like to read books about the Amish and like mysteries and thrillers you will love this book. Can’t wait for the next book.

I love this series and have read all of the books in it. Kate is such an interesting and complex character and each book gives a little more insight into who she is….she’s developed more confidence and grown emotionally. I also enjoy the growth and development of the side characters (yeah Mona!) and how they enhance the story.

As with all the previous books, this one is also a page turner and I was in suspense about the identity of the murderer until the reveal towards the end of the story. Unfortunately, I had a tough time believing their actions given their background. The savagery of the murder and attempted murder just didn’t seem to me to be something that someone like that would do….even with the motivation given (I’m trying not to give spoilers).

I enjoy the relationship development between Kate and John but I kinda feel like it’s being drawn out to much. Move to the next level please and give us a little more of John’s inner thoughts. At one point, John teases Kate by calling her Mrs. Tomasetti. That surprised me given that Kate hasn’t said yes yet and the violent death of the first Mrs. Tomasetti wouldn’t make it easy for him to use the “Mrs.” term so lightly. It’s a little point but it bothered me.

Even though Fallen wasn’t my favorite, I’m looking forward to the next installment.

I want to thank Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books for the chance to listen to Linda Castillo’s audiobook version of Fallen, narrated by Kathleen McInerney.

This is the 13th book in the Kate Burkholder series but can easily standalone. We return to Painters Mill with its strong Amish community, Chief of police Kate Burkholder along with her officers in the Painters Mill’s Police Department, and Kate’s love interest State Agent John Tomasetti.

If you have read any of the other Kate Burkholder books, you will know that they have scenes of brutality that can border on disturbing. This story is no different. Fallen starts with Rachael Schwartz, a young woman and rule breaker raised in the Amish community, being beaten to death.

Kathleen McInerney returns as the voice of Kate. She does an amazing job and once you listen to her narration, you cannot image anyone else but her being Kate Burkholder. Kathleen makes it easy to recognize each character and keeps the pace moving. At no time does the listener get confused or lost as to what is happening. Her accurate and fluent pronunciation of Pennsylvania Dutch/German adds rhythm and texture to the narration.

Linda Castillo’s writing style is perfect for a fast-paced thriller. The stakes are high, and the danger is real. The characters are well developed, and if the reader has read the previous books, they will see the growth and evolution of some of their favorite people including Kate. The murder victim, Rachael Schwartz, was not as well developed but this was to be expected. Multiple people describe her as a rule breaker and free spirit who could be ruthless. The reader doesn't know much more because her adult life was lived elsewhere.

Kate Burkholder's investigation reveals much of the past and Rachael’s current connections to Painters Mill but does not examine her adult life and interactions elsewhere. I expected that at some point Kate and John Tomasetti would travel to the big city to talk with out-of-town suspects and the police but that didn’t happen.

The plot is compelling and drives the story forward. The conclusion will be surprising for some readers and a confirmation of suspicions for others. Kate dives in headfirst, which is usual for her character.

I particularly enjoyed the audiobook bonus interview with Linda Castillo and Kathleen McInerney. I’d give this a full 5 stars, but because of some minor plot flaws I am giving this one 4 stars. Another great read by Linda Castillo!

This is my first book/audiobook by Linda Castillo and it won't be my last! I actually just placed a hold on the first book in the series since I enjoyed this one so much. I love books about the Amish and I'm always up for a good mystery so this was a wonderful mesh of the two!

Awesome narrator, I will be looking for more books by her.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this wonderful audiobook! All opinions are my own.

All of Linda Castillo's books are well written with tight plots and just enough twists to keep the reader engaged. Listening to the audiobook brings a new dimension to the story. The narrator is awesome! She keeps the pace of the story and strikes just the right tone. This library will definitely be purchasing this title.

A good mystery of a murder in a small Amish town. This is the first I have read of this series, but the audiobook was amazing! Kate the police chief and her crew are simply amazing. The author does a great job not only telling a suspense story, but also writing in a way you feel like you are right there too. The Amish community aspect was so well written and researched as well.

There are a few mystery series that I will only listen to on audio as opposed to reading the physical book, namely Louise Penny’s Three Pines series, Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway mysteries, and this one. Kathleen McInerney IS Kate Burkholder and listening to her reading of these books only enhances them. While the topics of each of the books in this series blend together for me, I’ve enjoyed every book in this series so far, and I will continue to read/listen to them as long as Linda Castillo continues to write them!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thrilling and fast paced Linda Castillo does not disappoint with her latest Kate Burkholder novel. With Kathleen McInerney as the voice of Kate you can not go wrong with the audio version of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

This book is part of the Kate Burkholder series, but is great as a stand alone book.

I listened to this book in the evening and found myself wanting to listen to extra chapters to find out what was going to happen next. The narrator was excellent and added to the story. The story was easy to follow and the characters were fully developed.

The plot was easy to folIow. Only criticism is the fact that it was rather easy to determine committed the murderer at least for me. The ending was exciting and I really enjoyed the book overall. I would recommend. I plan to read more books in the series.

Linda Castillo has got a new fan in me! This book grabbed ahold of me from the very beginning and held my attention through the very end. I learned after reading this that it’s part of a series. It stood out as a stand-alone book however I can’t wait now to start at the beginning of the series. The narrator does an amazing job of making each character stand out.
Kate Burkholder is Chief of Police and investigating the murder of a formerly Amish girl who she immediately recognizes as someone from her past. Kate, also formerly Amish, is determined to get to the bottom of this grisly killing. So many twists and turns and the ending is one that surprised even me (a huge fan of this genre, but rarely unable to predict an ending). Very well written, descriptive and thrilling. Highly recommend! #Fallen #netgalley

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

If you look this up on Goodreads you will see that it is book 13 in the Kate Burkholder series. Don't let that put you off, this still reads well as a stand alone novel.

I mostly listened to this and picked up the book here and there on an evening if I had finished the audio at the very end of a chapter. The narrator was good and the pace of the novel was perfect, it didn't skip over anything but also didn't get bogged down in tiny details.

I guessed the murderer early on just by chance, and I put thy "why" together before it was fully revealed too. This didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel because it still took a direction I wasn't expecting towards the end. What didn't work for me was I found certain things to be repetitive. For example, descriptions of Rachel's character, yes, she was wild, a troublemaker and quick to anger, all things that were very important to know about her, however, I didn't need to hear it from quite so many peope. Also Burkholder's vehicle, an Explorer, mentioned constantly.

This was an easy read/listen that I would recommend to fans of police procedurals and light suspense. I would be interested to start at the beginning of the series and work my way through.

TW (MILD SPOILER ALERT) -the description of Rachel's injuries was pretty gruesome, there is also an incident with sexual assault - it wasn't graphic but it was hard hitting especially as I didn't see it coming which just added to the shock.

Review Posted on Blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Kate Burkholder is back in “Fallen” by Linda Castillo.

Lucky for me, I got my hands on the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Kathleen McInerney, which allowed me to brush up on my Pennsylvania Dutch - which as Kaceey describes it, allows me to be multilingual, lol!). (For example, Good Morning: Guder Mariye; Good Afternoon: Guder Nammidaag; How are you today?: Wie bischt du heit?) :-)

In “Fallen” a former Amish woman returns to Painters Mill only to be violently murdered in a hotel room immediately upon her return. Upon investigating, Kate Burkholder immediately recognizes the body as a young girl who left the fold years prior, leaving Kate to wonder why someone would want to kill Rachael Schwartz.

A Mystery/suspense involving one of my favorite characters, that while enjoyable, had me guessing the culprit very early on. Though I love Kate Burkholder and this series, I found the amount of trouble Kate constantly finds herself in, a tad unbelievable for a veteran detective such as Kate. Though I found "Fallen" to be a bit over the top, I adore this series and the cast and anxiously await the next book in this series.

A buddy read/listen with Kaceey.

Thank you to NetGalley / Minotaur Books for the arc, and Macmillan Audio for the alc.

Published on Goodreads, Instagram, and Twitter.

When Rachel Schwartz left the Amish community at 17, no one was surprised. She was a wild child who managed to break all the rules with great gusto! But when her badly beaten corpse was discovered 13 years later in a shoddy Painter's Mill motel, the community was shocked. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder even more so. She had been Rachel's babysitter and admired the young girl's free spirit, seeing something of herself in the 10 year old child she watched.

This is certainly Kate's case to solve. Her staff and her lover Tomasetti are there for support, but it is Kate who is personally driven to find the woman's murderer. And there is a long list of suspects. Rachel lived on the edge in the "English" world. She had a steady boyfriend plus lovers at the same time. She lived way beyond her means as a partner in a semi-successful restaurant. And she wrote a tell-all book about the Amish community. As Kate peels back the layers of Rachel's life, she has a gut feeling that, although there are enough suspects in Rachel's present life who would have liked to see her gone, the truth may lie closer to Painter's Mill. Even in Kate's own family....

Castillo does her usual excellent job depicting Painter's Mill society and the sometimes uneasy existence between the Amish and their English neighbors. In flashbacks to Rachel as a teenager, Castillo contrasts Rachel with her quiet best friend who lives the Amish way with only a few temptations to stray because she likes rock music! (A personal favorite scene of mine is a scene at a farmer's market where she is being harassed by some teenagers and Rachel dumps a pitchfork of manure over the head of the obnoxious leader.)

Kate's journey to the solution is painful and deadly, but she gets there in the end. Still. it appears that Kate will be investigating some of these folks in future books. The wait will be worth it.

Kate Mclnerney does a fantastic job, as usual, as narrator and there is a bonus feature in the audio book where she and the author discuss the book and the characters.

Linda Castillo just keeps these amazing stories coming. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with Kate Burkholder and the rest of the Painter's Mill Police Department. If you haven't read the previous books in this series, you can still enjoy this one as the case/mystery is self-contained, but you would miss a lot of character development and excellent stories. Chief of Police Burkholder grew up as a member of the Painter's Mill Amish Community. She left the faith and went to college and eventually became a police officer in a big city in Ohio. She returned home when the chief of police job opened up. For a small community, there sure is a lot of crime. In this story, a young woman was murdered and it turns out it was someone Kate grew up with. A woman who also left the Amish Community when she was a teenager. As Kate delves into this crime and the motive for it, she discovers things that had occurred years ago and never been brought to light. Can Kate find the murderer and if it is the person she suspects, can she bring him in?

This was another wonderful addition to this series. Kate is still putting herself in danger as she will do just about anything for justice. She wants to give closure to family and friends and make sure that the wrongs are dealt with. As with all the books in this series, they start off with a bang and don't let up much. There are twists, revelations and many clues and red herrings along the way. I will say that this book was a bit darker than the others in this series, so be prepared for that. I love the characters in this series, they are like old friends. The personal storyline continues with Kate still putting off John Tomasetti's proposal of marriage. They are living together and he isn't ready to give up, so we shall see if they get married in the next book. Once again Kathleen McInerney, does a wonderful job with the narration of this book. She reads at a nice pace and has a pleasant, easy to understand, voice. I have come to identify Kate's voice easily. I definitely recommend this book and series to those who enjoy a suspenseful Police Procedural.

I have been a fan of the Kate Burkholder series since book 1 published in 2009. I read each book eagerly as it comes out. Fallen is the 13th book...and I enjoyed it just as much as the first!

The basics: A young formerly Amish girl is found beaten to death in a motel room. Kate Burkholder feels a strong emotional tie to this story because she is also formerly Amish and is now the police chief in the area where she grew up. Rachael was never one to obey the rules...that's why she is no longer living with the Amish. But, why such a violent, gruesome death? Kate is determined to find out the truth.

Another great story in this series! I had a review copy of the book and the audio book, so switched back and forth between the two. When I didn't have time to read the ebook, I started up the audio book! Definitely enough suspense to keep my interest from start to finish! The investigation portion of the plot revved up quickly and kept the pace up until the end. There were a few twists I didn't expect, and the ending was awesome! And, the role of Kate's boyfriend, John Tomasetti, was toned down a bit in this book. He's still there...still supportive....still assists....but just LESS. That was a relief for me, as the Tomasetti was spread on a bit thick in a couple of the past books. I want investigation....and less boyfriend. This book delivers that. Still a few kisses and his concern for Kate putting herself in danger, but he isn't mentioned on every page and isn't a key player in the entire investigation. Much better. A little Tomasetti goes a long way. :)

The audio book is narrated by Kathleen McInerney. She always does a great job of narration! She voices all the characters with skill, even the male characters. Very entertaining listening experience.

Loved this new book! Can't wait to find out what happens next!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book (St Martins Press) and audio book (Macmillan Audio). All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early listen.. Another good read by Linda Castillo and the narrator as usual did an amazing job narrating the story. In Kate Burkholder fashion the book keeps you reading/listening. Alway recommend this series to all that enjoy murder/mystery/thriller.