In a departure from the usual setting of Painters Mill, Chief Kate Burkholder travels to Pennsylvania to help a man from her past who's been accused of murder.

When the 3 Amish elders meet with Kate and ask for her assistance, she is torn because Jonas Bowman was her first love and she still feels pangs of regret at everything that transpired between them. But, she knows that he is not capable of this crime despite all the circumstantial evidence in the case. Jonas is being held in prison for the killing of an Amish bishop, Ananias Stolzfus, after the murder weapon that belongs to Jonas was discovered along with the body. The true problem is that this crime was a cold case as the bishop vanished over 18 years prior but the remains were only recently discovered in an alfalfa field. Kate goes to Pennsylvania, but her presence is not wanted and so she delves into the investigation alone. As she uncovers more details about the bishop, she comes to the conclusion that many might have had a motive to kill him.

This was an interesting read, but not my favorite in the series. I must say that I'm amazed that Kate can still walk and talk after all the physical trauma she goes through in every book. Fortunately, she makes it out alive despite all the near death experiences and manages to escape back home after solving the puzzle. I hope that her relationship with Tomasetti moves forward as the series continues. This latest installment is the last in my binge of these books, so I guess I will have to wait until next summer to get all my answers. I do love the details and descriptions of Amish life and the characterization of Kate. Missed the team and hope the action will return to Painters Mill next time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

I was pleasantly surprised to read this book. Great strong characters and a twisted plot. I was pulled in right at the beginning and couldn't put it down. Highly recommend reading it. Wasn't sure about the Amish content but was surprised to really enjoy that aspect of it, not to mention learn a few things.

Midway, I wanted to start putting the puzzle pieces together. Who was involved in Ananias’s murder had me doing the usual – who is the less likely, scenario? Which is always the starting point for me. Then figuring out the why. The snippets of clues started pointing in one direction. The ages and dates lined up, but would that have been a leap too far?

Turns out I was leaping in the right direction and I am glad that Linda Castillo didn’t answer all the questions. She didn’t dummy down the history for everyone. She left it as the perfect opening for people to remember history or to do their own deep dive down the google rabbit hole.

One of the best books in the series.

Another solid Kate read. As always, I prefer Kate in Painter’s Milll but also enjoy her outside of it, on her own usually gives us more depth to her and her past and that was the case here.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

A very twisted mystery for Police Chief Kate Burkholder of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. Kate was raised Amish, but left the church when she was eighteen. Now, living with Agent John Tomasetti of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, she receives a request for help from three men from Belleville, Pennsylvania. They are from the church of her former best friend, Jonas Bowman, who has been arrested for murder. Eighteen years ago, an Amish bishop went missing. His remains have recently been found along with a weapon that belonged to Jonas. Kate knows that the Jonas she knew could never commit a murder; he couldn’t have changed that much, could he? Arriving in Bellevue, although she is a member of law enforcement, she has no jurisdiction out of state. She is good at “digging”, but her investigation gets her into trouble with local police as well whoever wants her to leave. When she is attacked, it makes her even more determined to uncover the crimes of the past and find the killer. One of my all-time favorite characters and author. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I love this series. Each book kinda starts off the same which makes it comfortable and that your part of the each book. I suggest that you read this series in order so you know the characters and their relationships to each other. It was a great book as the others are, but this one has an amazing twist that really makes you think. It sucks you in and makes it hard to put done. Highly recommended.

A great mystery! I haven't read any of the books in this series previously and was able to pick it up and enjoy it completely. I will look for more books by this author in the future. I really liked Kate. She is an intriguing character having grown up Amish and leaving the life as an adult. This story pulls her back into her past when an old friend is accused of murder. I loved how the story unwound to get to the truth. There were a number of suspects and a fair number of surprises. It was a fast read as I wanted to find out who was guilty. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

4.5 ⭐

Linda Castillo is one of my favorite writers. Her books are always good. The 14th book in the Kate Burkholder series is no different.

Kate Burkholder is the Police Chief of Painters Mill, Ohio. She is approached by the Amish elders of Belleville, Pennsylvania. They came to ask her help with a case, since she was once Amish and understands their ways.

18 years ago, Bishop Ananias Stolzfus disappeared. Now Jonas Bowman, one of their own and a guy from Kate's past, is accused of murder. Kate agrees to look into the case because she feels she owes Jonas for something that happened when they were younger.

There's more to the case than meets the eye. Would the Jonas she knew actually kill someone? Who had something against the Bishop to want to kill him? Who wants to shut down Kate's investigation?

I gave this 4.5 ⭐ because I wanted to know more about one character. I don't want to say who because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I think Castillo did it to let the reader decide how evil this character was. As I always say, remember each person reads a different book with the same title and author, so opinions differ.

You don't want to miss this book. If you haven't read any of the Burkholder series, I recommend it. This one hits the stands on July 5, 2022. Happy Reading 😀📚😀

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Linda Castillo's Amish-country mysteries rarely disappoint, and "The Hidden One" is especially interesting for venturing from Painter's Mill, Ohio, into Pennsylvania and introducing new Amish communities with different cultural norms. Castillo has clearly done tons of homework about the Amish and continues to expand her (and our) knowledge base. This entry in the long-running series also fills in gaps about Police Chief Kate Burkholder's own Amish past. And it may have a record number of near-death experiences for attack-prone Kate.

The Hidden One is the 14th book in Linda Castillo's long-running Kate Burkholder series. I've heard about the series but never read any of the books; this is my first one. That's right, I'm starting the series with book 14. And that's a problem. Why? Because now I have to buy and read the first 13 stories! This one totally stood alone, but I enjoyed it so dang much I want to catch up on all of Kate's exciting cases that I've missed. This is one of the books that's really drawing me back to one of my favorite genres of the past, mystery & thrillers.

Ananias Stoltzfus , an Amish bishop, disappeared almost 20 years ago without a trace. However, his body is finally found...and next to it is a muzzleloader, which indicates the missing man was murdered. The town's elders from Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley come to see Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in Painters Mill, asking her for her help. She is shocked to discover the man accused of the crime is Jonas Bowman, who was Kate's first love. The man Kate once knew could not have possibly killed anyone, so she travels to Pennsylvania to see what she can discover. Though it first seems that Bishop Stoltzfus had been a respected man, Kate soon hears that he may have a dark hidden past. Was he murdered to keep his past permanently hidden? When Kate is accosted in her motel room in the middle of the night and threatened to leave the matter alone, she suspects she's on the correct path. Will Kate survive long enough to stop the killer who will do everything to keep the bishop's dark secrets hidden?

It took me a little time to get into the story. (Starting a bathroom remodeling project, one in which the correct odd type of toilet is almost impossible to find, can be a bit distracting.). But once I got into the meat of the story, I did not want to put it down until I finished! I was totally unfamiliar with this series and had no idea that our heroine had been Amish when she was young. I found her Amish past, and the Amish of Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley to be fascinating. All I knew of the Amish was the bit I remembered when my parents took us to Pennsylvania Dutch Country when we were kids. (Remember the olden days when your parents wanted you to learn something when on vacation while having family-oriented fun? Do parents still do that anymore? But I digress...) I just loved Kate. She was a great Chief of Police and was stubborn and dogged while trying to solve a case. I enjoyed her current love relationship with John Tomasetti, an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who was also her best friend. He wasn't in this book much, so I'm very interested in reading the previous books and seeing the development of that relationship. I also enjoyed reading about her first love with Jonas, and Kate's hope that the man she used to love was innocent of the murder of Bishop Stoltzfus. The mystery was thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. I admit I had an inkling of what the bishop's dark past entailed, but I was clueless as to whodunit. I wasn't even close! There was exciting action which put Kate's life in danger and had me clenching my e-reader in suspense. I am eagerly awaiting the next Kate Burkholder book, and I look forward to catching up on all that I missed.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I’m a big fan of this series so was excited to read and review the latest installment. It did not disappoint!
This time, Police chief and former Ohio Amish Kate Burkholder has been called to PA to help an old friend accused of a crime. The storyline and new setting proved an interesting change in the series - and it was nice to learn a lot more about Kate’s background growing up and how it formed her adult life.
Solid 5 star rating for this. It’s an easy, quick read you won’t want to put down.

I couldn’t get into this book. There was a lot of Amish language that was hard to follow along with. I had to DNF . I’m sorry. Thanks for giving my the chance to read it.

Kate Burkholder grew up Amish but "it didn't stick" and now, in her mid-thirties, she is chief of police in her hometown of Painters Mill, Ohio. When Amish elders from Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley visit her to ask for her help solving a cold case murder that her childhood sweetheart has been arrested for, Kate feel compelled to do what she can. But once she arrives in the valley and starts asking questions, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want her investigating, and they will go to extreme measures to convince her to give up and leave. Kate is an interesting and likeable character, and the story is well plotted, compelling and unique. This is the 14th book featuring Kate Burkhoder, and I can't believe I haven't come across the series before now! I will certainly be going back to read the first 13.

Kate Burkholder is back! I love this series which follows a former Amish police chief. A childhood friend is accused of murder and Kate is asked to help. It takes her away from her hometown so we don’t see a lot of the usual characters. The author has always done a great job of making each book in the series a standalone but she make an extra effort with this one. There is more background information than normal so if you have not read this series yet, this would be a great book to start. You may want to be ready to read all the other books once you finish this one! I’m a fan of the series so when I picked it up I was excited to know I was going to be reading a great book!!!

Kate Burkholder is the police chief for a town
Painters Mill, which is located in Ohio. She has a nice comfortable life with a boyfriend who loves her. One day, visitors from her past come seeking her assistance.

Kate used to be a member of an Amish community in Pennsylvania. Jonas, who Kate knew when she was a young girl, has been accused of murder. Kate is asked to return to her hometown in Pennsylvania and look into the murder. Kate leaves Ohio to investigate the murder. While in Pennsylvania, Kate not only investigates the crime. She must confront her past.

As Kate investigates the murder, shocking secrets about the victim are uncovered, leading Kate to discover things are not always as they appear.

Chief Burkholder is a wonderful and believable character. The story sucked me in and kept me turning the pages.

The Hidden One
Linda Castillo
July 5, 2022


We are back In Painters MIll, Ohio with Chief Kate Burkholder in the 100 year old building that houses the Painters Mill Police Department. With many of the townsfolk being Amish, Kate is known to speak in Deutsch when they approach her. It is a matter of kindness and protocol. This morning she is greeted by three gentlemen waiting patiently outside of her office. Each is 70 or more years old. She knows them from her prior life, one she spent living with her Amish family living among the fold.She is an Englisher but knows the language and ways of the gentle neighbors. The three have come from Lancaster County in Pennsylvania to speak with her regarding a member of the church. Jonas Bowman, a close friend from her past, has been arrested. They feel she knows the way to help him. Although he has denied the accusations the murder weapon belongs to him. This particular case has grown cold and recently new facts have surfaced. The finger seems to point right at him.
This is #14 in the Kate Burholder series. For those readers who have patiently waited each year for another episode in her life, its publication will take place on July 5, 2022 by Minotaur Books. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review this latest chapter, The Hidden One. I too have read them all in order. Linda Castillo’s suspense is exceptionally well written. She has me at page one and I am captivated until I discover the unexpected finale. This one explores some of Kate’s history as a young teen. Do pick it up and by all means enjoy!

I love this series and this book is a perfect example of why. Katie is such a complex character. The Amish aspect of the books is both interesting and intriguing. The mystery is gripping and full of surprises and suspense. I am looking forward to many more.

didn't realize this was a series, not sure how i missed that. will have to go and start at the beginning as i don't like to jump into the middle of a series. Not read this author before but looking forward to reading more. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

Kate Burkholder is the most likable character in Linda Castillo's The Hidden One. A police chief in a small Ohio town, she travels to Pennsylvania's Amish country to assist an old friend charged with murder. I guess the suspense in the novel is about who really dunnit, but it was pretty low-key suspense. The Amish setting did nothing for me. I just have no interest in them.
I did stick with the novel to the finish, so I know who dunnit.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to st martins press and minotaur books are allowing me to read a copy of the hidden one by Linda Castilio. This was my first book written by Linda Castilio although it is number 14 in the series, there was enough background information where I knew the key players in the book that are in the series. I loved seeing that the police chief was a woman in this book was the main character. I look forward to reading more of this authors books.