AN EVIL HEART by Linda Castillo is unquestionably one of those books that will hold you in its grip as you turn the pages to find out the truth.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=82968

An Evil Heart is the 15th Kate Burkholder procedural thriller by Linda Castillo. Released 11th July 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

This is a very well written murder mystery and although it's number 15 in the series, it works well as a standalone. All the background character and setting information is provided in the book itself. There is an ongoing, multi-book, partnership between formerly-Amish small-town police chief Kate and her significant other, a retired cop as well as an ensemble cast of colleagues. I do recommend reading the previous books, they're all solid; but it's not necessary to understand what's going on here. The series is well plotted and full of believable characters and inter-agency police stories. Refreshingly, in this case, the interagency interactions are generally cooperative and professional.

The sense of place is palpable. There are a number of Amish characters (the small town where Chief of Police Kate Burkholder works is a rural agricultural area whose population is roughly 1/3 Amish). The author's descriptions are nuanced and believable. I found some of the dialogue jarring because it's liberally sprinkled with Pennsylvania Dutch, but the author is adept at translating, and most of it is understandable from context.

The characters are impressively nuanced. It takes a quite a lot of technical expertise to write characters who do bad things but aren't necessarily bad people and subtlety to allow readers to arrive at their own conclusions as well as the converse (bad people who are charming and well regarded). The denouement and resolution were well written and satisfying and although I had guessed the overall theme of the crimes and motivations underlying, there were some surprising twists at the end.

For sensitive readers, this book contains quite graphic descriptions of violence, body horror (a crossbow murder at the beginning), sexual assault (including non-consensual assault of a minor), trauma, and oppressive religious fundamentalism and closed societies. Language is "R" rated.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours and 25 minutes and is narrated capably and well by series narrator Kathleen McInerney. She has a warm and rich clear alto voice and does a good job delineating the widely varied accents of a range of characters of all ages and both sexes including elderly and young voices. Sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four and a half stars. This series/author will likely already be on public library acquisitions lists and available from local libraries. It's a consistently high quality procedural series and would make a great choice for a long binge/buddy read. It would also be a good choice as a mystery book club selection; lots of content for good and enthusiastic discussion (modern sexism, religion, sexual assault in rural areas, women in positions of respect in those areas, etc).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Another great book in the Kate Burkholder series. Looking forward to the next. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Chief Kate Burkholder is back and working hard as ever to keep her town safe. In this ongoing series, readers find Kate days away from her wedding and trying to solve the murder of a young Amish man by what appears to be an unusual weapon.

What I love about Linda Castillo's Burkholder series is how it shows the amount of work that police officers and detectives put in, in order to solve the murders. Also even in a well established series, Castillo is able to keep the plot fast paced and the "twists" are still relatively unseen by the audience until the appropriate times when all is revealed. All in all, a great book series with enjoyable characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this novel.

Another installment in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. Very detailed gruesome murder scenes and police procedurals throughout the book. Much suspense up to the climactic ending. Nice continuation of Kate's personal and family life as a backdrop for the series. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense and look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

When Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of a brutal murder, she discovers the body of a young Amish man. No one seems to have a bad thing to say about him, and yet, he's dead. And as an antithesis to the murder investigation, Kate is also trying to plan her wedding. And then another murder occurs. Kate has to figure things out soon, or the body count may continue to rise!

Wow!!! So many interesting things happening in this book. I enjoyed the twists, turns, danger, suspense, and the characters, all while trying to figure out who the killer is and why.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. I highly recommend.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

The Kate Burkholder series is one of my absolute favorites! I love how Linda Castillo makes each book in this series so refreshing and unique!

Book 15 follows Kate as she prepares for her upcoming wedding to Tomasetti while also investigating the murder of a 21 year old Amish man.

This one grabs you from the very beginning! The murder is shocking, and as the investigation goes on, more and more secrets are uncovered.

We also got to see more of Kate's family in this book, which I really enjoyed!

Just like every year after reading the latest book in this series, I'm anxiously awaiting the next one!

Thank you, @netgalley, @stmartinspress, @minotaur_books, and @lindacastilloauthor for the e-arc of this book!

AN EVIL HEART, Kate Burkholder, #15
Linda Castillo, author
Mystery/Thriller

Follow Kate Burkholder once again when a young Amish man on Rumspringa is murdered in a peculiar fashion. As she looks into this young man, she finds of a darker side under the sweet charming man that both the English and Amish both loved.

I always love to get Linda Castillo’s books early. Especially the Kate Burkholder series. With myself, an Aunt, and a cousin all fans, what else can I do? There’s the perfect amount twists and turns and even more information about the Amish in every chapter. I would give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

I've heard complaints that all of Linda Castillo's Amish-country mysteries are alike. They aren't. Yes, a young Amish person is often the victim, for one reason or another. That's the case here, but the "whys" are different from any we've seen before in this series, and very timely.,Also -- and sorry if I find this more engaging than the main storyline -- there's a wedding to be planned.

Kate Burkholder’s character is delightful. She is unique, smart, courageous, resilient and determined. You can’t ask for much more than that. The entire Burkholder series is a fabulous read. Fair warning the first chapter or two in this book, as well as all the books in the series are bit alarming. You will not soon forget Castillo’s graphic and detailed description of both the crime and the murder scene. It will have your heart pounding.

It will be an on edge of the seat experience! Read it asap!

Linda Castillo does it AGAIN!!

An Evil Heart was complex and amazing! Linda knows how to write fresh installments in the Kate Burkholder series. As a self-proclaimed expert on the Amish, I am obsessed with this series! I also love how Castillo keeps me thinking and on the edge of me seat and glued to my kindle!

I haven't read all the books in this series (yet) but I've enjoyed the ones I have read. This newest installment in the series is an excellent addition to the series, and happily we're given just enough info to feel like we aren't totally lost if we're reading out of order. This one starts out with a disturbingly brutal murder of a young Amish man, who on the surface seems like a highly unlikely candidate for murder. But clues begin to mount that it wasn't an accident and that he was apparently the intended target. The question becomes "Why?", and clues begin to surface as to the possible motive. It isn't a pretty story, but again it's interesting to watch Kate Burkholder's dogged determination to get to the truth. Castillo is excellent at setting her scenes, filling her books with a wonderful sense of place and interesting characters. Can't wait to read more!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

I like the contrast of the brutal murders and the upcoming wedding. Kate has lots on her plate. A well liked Amish guy is murdered on his way to work. That murder fells like the central story but then a woman is found dead too. What is the chances they are related? Secret lives are uncovered. I liked the story.

Another suspenseful thriller in this Amish mystery series.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder of Painters Mill is called out to a dirt road where she finds an Amish man dead from penetrating wounds, later determined to from a crossbow. As the investigation begins, no one has a bad thing to say about this 20-year-old who has been murdered in cold blood. As Kate and her colleagues continue to work the case, some disturbing information about the victim comes to light. Meanwhile, Kate is preparing for her upcoming wedding to Tomasetti.

I've read all the prior books in this series and can't imagine this #15 as a standalone given all the backstory, but Kate Burkholder is a favorite character, and the plots are always complicated and interesting. I think the main draw to these books for me is the Amish angle. I find the details about plain life make this series stand out from most of the others with similar themes. I like the writing style and the police procedural aspect as well. Always look forward to the next installment.

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

Published: 07/11/23

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for accepting my request to read and review An Evil Heart (#15).

Well done Linda Castillo on #15 in your series, and my first book of yours. This is a good standalone read. Throughout the story I did sense a familiarity between characters. My thought was everything would tie up in the end. I'm satisfied that I enjoyed the ending and enjoyed the main characters. Castillo wrote so well I noticed there was something between the lines, but not enough to take away from the story itself. For the gaps to close I need to read the previous 14 books. As it stands that is not feasible, however, placing #16 on my list of books to look for and read is already done.

The story has a serious subject matter, rape. I believe it was well done. There is no graphic overkill or horror for the sake of a word count. It is cruel, cold, and calculating. I found the adult storyline was written for a teen to entertain without harshness. There are quite a few conversations that could be had between caregivers and teens.

I did not like and am so disappointed in the swearing. Seriously? There are so many ways a good author can say F--- without taking this from being a family oriented reading (car ride to Amish country?) or just a general audible book. This really touched my core.

3.5 stars, and I'm not rounding up -- the profanity really is inexcusable.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I can’t believe this is the 15th in Castillo’s Burkholder series! I absolutely loved the first one and the others have all kind of blurred together. This one was average- a bit repetitive but all in all a good murder mystery set in Amish country.

Another solid installment in the Kate Burkholder series!
You know when you start reading a book and you try to read it slowly so it never ends? Well, that is is how it is for me with each book in the series. And, more so with this book! Talk about a complex and intriguing story!!!
Linda Castillo’s writing is always on point and draws you in and won’t let you go.
I can’t recommend this series enough….if you haven’t read it, you need to do it now. Start from the first book in the series as there is so much back story about Kate that you need to know about.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Another great story with a nearly perfect ending. This time Kate is trying to solve the murder of Amish man who was well-liked by everyone, but is he a victim? I’ve always said I love Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series and I know this was an unedited version, but there was a period in the early latter half that did not sound like the author or character at all. The odd way Kate was thinking to herself with dark thoughts herself and how she went a little crazy on potential suspects was weird. Now, don’t get me wrong Kate has had dark thoughts over the years, but she never acted like this. And the times that were bad, Thomasetti was there. They’ve always pulled each other from the brink. Even the case Thomasetti had was perfect to close that circle from the past. It was great how the wedding was handled to close a circle for Kate and her past too. My only complaint is the wedding scene seemed rushed and short because I wanted to revel in it feeling like I’ve been on the journey with them all these years. The biggest question on my mind now - please tell me there will be more books! Since everything was wrapped up perfectly I’m worried it’s an end to the series. Please say it isn’t so!

Thank you to St Martin/Minotaur books for providing a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kinda Castillo has written an exceptional mystery with An Evil Heart. Readers will be thoroughly stumped as they try to determine who was responsible for the death.

An Evil Heart
Kate Burkholder #15
Linda Castillo


I was asked to review one of Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder novels for Library Journal a few years ago and was very pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t expecting the depth of crime drama and the incorporation of Kate’s past with the Amish into her policing. Needless to say I was hooked and from then on have enjoyed the Macmillan Audio editions of the series. They all have an edge, they’re all dark some darker than others and this one is one of those very dark ones and it was one heck of a story so read on to see what I thought.
Enjoy!


Castillo’s An Evil Heart is a fantastic twisty turny look into the very darkest of humanity. The author’s masterful storytelling will lead her audience down some really dark and disturbing roads giving them a glimpse of the underbelly of human nature and leaving them wondering if anything is sacred. As in all the novels in her series Linda’s storyline melds an amazing plot, Amish and English (non-Amish) characters, lifestyles and dialogue keeping fans up to date with all the goings on from past trips to Painter’s Mill, Ohio as well as one heck of a mystery unique to this novel. Her knowledge of Amish language and customs then mixing it with murder and mayhem make this novel a one-of-a-kind crime drama that will appeal to a wide range of mystery/thriller fans. Fans of this fantastic author, JT Ellison and Lisa Gardner will find this read absolutely unputdownable.


Kate Burkholder has a lot on her mind right now, she and John Tomasetti are finally tying the knot, but with only days before the wedding where the ceremony will be held is still up in the air. To make matters worse she gets a call about the body of a young Amish man found on a secluded road and horrifically learns that what she originally thought was a hit and run turns out to be a very violent murder and she’s left wondering who would want to kill twenty-year-old well-liked and respected Aden Karn with a crossbow. While digging into the case and into Aden’s life she is getting two very different pictures of Aden and begins to suspect that the Amish man may have had a nefarious side. Between wedding preparations and reconnecting more with her Amish family Kate’s investigations into the case is getting her more questions than answers but there’s one thing she knows for sure and that is she won’t give up until she knows all the facts.