It’s pretty much a truism that a long-running book series will eventually collapse in in itself. This series has managed not to do that. This latest installment is as good a gritty mystery as any I’ve ever read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for my review.

This series just keeps getting better! Kate and Tomasetti are getting married in a few days and, of course, there is another murder. How can this small town have so many murders? I don't care it because this is what keeps me reading this series! As soon as I could get my hands on the advanced copy I had it read overnight and then was waiting for the audio version because this narrator is the BEST! Both versions are awesome and highly recommended. There are twists and turns and, of course, Kate finds herself in danger and a little banged up. I hope this series continues FOREVER!

Police Chief Kate Burkholder’s wedding dress fitting - the dress made by her grandmother and fitted by her sister - is interrupted by a call out to a body. Quickly ascertaining the death isn’t accidental, Kate and her Painters Mill’s search for a killer. Who would want to kill a young man about whom no one has a bad word? Castillo deftly weaves twists and turns into the mystery. I thought I knew who did it, only to be surprised by a tense and ultimately satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the growth of Kate’s family connections, and the return of familiar characters. This could be read as a standalone, but don’t miss out on this addictive series. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of this series focused on Chief of Police Kate Burkholder, a former amish woman who left behind her family and religion after a horrible crime. Kate has since moved on in her life and this installment focuses on a couple of horrible murders that impact both the local amish community as well as the "english". Also, Kate and Tomasetti are planning their wedding! It was nice to read that Kate's family is embracing the union and that there is mending between Kate and her siblings.

This is a solid installment for those of us that like murder mystery with suspenseful cop procedural and drama. Really enjoyed this!

#AnEvilHeart #LindaCastillo #MacmillanAudio #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the brutal death of a young Amish man, Aden Karn, who was violently killed with a crossbow and his body abandoned on a dirt road. Aden was just twenty years old, well-liked, and from an upstanding Amish family. The more Kate gets to know his devastated family and the people who loved him, the more determined she becomes to solve the case.

As Kate delves into Aden's past, she begins to hear whispers about a dark side. Did Aden have a secret life?

This novel explores the dark side of Amish life. Castillo's writing is evocative and masterful, and the story is well-paced, with several twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. This is absolutely my favorite series and the latest installment does not disappoint. I always read every one of these books without even reading the description and I am always amazed. My only complaint is that she only publishes one book a year and I always read them entirely too fast. This is a series that I cannot recommend enough. 5 stars like always!!!

Just give me a moment to catch my breath. This one took me on a high speed ride with surprises. Fast paced page turner for me. I was riding the bike along with Aden and bam! We are following the Kate as she trys to find who would kill Aden, the one everyone liked, the one always there to lend a hand. The darkness that lays upon the Amish Land is heart wrenching and shows you that mankind can be evil no matter where he is born nor how he is raised. Every character was written so well that I could see them. The moments Kate has with her brother and sister provided a little respite, but had its own tension. I love seeing the progression in their relationship. Speaking of relationships, the little trip Tomasetti took Kate on just before their wedding....wow, and the confession, that threw me. I am looking forward to book 16. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #Anevilheart #lindacastillo #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks #netgalley

I just love Kate Burkholder and the town of Painters Mill! Another fantastic book in the series. If you enjoy mysteries then definitely give this one a try. Even though this is part of a series you could read it as a stand alone…however I recommend binging the entire series in order!

It's hard to believe that this is my first Linda Castillo book. My library patrons have been raving about her books to me for years, and I was not disappointed! This may have been my first book of hers but it will not be my last. I am looking forward to going through the series. A huge thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC.

I love this series, and look forward to reading more about Kate and Tomasetti every year. I live within 1/2 hour of the fictional town, so I like to pretend I can recognize the settings. The Amish are a murderous bunch…this wasn’t my favorite mystery, but I liked the wedding preparation with Kate and her family.

Let me begin by saying I did not read any of the other books in this series and this is #15. So I can't entirely speak to Kate and Tomisetti's relationship or anything like that. I am basing my review on this book alone. An Amish man is brutally murdered. He is known to be a kind young man, so the community is bewildered. But is he as nice as everyone thinks he is?

No. No he's not. Not many people think he's nice so I don't know why that is the plot? Pretty much everyone Kate comes across eventually confesses that this guy is a sadistic psycho. I started to get bored as his past was investigated and by the end, I didn't really care who did it. This would be a solid 2.5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The sights and sounds of a beautiful autumn morning greet readers in An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo. However, as the fifteenth book in the Kate Burkholder mystery thriller and police procedural series gets underway, those same readers will likely be surprised by what happens next.
This series features Painters Mill, Ohio, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder who investigates the death of a young Amish man, Aden Karn. He’s well-liked, funny, hardworking, and engaged to Emily Byler. Did he have a dark side or is something else happening in the community?

Besides being the chief of police, Kate is trained as an emergency medical technician. She’s intelligent, has good instincts, and wants to repair her relationships with her family. Tomasetti, the man she will be marrying soon, is obsessive and intense when he’s on a case. He works for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and they met when he assisted on one of her cases.

The author takes readers on a journey through the life of Aden Karn from his family dynamics to his girlfriend and her family, his co-workers, and those who he spent time with. Additionally, Castillo seamlessly blends Kate’s personal life and events into the story line. Kate shows some growth in this novel as her wedding approaches and she interacts with her family and friends.

The characterization is excellent, making the numerous characters come to life for me making it easy to keep track of them. Readers of the series will be familiar with many of them. One thing that struck me as slightly odd was the number of nicknames for officers on Kate’s investigation team.
The descriptive narrative transported me to Kate and her team’s suspenseful investigation. The plot twists worked well and the ending was action-packed. Ms. Castillo is an excellent storyteller who kept me turning the pages with gripping scenes and a creative plot that built suspense. This novel shines light on law enforcement cooperation, family, jealousy, lies, betrayal, friendship, death, and the darker side of some communities.

While the novel works well as a standalone, readers will be able to better appreciate Kate’s full background if the series is read in order. Readers should also be aware that there are some disturbing scenes in the book.

Overall, this book was briskly paced, suspenseful, and gripping. This novel should delight those readers that enjoy police procedurals and mysteries that have a strong female lead character. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for July 11, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Kate and Tomasetti are getting married! But first, Kate has to solve the brutal murder of an Amish kid. As Kate tries to find out who performed such a heinous act on a boy who everyone loved, she learns about evil lurking behind closed doors. Adan Karn may not be the good little Amish kid everyone thinks he is. Book 15 does not disappoint. Linda Castillo's books just keep getting better. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loyal readers of Linda Castillo will enjoy the newest title. Painters Mills is getting a little overrun with death for such a small town.

Another good addition to the Kate Burkholder series. Altho this is part of a series it could easily be read as a stand alone. Plenty of suspense that will keep you guessing, along with a romance. I recommend this book along with the others in the series. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Love Kate Burkholder and all her trials and tribulations. She always has smartly structured mystery thrillers and you can never put her novels down. The murders are always thoughtful and well executed.
You can never be disappointed in any of ther books.

Holmes County, Ohio, has highest concentration of Amish in the world, and the largest in the Buckeye State, according to several reputable sources. Heading northeast a bit, Geauga County boasts Ohio's second largest settlement. By way of more than a nodding acquaintance in proximity to both, I was attracted to this series, which is set in Holmes County. But that was just at the outset; it's the stories that keep bringing me back for more (this is the 15th installment). For those who care about such things, I'll say that it's more graphic than the others I've read, but to me, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Kate Burkholder, who grew up Amish but officially left the fold nearly two decades ago, is the police chief in Painters Mill in Holmes County. As this story begins, she's about to be married to the guy she's been living with for a couple of years, FBI agent John Tomesetti, with the wedding held at her brother and sister-in-law's home in mostly Amish fashion. But not long before that happens, a 20-year-old Amish man is found dead along a rural roadside - shot twice with a crossbow. There's no acceptable version of murder, of course, but this was a particularly gruesome way to go.

The death of Aden Karn is even more surprising in that he had a steady girlfriend everyone (including her) thought he'd marry, a job and an almost stellar reputation as one of the good guys. Why, then, would anyone want to kill him? Is this just a random act by a madman (or woman) who's out for no reason other than wanting to kill someone? It's a puzzlement, or at least until the investigation starts getting legs of its own; Aden, it seems, may not have been the quintessential Amish lad. Gradually, new facts emerge - some of them quite disturbing - to reveal a far more sinister side that may have sparked a motive. But getting to the whole truth also may have sparked a killer's desperate need to bring the investigation to a halt, thereby putting Kate in mortal danger.

All told, it's another intriguing and entertaining adventure that's well worth reading. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Well done!

I tried to make this one last, but couldn't put it down. How does Linda Castillo make each book even better than the last? This one has a LOT of violence and grisly details, but the story is so unique and complex. Each time I finish one of the Kate Burkholder books, I want to reread the series.

This is the first book I have read from this author. I really enjoyed it and read it in one day! I will definitely read more from this author. There were some twists I didn't see coming and it was well written. I would definitely recommend this book.

This is a very good, solid series, featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in Painters Mill, Ohio. The story starts strong and the tension continues throughout. I have read several books in the series and, although it is helpful for backstories, it is not necessary to read previous books to enjoy this one. Highly recommend this series by this talented writer.