This is the 16th in the Kate Burkholder series. Kate, formerly Amish, is police chief in her small hometown in Ohio in the middle of Amish country. When an excommunicated Amish man is found burned at the stake, Kate must unwind his history by interviewing the normally reticent members of that community. When suspicion falls on her brother, Kate is told to stand down in the case. Of course, she persists in pursuing the murder, knowing that the powers that be are pursuing the wrong line of inquiry. Along the way, some early history of the Anabaptists is revealed to possibly be a key to the crime and Kate and her new husband’s lives are put in danger.

Although I have only read three installments, I really like this series. Well written, with good character development and a solid plot, it is an engrossing, thrilling read. Kate is a strong, well adjusted female protagonist who does seem to get herself into dangerous predicaments. If you are new to this series and expect a cozy mystery, be forewarned that there are a few brutal scenes in it.

Where else can you find a police procedural, mystery, a thriller, and insight into the Amish culture? I do recommend this series and look forward to the next book. This book would work as a standalone.

The next book in this popular series once again finds Police Chief Kate Burkholder dealing with a mysterious murder in the Amish community in Ohio. Kate is now (finally) married to Agent Tommisetti on Ohio BCI and life seems to be very good for the newlyweds. Unfortunately, 2 of Kate’s officers stumble upon a grisly murder scene…some burnt at the stake. The deceased is identified as Milan Swanz, a recently excommunicated Amish man and long time ne’er do well. In trying to solve the murder, Kate encounters a group of Amish vigilantes with origins in the 15th and 16th century persecution of European Anabaptists. While trying to solve the crime an obnoxious and overzealous Ohio State Police Agent zeros in on Kate’s brother Jakob as the killer and is convinced that Kate and Tomisetti must recuse themselves from the case because of a conflict of interest. While Kate is fighting on 2 fronts, the killer seems to have their sights on Kate too.

I have been a huge fan of Linda Castillo from her first Kate Burkholder book. I was so excited to read her latest Amish murder mystery, The Burning. We meet back up with Kate in her home town after a man is found burned to death. Kate once again investigates the murder and uncovers the dark side of the Amish community. Kate is never far from danger and this book is no different.
Like the Kate Burkholder book and enjoy reading about Kate's life. Linda Castillo has created a character we all love and care about. This book is no different from the others. I will always look for the newest Linda Castillo book and will always recommend her work to others, especially if you like learning about the Amish community.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Linda Castillo, and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4 stars for me.

Oh my gosh how is this my first Kate Burkholder book?! I have a LOT to catch up on because she is now one of my favorite cop characters! Great book and very suspenseful!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I've read several of the books in this series and always enjoyed them. Kate Burkholder is a strong character and I always find the Amish/English aspect interesting. I did find the beginning of the book with the gruesome murder of Milan Swanz a difficult read and don't mind admitting I had to skip several pages because it was so graphically presented. Once I got past that I mostly found it a good read as Kate's brother is implicated in the murder and a dark secret in the Amish community is revealed as the story unfolds. The amount of violence in the book makes me wary of reading further installments but hopefully the next will be less so.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Minotaur @Minotaur_Books and Netgalley @Netgalley for this arc. All thoughts are my own.


Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awoken in the middle of the night by being called to a crime scene of an Amish man who’s been murdered. The Amish aren’t quick to talk so Chief Kate has her work cut out for her.

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself in a bind. Then things take another turn when Kate’s own life is threatened.

In order to figure things out, Chief Kate but uncover secrets and dig deep.


I fell in love with Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in installment 14 of the series and have really enjoyed reading about her ever since. While this is a series, it can be read as a standalone and it will still make sense. The downside of jumping in is there isn’t a lot of character backstory given in each book, this has never really bothered me as I like to think of these books as more of plot-based novels. The character development has happened, it’s just not foremost in the books. I’ve enjoyed learning more about the Amish culture and this book was no different. This book delves into Amish history a little and that was fun. This is one of those books that the title makes sense right from the start, and oh was it a little uncomfortable. I do think that this one dragged a little in the middle, but fans aren’t going to be too deterred.

Once again, in The Burning, the 16th book in Linda Castillo's excellent Kate Burkholder mystery series, it all starts with an unthinkably brutal murder, and we spend the rest of the book learning about the murder victim and the numerous characters who had reason to hate him enough to kill him.

Milan Swanz was Amish before he was excommunicated because of continued bad behavior. He has four children but is divorced from his wife, and he's been fired from his regular job, picking up handyman gigs wherever he can. He drinks too much and has a volatile temper. But did he deserve to die in this horrific way? Kate, the police chief for Painters Mill, Ohio hasn't been a part of the Amish community for years, but she is respected by them and can often get them to provide information that no one else outside the community can. When one of her brothers becomes a person of interest in the murder and Kate is relegated temporarily to a desk job to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest, she can't help getting more involved than she should. Her new husband, an agent with the state's bureau of criminal investigation, who is also called in on the case, fears for her safety because he knows Kate's commitment to finding the truth often puts her in harm's way.

The author has put together a compelling and propulsive story, in which we learn more about Amish culture and history, and where action scenes are explosive and harrowing. Linda Castillo is a master in this genre, and she has created a protagonist that has grown and evolved throughout the series. I hope there are more series entries to come.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

This was my first Kate Burkholder mystery and will not be my last! I really enjoy a strong female lead in a crime/mystery setting and Linda Castillo obviously does this well. I particularly appreciated the setting and learned a little about Amish way of life and the tensions with the English. I liked the pace of the book overall but found it dragged a little half way through. This is a great read! Thank you for the opportunity to review it.

Another riveting installment in the Kate Burkholder series. I love Burkholder as the Chief of Police because she is able to navigate among both the Amish community and the Englishers while not truly being a part of either group. She is privy to details about Amish culture that prove essential to solving the crimes in Painters Mill. And the cases in this series prove that there is a dark underbelly even in the most idyllic of settings. This book delves into the history of the Amish culture, the Anabaptists, and the persecution that early believers were subject to. The history and the separatism of the Amish culture are what enabled the current day burning at the stake. And, of course, only Kate Burkholder can massage out the information and put the puzzle pieces together. Tomasetti is still a great support for Kate, and I'm glad to read that she is adding a personal life to her professional aspirations. The book is fraught with history, secrets and danger - It is a thrilling read that I just couldn't put down!

Wow, this was a chilling and somewhat creepy story!

Kate Burkholder, raised Amish in Ohio, is now the chief of police in her small hometown. Upon investigating a fire in a remote wooded area, a burnt body is found... tied to a stake!

It was interesting to see how Kate was able (or not in some cases) to navigate the nuances of the Amish versus English. The victim turns out to be excommunicated member, Milan Swanz. Even though he was banned, it's still like pulling teeth for Kate to get any decent intel. Why is the community still protecting him, even in death?

Kate is also left navigating the politics of police work, and implications that having a family member involved in the decedent's life bring.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Linda Castillo for the eARC.

Another good book in the Burkholder series. The murder in this one is a bit more unpleasant than most of the other books in the series, in my opinion. Don't let it keep you away from reading the book though. It happens early in the book and then Kate tries to figure out who did it. There are no real suspects for the first half or so of the book. Kate's brother seems to become the main suspect at one point. Did he do it? No spoiler here, you'll have to pick this one up in July to find out?

Definitely worth the read if you are a fan of this series or even if you aren't yet. You could just read this one as a stand alone also I think if you haven't read the others. Most of our favorite characters from the series make an appearance as usual in this addition to the series. I always enjoy learning more about the Amish ways, beliefs, etc. in this series of books.

First of all thanks to Net galley for provision of ARC e book thru St. Martin’s press. The 16th of Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkehalter’s book and my second provided another very good mystery in who killed a former Amish man-Milan Swanz. An unfortunate soul who lost his Amish way, had to be excommunicated, and suffered a grizzly death. Kate, a former Amish descendant, who left the fold is Chief of Police, in her hometown leads the investigation. There are many characters with multiple reasons for involvement, and the plot twists and turns but provides a want to keep going pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of The Burning by Linda Castillo. I thought the story started off strong, but then it kind of dragged in the middle. I thought the main character got into way too many physical altercations in this story and was a bit over the top. I’d say this wasn’t one of my favorites in the series, but I still enjoyed it.

The Burning is the continuation of Linda Castillo's popular Kate Burkholder series. As always I find these books easy to read and I always enjoy solving the mysteries.

I thank the author, St. Martins/Minotaur and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.

This latest in the long-running series featuring a female, former-Amish chief of police in a small Ohio town, "The Burning" has a grisly beginning. Our heroine Kate Burkholder has found commitment and happiness in her marriage to long-time beau John Tomasseti, and he acts as a calming force in this evolving story. There's some intriguing history of the Amish in the United States, as well as depressing signs that secular ills are finding their way into that community.

I found this a passable entry in the series, if not one of Ms. Castillo's best. The mystery has satisfying murkiness, and some questions remain. I was confounded by Kate's ability to operate without food and sleep for days on end. There is also an increased level of physical confrontation and injury. Frankly, she gets the crap beat out of her multiple times. . . and keeps on ticking. Good for her! But it makes me cringe, even while the physical violence drives the plot forward.

I will continue to enjoy further stories by Ms. Castillo. Three stars.

This is a book in the Kate Burkholder series. I have read many of Castillo’s books and have enjoyed every one of them. The books in the Burkholder series provide insight into life as an Amish person which I find interesting.

Milan Swanz, who had been Amish, is murdered. The book twists and turns in true Castillo fashion. The reader learns of the countless faults of Swanz and is led to believe many people would want Swanz dead. Kate, Chief of Police, and husband, John Tomasetti, work diligently to solve the murder before more are murdered including themselves.

Castillo does an excellent job defining each character, developing the relationships, setting the scene of the murder, and the efforts to solve the crime with clues along the way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good “whodunit” with lots of twists and turns and some smiles along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books, and the author for the privilege to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This review will be posted on Goodreads under “Deb’s Review”. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6365804639

A brutal murder takes place one night in Painter’s Mill that sets off an intensive investigation for Kate Burkholder , Chief Of Police of this small little town. We are brought into the Amish Community, learning about their ways and the silence that is hard to break. Kate.finds that this particular homicide hits way to close to home. This story moves along quickly and is very exciting.
I have read all the books in this series and this one ranks high in great storytelling. Linda Castillo is an Author who is in a class by herself. After devouring this fantastic story the best stand out for me (other than whizz bang conclusion), was the first paragraph of the Epilogue’. This is a thought that I think everyone needs to read and put this in a safe place in your mind and heart. . I will be highly recommending this book to my patrons. Don’t Miss this one!
Thank You to NetGalley, The Author Linda Castillo, and The Publisher St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this advanced copy for my honest review.

I have read and enjoyed all of Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series. I was excited to delve into her latest novel. The Burning starts with a graphic violent description of a man burned at the stake. This is the case the newly wed Burkholder sets out to solve. Once again Burkholder manages to get herself in dangerous life threatening situations. This mystery involves the Amish community and even her Amish brother who is considered a suspect. It was definitely a page turner. I highly recommend this book.

Great addition to the series. The book grabbed me at the start. One of my favorite series with great characters, interesting plots and solid storyljnes. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Chief Kate Burkholder is back with book #16 in this series and it starts out with a bang! Hang on, it’s a wild ride and we are back in Painters Mill, Ohio in Amish country. I’ve been waiting for her next book as I’ve read all 15 books before this one! Chief Burkholder sure is one tough cop and I just love this series so much. Even if you haven’t read the others, I believe each book can be read a stand-alone if needed. Once I started reading, it was impossible to put down until I saw how it ended. I’ve always been fascinated with the Amish and I just love this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published July 2024.