Another gripping story in a must read series. I adore the character of Kate Burkholder and have been on this journey with her since book one. She is facing another case that hits close to home. I was completely invested in this mystery and the twists were unpredictable. The author does excellent research and it brings the story and communities alive for the reader.

The Burning by Linda Castillo is a fast paced murder mystery that involves more than just the dead man. Readers also get a little peek into Kate's personal life.

The Burning

A Novel

By: Linda Castillo

Publish Date: 9 July 2024

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books

General Fiction (adult)/ Mystery and Thrillers

100 Book Reviews Professional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

I gave this book 4 stars. It is a companion novel with the series being called Kate Burkholder. This is the 16th book. You don’t have to read the books in order to enjoy them. In fact, this is the first book I have read and didn’t find myself lost or confused.

Kate is newly married and the chief of police in a small Amish town. In fact, Kate was born and raised Amish and she left when she turned 18. One night she is awakened by a phone call detailing a very unusual murder. When she gets there is shocked and upset that this would happen in her town. They are able to id the victim right away because the wallet wasn’t burned all the way being saved by being next to the post. The victim is an Amish man. Why was he killed this way or in fact at all.

The Amish are very closed mouthed, but Kate is able to some information because she used to be one of them and they know and trust her. They still aren’t very forth coming with information though.

I couldn’t figure out who did it until Kate was able to figure it out. There were a lot of enemy’s and clues that really lead anywhere but also did in a way. I am going to read more from this author because I enjoyed her writing and I enjoyed this book.

The Burning opens with a horrific crime, a man is tied to a post and set on fire, left to burn. Skid and Mona, two Painter's Mill police officers are in the vicinity and first on the scene. When Kate shows up, they realize he was an Amish man and he is eventually identified. He was not a good man and had many enemies, but who hated him enough to want to kill him in this way? Sheriff, Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti begin an investigation into the life of Milan Swanz, and what they find makes Kate think about revenge in the worst way. As evidence piles up, Kate's brother is implicated and a witness sees him arguing with the murdered man, so she is taken off the case, but she doesn't stop, she continues to investigate and in true Kate Burkholder manner, ends up putting herself into danger.

Every time I read a Kate Burkholder book, I think it is the best one yet and couldn't possibly get any better. This book has a gruesome crime, that ends up leading Kate down a path into the history of the Anabaptist faith. I learned a lot about the persecution of the early Anabaptists and some of their culture and beliefs. This was a creepy story, especially because Kate was constantly being threatened by some unknown man. It was scary to think she could have been taken out several times. This book has a theme of revenge or retribution, but we all know that doesn't usually work out the way someone might want. This book kept me listening way after I should have gone to bed, but I couldn't stop. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see who the culprits were and how they were going to get caught. Another well written and plotted police procedural with twists and extremely tense moments throughout.

A very dark and disturbing story.
16th book in this series and Linda Castillo still managed to produce an unusual new story.
Why would somebody burn a person alive at a stake? How can anybody want to do this to a person? You certainly would not expect it in this peaceful community. Kate Burkholder has her hands full trying to decide what happened and the Amish are not exactly the talkative kind. Slowly the mystery unfolds with hidden secrets within the community. Have there been identical murders in other Amish communities? This is a book you will not want to put down. The end will be the kind of surprise that you would not have expected. Already looking forward to book 17.

The Burning
by Linda Castillo
Pub Date: Jul 09 2024

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder that reveals a little-known chapter of early Amish history in this riveting installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo. Although this is book #16 in the series it can be read as a stand-a-lone. This is a great series, I've not read all of the books but I have read many of them and I have not been disappointed.

Kate is a police detective that is well respected by the Amish people. In this book, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the gruesome murder of an Amish man. He was found tied to a post and burned alive. Who would kill a God-fearing man in such a brutal way? The book is a graphic crime thriller, fast paced and very suspenseful!

Many thanks to #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #TheBurning and #LindaCastillo for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

The Burning is an enjoyable continuation of the Kate Burkholder Amish mystery series. I found it to have a relatively fast paced plot and appreciated how over the years Chief Burkholder has earned the good reputation from her colleagues and some in the Amish community.

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

This was another thrilling installment to one of my favorite suspense series. While the Prologues are usually intense, this was incredibly gruesome. Castillo did an excellent job revealing all the twists and turns surrounding the victim and the crime. I always enjoy being in Kate's mind as she attempts to bring a killer to justice. I never get enough of Kate and Tomasetti as a team and couple.

I appreciate that after 16 books and several short stories, I still look forward to the next murder with Kate!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced review copy.

While The Burning is #16 in the Kate Burkholder series, I read this book as a standalone. I had heard great things about the series and author and jumped at the chance to read the latest.

I instantly felt connected with the main characters and fell in love with their personalities throughout the book. Kate was such a strong female lead that knew her stuff and what she brought to the table, and didn’t let others sway her of her beliefs. The plot and suspense were built up beautifully and came to a satisfying ending. I also learned a lot about the Amish community throughout the book without it feeling like a formal lesson. Just nice little tidbits thrown in. This book makes me understand why this series is so popular and I can’t wait to go back and read the rest!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books & NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow...this series just keeps getting better! Another murder in the Amish community. This time a very gruesome one.

The murder subject, Milan Swanz, wasn't particularly liked, but you can't blame the victim, or can you?. Was it his wife, or neighbors he'd had difficulty with, his old boss who fired him, or perhaps even the Bishop who excommunicated him. So many ways to look at it, then Kate is taken off the case because one of her family members is a suspect. Who killed Milan?

As usual, Kate gets herself in a jam, but is able to get herself and Tomasetti back to safety, tie up the ends to who done it, and get an apology from the other agencies that had frozen her out of the investigation. Not bad!

Now...the question I have was with romantical details in Chapter 1...Skid and Mona?? Only one other mention in the whole book! Maybe the next book will have more. I hope so!

Kate and Tomasetti have a relationship to be envied. Even when there is strife in their relationship, they know there is love and caring behind it all.

I so enjoy all of the books in this series. There are always multiple points to be pondered as you're reading. The writing flows and keeps my interest.

Kate Burkholder’s story continues as the formerly Amish police chief catches a case that is one of the most horrific of her career. When a man is found tied to a stake and burned alive Kate and her team know that they are dealing with something evil. As Kate starts unraveling the clues she finds herself trying to clear the name of one of her family members and try to save herself.

Just like in her previous books Castillo builds the case until the pinnacle that left me at the edge of my seat.
Definitely a must read. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

In this 16th book in the Kate Burkholder series, the Police Chief investigates the brutal murder of an Amish man who'd been excommunicated. The novel provides enough background information to be read as a standalone.

*****

Police Chief Kate Burkholder grew up in an Amish community in Painter's Mill, Ohio but left as a teenager. After Kate became a law enforcement officer, Painter's Mill offered her a job and she returned to head the police department. Kate's Amish background is advantageous because she speaks Pennsylvania Dutch and is familiar with Amish culture. Kate is now married to John Tomasetti, an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The couple's dual law enforcement careers are advantageous, because, when it's appropriate, Tomasetti can provide support for Kate's investigations.

Author Linda Castillo 'kills off' the victims in her books in the most gruesome fashions, and this story is no exception. As the story opens, Milan Swanz is drunk, and walking home from a bar in ankle deep snow. When Milan is offered a ride in a passing car, he accepts with alacrity. Big mistake!! Before long, Milan is tied to a stake in the woods and burned alive.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of the crime, which is soon crawling with law enforcement personnel. Kate looks at the blackened corpse with peeling skin and feels sick to her stomach. She thinks, "Milan Swanz was a troubled man who made plenty of mistakes in the thirty-six years he'd been on this earth. But he was a human being with a wife and children and parents who'd loved him despite his flaws."

Or maybe not so much! As Kate begins her investigation, she learns that Milan had been excommunicated from the church for repeated wrongdoing. Moreover, Milan and his wife Bertha were divorced (an unimaginable no-no in the Amish culture), and Bertha doesn't seem too shocked about Milan's death.

Bertha is reluctant to speak about her ex-husband because the Amish are extremely insular, and never air their dirty laundry to 'Englischers'. For that reason, Kate finds it hard to find out about Milan's transgressions. Nevertheless, Kate eventually learns that unfortunate things happened to people who angered Milan. For instance, after Milan was fired from his job in a cabinet shop, the shop 'accidently' burned to the ground; and the Diener (church officials) who excommunicated Milan suffered personal injuries or damage to their crops. Kate even learns that her own brother, an Amish farmer named Jacob, had a run-in with Milan....but Jacob refuses to discuss the matter with Kate.

As Kate pursues her inquiries, she hears about an old sect called the Schwertler Anabaptists, who 'dealt with' wrongdoers in Amish sects. When Kate tries to determine if Schwertler Anabaptists are still active, she's warned off and told, "If you cross them, they will come for you. They will find you. They will devour you. The pieces of you will never be found." Fateful words, since Kate is repeatedly attacked by a stranger dressed in black.

There's more drama in the book when a BCI agent named Neil Chambers insists Kate recuse herself from the investigation because her brother Jacob is a possible suspect. You can't keep a good police chief down though, and Kate keeps looking into Milan's death. All this leads to an exciting and heart-stopping climax, which readers familiar with the series know to expect.

On a more personal note, newlyweds Kate and Tomasetti enjoy a romantic evening with a charcuterie board, wine, and a lit candle.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers, especially Kate Burkholder fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, Linda Castillo, and Minotaur books for a copy of the manuscript.

Another fantastic book in the Kate Burkholder series! This is one of my all time favorite series and this book was one of my most anticipated 2024 reads. It did not disappoint. I was hooked from start to finish. I loved being back in Painters Mill. I love all the characters, the town/setting, the mystery, the crime solving, the suspense, and the romance (I love Kate and Tomasetti and their part of every story). This is such a great book if you’re looking for a detective mystery.

Welcome back to Painters Mill and another exciting murder to solve with Chief Burkholder and John Tomasetti. I love this series, it's a thrill ride to the last page. Never a dull moment in Painters Mill and throw in a little romance with Mona and Skid and you have a great afternoon on the couch.

While I'm behind on reading this series, I jumped at the chance to read this latest as it debuted. So yes, I had missed some history with the characters, I still fell right back in love with Kate Burkholder and company.

This outing revolves around the gruesome homicide of a local troubled man by a burning at the stake. Is it a grudge, revenge, a cult ritual or just plain evil? There are plenty of suspects, including someone close to Kate herself, but as she digs deeper into the man's life and learns of an historical element that might play a part in the case, she finds herself in danger as she gets too close to the truth.

I really love this series, and the main reason is the central character of Kate. She's a strong, intelligent, no-nonsense, chief of police who is determined to use her past connections to the Amish community to forge peace and understanding between them and the "English". She has a strong, supportive cast of characters surrounding her who are every bit as interesting as she is herself.

So far (and yes, I definitely plan to read the entire series), the homicides are original, the villains complex/well-fleshed out and the denouements exciting and often surprising. Some of the more appalling scenes (murder-wise) are not for the faint of heart, but through those the reader is shown Kate's determination and strong moral ethic to find and punish those who bring chaos and evil to her community.

This was another stellar example of why this series is one of my top picks in the police procedural genre and why I think Castillo is a master at her craft.

Definitely recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of The Burning for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

(4.5 rounded up) The prologue is gut wrenchingly horrific. Needless to say you are sucked in at the get go. Straddling the Amish and English world is a challenge in itself, being a woman and chief of police takes it a higher level. As Kate and her husband (CBI/FBI) work this case her whole team becomes involved and her brother is a suspect. Not a spoiler, it's in the book blurb:) A thriller, a mystery and still provides the feels and emotions. Though this is book 16 you can read it as a stand a lone, but you miss out on Kate's personal growth, her challenges with her family and the meeting of he husband. Thank you St Martins Press/Minotaur books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions! Nothing was expected or requested. #TheBurning #KateBurkholder #LindaCastillo #StMartinsPress/MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

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I've read a few books in this series before and like the main characters a lot. Kate is a complicated person. I like both her and Tomasetti. The story starts out quickly. The pace was fast and there was a lot of action as they get closer to catching the murderer. I enjoy the dynamics between Kate and her staff too. The interactions with the Amish community are interesting to me as is their history. I really enjoyed this installment in the series. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest in the wonderful Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo, narrated by another favorite, Kathleen McInerney. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Police Chief Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent call about a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives, she finds a charred body, apparently burned at the stake. While investigating, Kate learns that the dead man, Milan Swanz, was banned from the Amish and appeared troubled. No one is talking and then her brother is implicated in the murder. To uncover the truth, Kate dives deep into the Anabaptist culture and history, putting her and her new husband in danger's path.

This is one of my favorite series and I look forward to the new release each summer. Following along from the beginning, it feels like falling back with old friends. This is a series best read from the beginning, although Castillo gives enough information that it could easily be read as a stand alone. This installment is a bit darker, both the crime and the history, and poor Kate takes yet another beating! I found myself going back and forth between the digital and audio versions, because I was too engrossed with the story to stop. Kathleen McInerney does a fabulous job narrating these books and I always look forward to listening her voice Kate. Highly recommended this whole series!

I love this series and I love this 16th entry.

As the chief of police in an Amish county, Kate Burkholder is able to use her own Amish past to help solve crimes and the bridge the gap between the Amish and the “English.” In this book, her past and her connection to the Amish creates a problem. When a link between a horrific murder and Kate’s own family is discovered, others are eager to keep her away from the investigation. But Kate is determined to find out who is responsible. Her investigation leads her to even more horrific murders in the past, and sets her on a collision course with the killer.

This is an excellent book in the series. The usual supporting characters are all here, and the tension builds as Kate gets closer to the answers she’s searching for. If you like the series, you’ll like this book!

If you haven’t started the series you may want to start at the beginning so you don’t miss out on the character development and world building, but you don’t have to read the first 15 to enjoy The Burning.

One quick warning— don’t think that the Amish setting makes this a cozy mystery. It’s quite dark, like the series as a whole. But it’s not overly violent.

Super!

The Kate Burkholder Amish mysteries are some of my favorites and the latest installment, The Burning, is terrific! Somewhat gruesome, the murder brings up moral questions of how does a pacifist population resolve repeated morally repugnant acts by an individual. I highly recommend this book (but not while you're trying to get to sleep!)

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-limited e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.