This is part of a series, but I read it as a standalone. It is about an ex-Amish police chief who is tasked with figuring out how an Amish man died. He was found basically burned at the stake. And people could hear him scream. So super creepy. However, even with the creepy premise, this seemed like a ‘light’ thriller/mystery to me.

I have been an avid reader and fan of the Kate Burkholder series since the first book came out in 2009. The Burning is the 16th book in this series, and I enjoyed just as much as I did all the prior books. Some long-standing series lose steam by the time they get past a certain number of books, but the Kate Burkholder series still has strong characters and plots each time. Linda Castillo never disappoints!

This time, Kate is called to the scene of a mysterious fire, only to discover it's also the scene of a horrific murder as well. Why would someone chain an Amish man to a stake and then burn him alive? Kate soon faces opposition from all sides due to the grisly nature of the crime, reluctance of the Amish to open up to outsiders, and a suspect who is very close to her.

I enjoyed this book immensely from start to finish. The suspense and plot kept me totally engrossed in the story. The story moved along at a perfect pace with plenty of investigation and possible suspects. Kate really shines as a strong main character in this newest book. It was a rough investigation. Made for a very twisty, suspenseful story!

I backtracked about half way through the book and started over again with the audio book version. I love having suspense stories read to me...so it was worth starting over to enjoy the audio. Kathleen McInerney always does a great job narrating this series. The audio is about 10 hours long. I enjoyed every minute!

A great addition to this series! I can't wait for the next book in this series -- always a wonderful read!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book and audio book from St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I enjoyed this one as a procedural set in Amish country. I remember reading the book right before this as my entry into this series and enjoyed the followup.

I liked the various different aspects - including the Anabaptist side of things - and followed along with anticipation through the mystery. Lots of action in this one.

Can recommend to those who enjoy thrillers and a unique perspective of a once-Amish lead.


Note: Lots of language in this one.

My rating: 3.5*
___
Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted listening copy. All opinions are my own.

I love police procedurals and Linda Castillo writes fantastic ones.
This one started with a bang and it was impossible to stop listening until the end. Full of suspense, fast-paced and addictive. This is the 16th book in a series but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this complimentary audiobook.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 by Linda Castillo released July 9, 2024.

I love reading series, especially mystery series (blame it on Nancy Drew!) - and I'm usually a stickler for reading any series in order. But somehow I ended up starting this series somewhere in the middle. Lucky for me, Linda Castillo is good about giving just enough backstory at times when it's needed so that I never feel totally lost, yet leaves me wanting to go back and read the books I've missed. That was the case again with this book - this is a dark and gritty book about some appalling sins and horrifying retribution. I find myself liking the fact that while Kate Burkholder is a smart and capable cop, she isn't above letting her emotions (and pride) get the better of her at times and not always making the best decisions. Kind of like us mere mortals, rather than a supercop. We feel her frustration as she not only has to battle with an unknown perpetrator, but with her (male) superiors in law enforcement. As always, it left me wanting to read more about Kate and her journey.
I had both the ebook and the audiobook, and ended up mostly listening to the audiobook. As usual Kathleen McInerney does an excellent job with the narration.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

"Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to a fire in the middle of the night. A man has been tied to a stake and burned to death. The man, Milan Swanz, had recently been ex-communicated from the Amish community. Kate knows the Amish like to handle things themselves and it is unlikely she will find someone willing to speak about Swanz. But the more she digs she stumbles across men that are willing to do anything to protect the Amish community...and their secret."

This book starts out slowly but once Kate finds what's lurking in the community, it takes off. Kathleen McInerney does an excellent job with the audio, especially the end and Kate's desperation.
There were some stereotypes - local sheriff, overbearing state law enforcement takeover - but it doesn't stray too far into that. The ending is wild and you never know who is going to make it.

Interesting clash of cultures from Castillo.

Another Kate Burkholder novel, and another time where I’m reminded that she’s one of my favorite characters. She has a strong moral compass, a love for her family, her community (and the community she left years ago) along with her team.

The audio narration was wonderful (as always). The narration really brings out how detail-oriented and thoughtful Kate is in every aspect of her life.

In The Burning, I was HORRIFIED by the initial crime. The writing and narration were INTENSE so early in the book. The investigation that followed was great. I learned a lot about types of Amish communities, and though I definitely didn’t jump to the same conclusions that Kate did and had no idea how she came to hers, I’m glad for the book’s ending.

THE BURNING, Kate Burkholder #16
Linda Castillo, author
Mystery/Thriller

Follow along as a former Amish practitioner turned Chief of Police Kate Burkholder as she once again dives into the Amish community to solve a murder. This time it is personal though as her brother is the suspect.

I am a huge fan of this series. They can be read as standalone books, I picked them up mid-series. It has everything expected from a mystery with a dash of Amish fun facts in the mix. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Sadly, I was unable to read this book. I downloaded it, but it did not appear on my shelf. By the time I noticed it was time to read, it had already been archieved not allowing me to download it again.

This was a 'did not finish' for me. Although I love the author, just couldn't get into the story of this popular author. Will be buying it as patrons will be requesting it but I found it did not live up to past audiobooks by this author. It was a miss for me.

This was my first Kate Burkholder book (and the series' #16) and I fairly enjoyed this thriller as it reminded me as a better, more thought-out version of James Patterson's Women Murder Club series (versus the middle ones as I thought the first was brilliant). And I really enjoyed the more detailed insights into the Amish culture; so that was a plus.

The overall crime was your usual plot line, small twists here and there. So then as a reader, I would rely on the cleverness and the way the author laid out the story, which I thought was just okay. This was middle of the road for me. I enjoyed the crime thriller aspect, mainly because that was my go-to genre, but there wasn't much to move this book up to the must-read category. Come for the crime, stay for the Amish curiosity.

One thing I didn't get, however, and maybe this was because I hadn't read any of the books in the series, was the bland and odd relationship of Kate and her husband (fiancé? I don't remember, sorry). He might as well had been just a fellow coworker in the service because there wasn't any connection or chemistry between them. I felt the connection between Kate and her brother for sure, but the husband (or fiancé?), not so much. This book had some suspense, some gripping moments, and the pacing was fine. But it just came another crime thriller lost in the pool of plenty.

The audio was done really well. I definitely appreciated that part.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audio eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I look forward to a new Kate Burkholder book every year. Once again, Linda Castillo transports us to Amish territory to the scene of a grizzly murder: an Amish man burned at the stake. Kate's brother is one of the suspects, and Kate is taken off the case, but she does not stop trying to find the answers. Kathleen McInerney is once again brilliant as the voice of this series. I'm looking forward to the next one!

3.5 Stars

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the #gifted copy of The Burning! #MacAudio2024 #MacAudio2024

Audio Length: 9 Hours 31 Minutes
Narrator: Kathleen McInerney
Publication date:July 9, 2024

So this was a shock right from the beginning... imagine an Amish man burned at the stake with little to no evidence around. Who could have done it?It's up to Kate, Tomasetti, and the rest of the team to figure out the mystery.

So when I first started listening to this, I did not realize that the main character had other books in which she was involved (alongside other characters). So I hope I did not miss much (my fault)! Although, now I am quite curious about other books in this "series" and I do wish I would have read some before reading this for more background knowledge. This was very atmospheric and chilling. Details explained and imagined. But also most things were straight to the point. This is defiantly a police procedure/crime fiction novel, so the details are meant to be a part of an overall idea. Entertaining and mysterious. I liked that Kate had an Amish background. I found that to be unique and refreshing in regard to a crime procedural. I did not mind the subplot romance either! (another thing I have little information on as I did not read any of the other books...)

So what did not work? I did feel like the middle was a bit off paced compared to the rest of the book but it was not something that truly impacted my enjoyment. And as smart as Kate was described.... I had a hard time not rolling my eyes at some of the decisions she made being a part of the criminal justice system. Some of her actions would NEVER pass by and I had to try and just set that aside.

Overall: I would recommend but check out other books first!!

Read if you like:
- crime fiction
- tv shows like: Law and Order, True Detective, and Criminal Minds
- police procedural
- romance as a subplot

Disappointing. Where the book was going was apparent from the first chapter. The reader might not have all the answers, but enough was revealed, so there were no surprises. The book is slow without the usual last-minute Castillo twist and could have benefited from a secondary plotline other than outside agencies not liking Kate and her investigation tactics. The only redeeming part was the dark history, which led to a Google dive into the Schwertler Anabaptists.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder knows the Amish prefer to keep their issues private, but when she is called out to the woods in response to a fire, she is not quite prepared for that fire to be a man tied to a stake and smoldering. No one liked excommunicated Milan Swanz, especially his ex-wife, but the Amish do not speak ill of the dead, which is a complication for the Painter’s Mill Police Department.

I enjoy this series, but there is a running theme in the books, and it is beginning to feel like a fill-in-the-blank series. Gruesome death; innocent Amish who turns out to be no different than the Englisher’s; people don’t like the police chief until they need her; Kate is severely injured; twist; the end.

First off, any Ohio mystery/thriller readers- Linda Castillo is an Ohio author and this story is set in Amish country in OH! It was so cool to hear the places referenced throughout this book and understand where they were.

3.5 ⭐️ The Burning is a dark, suspenseful mystery. I have not read any of the other Kate Burkholder books, but I am definitely interested in them now! I was able to read this as a standalone but I think I will go back and read/listen to some others!

The setting in this was very interesting, and I was really a fan of the main character Kate and her ties to the Amish community. I have not read a mystery like this before but I was very intrigued! I enjoyed the writing style and the narration for this one is very well done! I will say I feel like Kate finds herself in situations she shouldn’t a bit too many times, but overall very enjoyable read!

Was good 4.5 better then some of her past novels
Will read more from this author in the future
Read out of sequence so some spoilers but pridictable changes

I loved this 16th book in Linda Castillo's "Kate Burkholder" series!
One of my all-time favourite series!
Painters Mill Chief of Police Kate Burkholder receives an urgent, middle of the night call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. What she discovers is a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased is an Amish man who was chained to a stake and burned alive.
Kate, previously Amish, knows that the Amish community prefer to handle their problems within their own community. From what she is able to piece together the victim led an extremely troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. The suspect list rapidly begins to grow.
A captivating plot and suspenseful read!
It is always a pleasure to revisit the characters I have become quite attached to in Painters Mill.
I can hardly wait for the next Kate Burkholder story.
Once again, narrator Kathleen McInerney does a superb job telling this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very different type of police procedural being that it takes place in an Amish community. This is book #16 in the Kate Burkholder series. I have not read the first 15 books in the series, and I feel as though this can be read as a standalone. The Burning is a fast paced thriller that took me on a wild ride. I was engrossed in this audiobook wanting to know what would develop. This is definitely an “edge of your seat” thriller and I truly enjoyed this. I am adding the previous books in the series to my TBR list.

Kathleen McInerney did a good job narrating this book. She kept me truly entertained!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Burning
Linda Castillo
When a former Amish man was burned at the stake everyone is a suspect. This is a page turning whodunnit, you’ll be hooked just listening to the prologue. I loved that we saw the entire investigation through Chief Kate Burkholders eyes as she interviewed different suspects. I will say that I almost wish I had a physical copy only to help me keep all the characters straight. There were so many.

The narrator did an amazing job. I was able to listen to this at 2x speed with no issues.

The Burning by Linda Castillo is book 16 in her Kate Burkholder series. You’re probably asking yourself, Kelly, you’ve been reading this series and not talking about it?! The answer is no, I have never picked up any books in this series. Have I read a book by this author, another easy no. So why jump in at book 16 you ask? I like to party lol

I read this synopsis and was so intrigued and later learned it was book 16. An Amish Thriller, did I even know this was a thing?!? Also a no. But let me tell you, I binge listened to this in ONE day! It was so good. Having no prior knowledge of this story was no problem whatsoever. I was completely mesmerized by the author’s storytelling and the narrator knocked it out the park. They brought this story to life and I felt like I was right in the middle of this case and on the edge of my seat trying to piece together the clues. Now I have an entire backlist to binge and couldn’t be more excited about it!

I highly recommend reading this series. I can only imagine if book 16 is this good that the rest of the series has to be just as binge worthy.

A huge thank you Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. Be prepare to be gripped by this narration and storytelling. Loved the twist and turns and stayed for that ending. Can’t wait to read more by this author!

4 gripping and amazingly awesome stars!!