An extraordinarily beautiful Amish woman, a dangerous femme fatale, is the central figure in a story that reveals a dark side of Painters Mill and its seemingly perfect Amish world A rainy night, an Amish father returning home with his three children, a speeding car hurtling toward them out of nowhere. What at first seems like a tragic, but routine car accident suddenly takes on a more sinister … takes on a more sinister cast as evidence emerges that nothing about the crash is accidental. But who would want to kill an Amish deacon and two of his children? He leaves behind a grieving widow and a young boy who clings to life in the intensive care wing of a hospital, unable to communicate. He may be the only one who knows what happened that night. Desperate to find out who killed her best friend’s husband and why, Kate begins to suspect she is not looking for a reckless drunk, but instead is on the trail of a cold blooded killer amid the residents of Painter’s Mill. It is a search that takes her on a chilling journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart and makes her question everything she has ever believed about the Amish culture into which she was born.
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The story begins with a horrific crash between a high-speed vehicle and a buggy being driven by an Amish deacon transporting his three children. What first appears as a tragic hit-and-run accident starts to look like something more. Police Chief Kate Burkholder recognizes the driver as the husband of her childhood best friend and finds herself back in the world she walked away from years ago. Things get even more complicated when some kids exploring an old mining cave discover human bones, posing a threat to Kate as it is related to a troubling event from her past.
Kate’s reentry into her old world and relationships provided an opportunity to learn even more about her as well as provide clues about what might have precipitated the crash. As the story evolved, so did perspectives based on the past. The parallel inquiry to determine the identity of the human remains and cause of his death added even more tension. I also enjoyed Kate’s recollections of events from her teen years and the people who had strong imprints on her memory and points of view. Her relationship with FBI John Tomasetti advances as he encourages her to make a deeper commitment.
I listened to the story and love this narrator’s storytelling skills and character distinctions. Her pacing is excellent and when the tension ratcheted up, I was riveted not only by what was going on but how she added to the excitement of the final scenes. The ending was both a surprise and somewhat expected as I was loathe to accept the truth. I’ve been on a long, unintentional hiatus from the series and am so happy to being resuming via a Goodreads group read. It’s great to be back in Painters Mill with characters I’ve missed and interesting stories involving the Amish community.
First and foremost, if I could give it 4.5stars, I would. Secondly, even though about halfway through the story, I predicted the plot and who the ultimate suspect would probably turnout to be, I still really enjoyed the way that Castillo told the story and weaved the clues throughout.
Lastly, throughout this whole series, Castillo would have us believe that crime in Painters Mill is no different than any other town – that’s actually kind of scary too. Having done a google search and a little reading on crime in an Amish communities, I know that isn’t the case (thank goodness!!!) but, Castillo has certainly created a great series around the prospect of “what if it was?”, “what if the Amish suffered from some of the same psychological defects and character flaws as the rest of society?”, “what if…..”?
Based on the last chapter of the story, things could get more interesting and certainly more complicated for Kate and Tomasetti.
5 Stars
What a waste of my time.
4 stars for another well done murder mystery in the Kate Burkholder series. I started reading this series 2 years ago when I won Among the Wicked in a Goodreads giveaway. I liked it so much that I decided to go back and read the rest of the series. My wife also likes this series and has read all of the series.
This book opens with a hit and run accident where an Amish buggy with a father and 3 children are the victims of a vehicle that left the scene of the accident. Kate soon realizes that the accident was premeditated and that she is looking for a murderer. The suspense builds and Kate does solve the case, but not before she is almost killed. I did not suspect the killer until near the end. There is a bit of predictability in these mysteries, in that Kate is almost always attacked and nearly killed, but miraculously survives.
This was a library book. I read it in 2 days.
One quote by Kate: “Solving a case is akin to putting a puzzled together. The kind that has a thousand infinitesimal pieces, some of which are missing, damaged, or false. Initially, none of those pieces seem to have a place in the big picture. They’re the wrong color or shape or size. It’s my job to persevere and figure out which ones to toss aside, which ones to keep.”