At first I found her somewhat monotone performance jarring, but as the book goes on she brings out more nuance, and I ended up enjoying it and thought it was suitable for such a closed-off character as Kate.Police Chief Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of a horrific tragedy on a peaceful Amish farm. I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which is narrated by Kathleen McInerney. I also wished we saw more of the Painter Mills police department, as Kate spends most of this book investigating alone or with Tomasetti. I did think there were some mild pacing issues, perhaps because of the false climax of the car chase scene – things drag a little right after before they pick up again. I also liked how Kate and John’s relationship grew stronger – even if I look askance at how she often calls him Tomasetti even in private! I felt that the characters did a better job of investigating this time round, and Kate’s emotional investment is more intense, creating interesting tensions. The mystery is compelling, and the various twists and turns genuinely shocked me. This is the third book in the series, and I feel that Castillo really hits her stride here.
But as Kate Burkholder investigates the deaths and a recent slew of hate crimes against the Amish, she begins to suspect that they might be connected. There’s been a terrible accident out at the Slabaugh farm – the parents and a visiting uncle have died in the manure pit, leaving four children orphaned. I hope these wrinkles get ironed out as the series continues. I also thought Kate was rather foolish in the climax, and the sequence of events felt like it echoed that of the first case too closely. However, I did think the investigation was somewhat lacking at times – some leads are inexplicably dropped even as Kate investigates far slenderer ones, which I wouldn’t mind if it weren’t for how those dropped leads are what lead to the solution of the case. I also didn’t mind the relationship between Kate and John nearly as much as I did in the first book. Again I enjoyed following along the investigation and the camaraderie between the police officers, as well as Kate’s empathy for the victims. The second book in the Kate Burkholder series, this book moves away from the subplots surrounding Kate’s past and lean more into a straightforward police procedural surrounding the murder of an unassuming family. After an Amish family of seven is discovered slain in their home, chief of police Kate Burkholder investigates, uncovering a dark second life that one of the daughters was leading.
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