Review: Fallen by Linda Castillo

Reading the next installment in the Kate Burkholder series has become a summer tradition for me. After the school year ends, I read the next short story in the series and then dive into the next novel as soon as it becomes available. I love this series and cannot wait to read about Kate's next adventure as a cop in Amish country and also check in on how her relationship with Tomasetti is progressing. 

I have no idea how she does it, but Linda Castillo has written another amazing thriller starring the ex-Amish Chief of Police. Fallen starts out with a bang as the opening scene details the murder of another formerly Amish woman who returned to Painters Mill only to be greeted by a murderer. The beginning is definitely graphic, which will bother some readers, but I didn't find it overly grotesque. It definitely gave the story an edge that has not always been present in previous Kate Burkholder novels. Kate feels connected to the victim because of her own experiences leaving the Amish fold and sets out to apprehend the killer before more victims show up. This novel is full of suspense and has twist after twist to keep you on your toes. All of the readers' favorite characters are there to support Kate as well.

I consistently give 4-star reviews to many of these books. I love the characters and the mysteries are always entertaining, but, as you probably already know, I'm stingy when it comes to giving out 5-star ratings. In fact, the last Burkholder novel I gave 5 stars to was #8, Among the Wicked. It has to be un-put-down-able (yes, I'm making a new word here) to earn such a high rating from me and I'm so happy to say that Fallen checked all the boxes. I devoured it in two sittings. It was so action-packed and suspenseful that the pages seemed to turn themselves. Kudos to Linda Castillo for being able to still write such fresh and exciting material thirteen novels in to a series. The only bummer here is that now I have to wait a whole year to read the next one!

My Rating: ★★★★★

At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 6, 2021.

*Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Outsider by Linda Castillo

Kate Burkholder, everyone's favorite ex-Amish Chief of Police, is back in Linda Castillo's latest novel, Outsider. This is the 12th novel in the series that follows the life and cases of the aforementioned cop in the small town of Painter's Mill, Ohio.

This time around, Kate comes face to face with her past in the form of Gina Colorosa, an old friend from her police academy days. Gina is discovered by Adam, a young Amish widower, after crashing her truck during a snow storm and almost freezing to death in the elements. His Amish nature compels him to bring the strange woman home despite his gut telling him that there is more to this story than an innocent accident in a blizzard. Gina, having barely escaped with her life, is on the run from some supposedly crooked cops who see her as a threat to their illegal activities. Despite the falling out that resulted in the former friends not seeing or speaking to each other in over a decade, Gina asks to see Kate because she has nowhere else to go. The two women get snowed in while at Adam's house and are forced to spend the next few days with him and his young children. Kate listens to Gina's story about being framed for heinous crimes by angry colleagues, but she has her doubts about Gina's culpability and sincerity. She wants to believe that her old friend isn't capable of the things she's been accused of doing, but how well did she ever really know Gina? With the help of John Tomasetti, Kate must put her old feelings to rest in order to find the truth and make the tough decision of protecting Gina or turning her in to the proper authorities.

This was a great addition to the Kate Burkholder series. The storyline is solid and suspenseful. It kept me reading late into the night. The twists made the story entertaining, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see them coming. While the main plot doesn't focus on the Amish this time around, the reader still gets a lot of insight into the Amish way of life through Kate and Gina's time with Adam and his family. I enjoyed learning about some of the family's winter customs, such as ice skating on a frozen pond and going on sleigh rides. I was also happy to get more of a glimpse into Kate's past after she decided to leave the Amish way of life. Castillo sheds some light on Kate's struggles as she learns to navigate the English world alone and how she ultimately ended up pursuing a career in law enforcement. The reader can also look forward to seeing how Kate and Tomasetti's relationship continues to develop. One thing that is missing from the story is the other members of Kate's team. Because of the blizzard, Kate is stuck at Adam's farm and has almost no interaction with the rest of the characters I've grown to love throughout the series. Other than that small complaint, this is an enjoyable read that lives up to the rest of the series. While all the novels can stand alone, I highly recommend starting from the very first book in order to fully understand and appreciate the complicated protagonist that is Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 7, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!