3.5 stars

Gina Colorosa is a cop on the run. She’s mixed up in something bad at the Columbus Division of Police and now there’s no turning back. With nowhere else to go, she points her car to Painters Mill, Ohio, hoping her former friend, Kate Burkholder, now the Chief of Police, will forget the past. Gina gets close, but her car crashes in a blizzard and in the morning, she’s discovered by Adam Lengacher, an Amish widower with three young children.

Gina is injured and bears a weapon, but Adam doesn’t question taking her in. “You don’t leave anyone, including an outsider, to the elements, especially if they’re hurt,” he explains.

Now Kate must confront a close friendship that went bad and ended abruptly. Once best friends and roommates, Gina and Kate attended the police academy together. And Kate can’t forget that Gina took her in when she had nowhere to go, after “leaving the fold” of her Amish family and community.

Gina stays at the Lengacher’s home, under Kate’s supervision, until the weather breaks and Kate and her boyfriend, John Tomasetti, who is with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, decide what to do. Kate tries to get a read on her wild, tough-talking and elusive friend while Tomasetti makes some calls to Columbus. It seems safe at the cozy Lengacher home, where Gina learns about the Amish way of life, but everyone knows it’s just a matter of time until Gina’s dangerous pursuers find her, putting Adam and his kids at great risk. Kate senses that Gina isn’t giving her the whole story and events from their past suggest Gina has broken many police rules.

Outsider is the twelfth book in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series and is told in both Kate’s voice and a third-person narrative of the events in Columbus and the women’s backstories. The author gives readers a look into the Amish way of life and how the Amish and “English” outsiders interact as their lives inevitably overlap. Kate is a bridge between both lives, understanding her childhood friend Adam as well as the outside world. Several moral questions come up and are resolved in interesting ways.

I enjoyed Outsider, although I haven’t read the other Kate Burkholder books. References to her Amish family make me want to go back and catch up on these relationships. I thought the author did a nice job portraying Amish life and includes many Pennsylvania Dutch phrases that enhance the story. There is a big contrast between these Amish chapters and Gina’s life as a cop in Columbus and at times the transition seems jarring. But the story moves at a good pace with a few twists and a satisfying conclusion.

I was attracted to Outsider because of the title and cover. I had an idea of who the woman on the cover represented, but was disappointed that it never became obvious and in fact, I was definitely wrong about my idea. Is this Kate from years ago contemplating her life outside the community? Has she already been shut out? I couldn’t figure it out and felt a little misled.

All-in-all, I enjoyed the book and think readers who like police detective stories and enjoy learning about the Amish would like the series. The author explains plenty from previous books so Outsider also works as a standalone.

Outsider proves that passing a dozen books means great things, which is very reassuring because there have been many promising series where it was evident the stories and the mc were being recycled by book four. But Linda Castillo proves she's got long running chops with this expertly paced and well written installment. I enjoyed Outsider very much and highly recommend it to fans of the series. Casual readers could start here-- and if they do, they'll definitely come away wanting to check out the rest of this wonderful series.

This series always delivers and this is one of the best. While we’ve seen a lot of Kate Burkholder’s current life in previous books, and plenty of flashbacks to her life as an Amish child and teen, I really enjoyed the glimpses in this book into her life immediately after she left the Amish.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

A deliciously intense and chilling murder mystery about friends , secrets , love and family ! This book was a little heartwarming !! Loved it ! One of my favorite authors ! Thanks to Netgalley , Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book ! #Netgalley #St.Martin'sPress #MinotaurBooks #Outsider

You Can Run.

When a no knock raid is carried out at Gina Colorossa’s home, she is lucky to escape with her life. On the run, she can only think of one place to hide: Painters Mill. Home of her former best friend Kate Burkholder, now the Chief of Police. Gina was once best friends with Kate when they were in the Academy together.

When Gina’s car crashes in a snow storm, she is found by Adam Lengacher, an Amish Widower and his children, who kindly take Gina in. A call to Kate is all it takes to bring her out to Adam’s farm before a Blizzard hits.

Secrets and Danger run amok in “Outsider” by Linda Castillo. Can Kate’s dear old friend be trusted? Leave it to Kate and Tomasetti to find the truth in this nail biter! A tense police procedural that explores family, romance and the idea of right and wrong.

A buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 6.27.20.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Linda Castillo for the opportunity to read and review book #12 in this wonderful mystery/police procedural series set in Amish Country, Ohio. As always from this author, a 5 star read for me!

This book finds Chief Kate Burkholder face to face with an old friend from her past. Gina was the first friend Kate met when she left her Amish family. Gina set Kate on the path to join her in becoming police officers, and they worked together on the Columbus Police Department. However, Gina now swept up into things that left Kate uncomfortable and the friends haven't spoken since. When an Amish family takes Gina in after an accident, Kate is forced into making a decision whether or not she can trust her old friend and her tales of police corruption.

I loved finding out more of the backstory of Kate and how she became a police officer. We also get more of a glimpse into typical Amish family life, as Kate and Gina stay with Adam and his children. But I am always thrilled for the opportunity to delve back into this world and these characters. Highly recommended that you read this entire series!

This was an excellent suspense/mystery that blended the police world with the Amish world. I liked the cop/suspense part of the story, but it was also interesting to read a little about what Amish life is like.

The ending had me staying up late at night because there was no way I could quit reading in the middle of the well-written suspenseful ending.

I haven’t read the other 11 books in this series, but I didn’t feel lost about the characters or the story line. In fact, it was so compelling that I now want to start at the beginning and read the whole series.

I recommend this book to people who enjoy suspenseful mysteries, police procedurals, and reading about Amish life. 4/5

This is one of my favorite series. I loved getting to know a little bit more of Kate's past. I also liked getting to know more of the Amish day to day activities. The mystery had me up late into the night. I can't wait to see what is I store for Kate and Tomasetti next.

I received a digital arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

If you have not read this series then you are really missing out. It is good and it's OK to start with this one. It works as a stand alone quite well. Kate Burkholder is the police chief of a small town in Ohio known for it's Amish crafts. Kate was raised Amish so she communicates well with the 30% Amish community.

Her old friend and room-mate, Gina, is on the run from a warrant from the Columbus, Ohio, police department. A cop herself, Gina, is accused of being dirty. Gina is accusing fellow officers of a massive, corrupt ring in the Vice Department and claims she has the evidence to prove it. She runs to Kate for help even though she hasn't seen or spoken to her in 10 years. Unfortunately she has a bad accident and is rescued by an Amish widower and his three children. Kate comes to investigate and they all get snowed in together.

There is nothing that makes me want to be in Ohio in the winter. The descriptions of the drifting snows made me shiver in the 90 degree heat. Still the place to be snowbound is with the Amish. It doesn't matter if the power is out. They don't use it anyway. They have a large stockpile of food and lots of wood. Still Kate is uneasy about Gina's story.

One of the things I like about this series is its depiction of Amish people. It does such a wonderful job describing the daily life and the philosophy behind it. It actually looks like a wonderful way of life if you don't mind all the work and the faith is just inspiring. It's a great way to learn about a culture.

This story kept me up late at night turning the pages. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. This is a great addition to a truly good mystery series. Do yourself a favor and try it out. Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

Review #19 OUTSIDER by Linda Castillo and reviewing for Netgalley
When a former cop friend of Kate Burkholder finds herself in trouble, she runs for help from Kate and her Amish community. I have read several books by this fantastic author and am never disappointed. Great story. 💥💥💥💥Four stars.

Kate Burkholder returns in a new, satisfying mystery thriller. I look forward to each of Castillo's creations. Excellent, straight forward plotting and decent character development.
I always look forward to Castillo's next novel in this series and this one did not disappoint. Kate Burkholder is the sheriff in a county with a large Amish population. That she grew up in an Amish family is a big help in her work even though she is now shunned by many of her former neighbors.
In this story Kate must contend with a blizzard as well as a murderer.

I was given an advance copy via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love this series by Linda Castillo and look forward to the new release every year. I will say that I enjoyed this one more than last years but unfortunately for the author I think it might be bad timing for the subject matter. Bad Cops. I won't hold that against her of course as these books are written well in advance of us getting the. I'm giving it 4 stars because at times I felt the story was a little drawn out and not enough twists or anything thrown in. All in all it was still a good read and I look forward to number 13 next year!

This was an okay read. I enjoyed the plot line. I didn’t realize this was a series but it read okay on it’s own . There were some things I was confused by but overall a decent read.

Ever since I discovered Kate Burkholder back in 2010, I have devoured each new release.....waiting in anticipation until July. I find the peek into Amish life fascinating, add to the fact that I am super in to police procedurals, and it just makes for some enjoyable reading. However, this installment felt short to me. I did not like the police corruption angle. I read this series because I like the focus on the Amish culture and I felt that I did not get that with this book. I still liked it while reading, but it felt like a departure from the usual fare. The "outsider" charcater was not likable and I did not care what happened to her. Also, can Kate and Joe get married already!!!! I wouild give it 3.5 if I could, but will give 4 because of my love for this series overall.

Outsider (Kate Burkholder #12) by Linda Castillo

On a day when summer heat and humidity has finally arrived, reading a story where everyone is snowed in seems the perfect choice to cool off. And if you haven't been following the series, book #12 in the Kate Burkholder series can be read as a standalone.

Starting with a bang, the story is off and running. A policewoman from the big city, who can't think of any place safe to run from dirty cops, seeks out her old friend Police Chief Kate Burkholder, who runs the Police Department in Painters Mill, a tiny community in northwest Ohio where many residents are Amish. Kate herself grew up Amish but left the order.

In a massive snowstorm on a back road in Painters Mill, the wounded Gina crashes her car. An Amish family out for a sleigh ride comes across the damaged half buried car and begins a search for the driver. Helping those in need is the Amish way.

FIRST LINE: "She'd always known they would come for her."

WHAT I THOUGHT: The first Kate Burkholder story I discovered was Her Last Breath #5 (Jul 17, 2015). The I quickly devoured Sworn to Silence #1 (July 21, 2015) and Pray for Silence #2 (July 26, 2015). Then I stopped because I found the crimes against the Amish, especially the young women, too overwhelming. But because the series is so popular, I decided to try again. I'm glad I did. Although violence and death occur, there is more than enough life and happiness to balance the story. The reader knows just enough of what is coming to anxiously keep turning the page.

All the characters are well-established so that you care what happens to them with, of course, the exception of the villains.

Although the narrative shifts from third person to first person, it is done seamlessly. There were red herrings along the way that added to the tension.

One of the delightful things about this series is the author's inclusion of Amish language and customs.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.This entry filled in a lot of backstory for Kate and how she left her Amish family and became a police officer in Columbus. The ending ensures there will be a #13 entry in the series!

Disclaimer: A copy of Outsider was provided to me by Minotaur Books/Net Galley for an honest review.

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 7, 2020)
ISBN-10: 125014289X
ISBN-13: 978-1250142894

Originally from Ohio where her Amish thrillers are set, Linda Castillo knew from an early age that she wanted to be a writer--and penned her first novel at the age of thirteen. She's published thirty books for three New York publishing houses and won numerous industry awards, including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, and a nomination for the prestigious Rita. (from her website)

If you have been reading this series, you will quickly find out that this book does not fit this author's norm. It takes a significant step back from the crime being committed by an Amish person or to an Amish person. This book is about Gina, a woman Kate knew when she left the order and went to Police Academy with. A policeperson who did not stick to the straight and narrow. And now that Gina is in trouble, she is going to Kate in Ohio to seek help.

This book really kept me on my toes, wondering who the heck that 'bad' guys really were. Did Gina really do what her teammates are claiming? Has she committed some very heinous crimes? Is Kate helping out and hiding a murderer? What repercussions will Kate take because of her actions? Will Kate live through all of this and what will it mean to her and John.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I suggest that you try to read at least the first book in this series.

I loved every bit f this book and would recommend it highly to those that love taught mysteries, thrillers, and learning about other cultures.

*ARC supplied by the publisher and author.

Outsider by Linda Castillo is the twelfth book in the Kate Burkholder series. It is a full length novel and once again we are back in Painter’s Mill and Kate is put into an interesting position. I enjoy each novel as I feel like I am dropping in to check on Kate and the other characters each time.

In this novel we meet Gina, a woman who helped Kate when she first left the Amish and was her closest friend for four years. However, at this time, Gina is in trouble and has come to Kate for help. She needs someone to believe her. Gina missed Kate’s farm and ends up on Adam Lengacher's farm who renders aid. mAll this is happening in the midst of a blizzard. Kate needs state agent John Tomasetti help and is hiding out with Gina at Lengacher’s farm. The bad guys however are beginning to put the facts together about where she is. Meanwhile, Linda Castillo adds in information about Gina now and Gina from the past.

I like the slow reveal of facts and the questions that come with more information. I did not find Gina a likable character, but I suspect that was what was intended. I did like the novel and once again was really excited to find out that was going to happen next. Isn’t it funny - despite the novel being completed, I am concerned for Adam and how the Amish community will treat him for his help.

Outsider by Linda Castillo was a good read! Exciting, thrilling and twisted - enjoy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Kate Burkholder series is one of my favorites; I have read all twelve titles. The latest book reveals more about Kate's beginnings as a police officer in Columbus when her best friend comes to Painters Mill needing help because she is in serious trouble and is afraid for her life. The scenes with an Amish family are lovely and the soul searching that results from being forced to revisit her past leads Kate toward her future happiness. A satisfying read.

This is the twelfth Kate Burkholder mystery and this time an old friend with a big problem comes to visit.

Gina Colorosa is on the run from a bunch of her police colleagues who are into all sorts of illegal activities. Gina isn't so clean herself. When she has to run, with a bullet in her shoulder, she finds her way to Amish country where Kate is the Sheriff.

A car accident puts her in the way of Adam Lengacher who was a childhood friend of Kate's. Now he is a widower with three young children. With a blizzard on the way and no way to get Gina somewhere where she won't endanger the Lengachers, Kate is forced to hear her story and decide what she can do to help her.

The problem is that, while they were good friends from the time they met and all through their time at the police academy, their paths took radically different turns once they were on the job. Gina was always an adrenaline junkie and had a more flexible set of morals than Kate had. That caused a break in their friendship that was never healed.

Kate calls in her boyfriend John Tomasetti who works with the BCI to try to find out the true story since neither she nor John think that Gina is telling everything she knows. Meanwhile, two of Gina's fellow officers want to find her and kill her before she can get her version of the facts out in public.

This was a fast-paced and action-packed thriller. Fans of the genre and fans of the Kate Burkholder series won't want to miss this one.

Castillo goes a little off the path with her new book - the case for Kate to solve this time is not an Amish one. Castillo reintroduces Kate's first police partner - Gina - and gives the reader a back "history" of why Kate decided to return and become the police chief of her Amish hometown.