FINAL DECISION: Although I missed Kate being in her element in Painters Mill, her acting as a "private investigator" gave this book in the series a different feel as she is cut off from her resources. I also really enjoyed the personal connection she has to the story and her working out part of her past. I wish there was more Tomasetti but understand why he needed to be at a distance.

THE STORY: Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is approached by Amish elders from Pennsylvania to help with an investigation of a murder. A local man has been accused of the murder of an Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus. The man is not a stranger to Kate as he is someone she grew up with and has a history with. Kate finds that being a cop does not give her any privileges and her presence is not wanted by local police. The murdered bishop was a strict man and at first, the only person with a motive seems to be her childhood acquaintance. Then things become dangerous and Kate discovers that there are more secrets in Pennsylvania than she expected.

OPINION: I really enjoyed this book primarily because Kate is working out another part of her past. Although I had guessed much of what the secret was, I enjoyed how the story is played out in this book.

I think it is often hard to make a series fresh and interesting after over a dozen books. This book manages new energy by taking Kate out of her element and thus challenging her investigative skills. I wouldn't want this in every book because I do love the characters in Painters Mill, but I was totally on board with this one.

For me, I read this book more for Kate than I do the mysteries, but this one had plenty of twists and turns. I figured out a lot of this one, but I was still on the journey as the plot followed its path.

What I really enjoyed in this book was Kate's personal story. She finally has to confront part of her past. As readers know, Kate has a traumatic past that often impinges upon her current relationships including her live-in love, Tomasetti. Another part of her past is revealed in this book and I totally loved the story. It was complex and emotional and worked out in a way that I left the book intensely satisfied.

WORTH MENTIONING: Stay for the end of the book which will make those of us who are here for the Kate/John romance very happy.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE HIDDEN ONE is the fourteenth book in the Kate Burkholder series. Although there are ongoing relationship stories, each book, including this one is a standalone mystery. Therefore, this book can be read as a standalone. My recommendation is to read the books in order though in order to get the most out of the emotional personal story.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley which was used to prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

This is my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last! If you're looking for a great suspenseful novel that you won't want to put down, this is a must read! It is part of a series, but I enjoyed it as a stand alone.
Highly recommend!
I was grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to read and review!

The Hidden on is another in the Kate Burkholder series from Linda Castillo. Kate is the police chief in Painters Mill. She grew up Amish but left the sect many years ago. As a teenager, she thought she was in love with Jonas Bowman. But Jonas and her family were forced to move away from their community. Elders from an Amish community in Pennsylvania come to see Kate. Jonas has been accused of murder and needs her help. The Hidden One uses all of Kate’s skill to figure out if Jonas is a murderer. But to do this, she has to set aside the feelings that sixteen-year-old Kate had for Jonas. And she must remember Tomasetti waiting patiently at home for her. I have to admit, Linda Castillo is one of my favorite authors. This book kept me engrossed. I enjoy seeing Kate use her Amish background along with her police training. A five star read for me.

Such a gripping book! I love these stories and this one kept me guessing until near the end. I loved that we went back to see more of who Kate used to be and the events that shaped her and brought those relationships into the present. Great book!

The Hidden One is the 14th Kate Burkholder procedural thriller by Linda Castillo. Due out 5th July 2022 from Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a very well written murder mystery and although it's number 14 in the series, it works well as a standalone. All the background character and setting information is provided in the book itself. There is an ongoing, multi-book, partnership between formerly-Amish small-town police chief Kate and her significant other, a retired cop as well as an ensemble cast of colleagues. I do recommend reading the previous books, they're all solid. The series is well plotted and full of believable characters and inter-agency police stories.

The sense of place is palpable. There are a number of Amish characters (the small town where Chief of Police Kate Burkholder works is a rural agricultural area inhabited by a number of Amish families). The author's descriptions are nuanced and believable. I found some of the dialogue jarring because it's liberally sprinkled with Pennsylvania Dutch, but the author is adept at translating, and most of it is understandable from context. This is another (very) cold case mystery, surrounding the disappearance of an Amish bishop from a different Amish area than the town where Kate lives and works and involving people she herself was involved with almost 2 decades previously. She's cut off from her support network and this is almost exclusively an off-the-books solo investigation on Kate's part, without official sanction or access.

The characters are impressively nuanced. It takes a quite a lot of technical expertise to write characters who do bad things but aren't necessarily bad people and subtlety to allow readers to arrive at their own conclusions. The denouement and resolution were well written and satisfying and although I had guessed the overall theme of the crimes and motivations underlying, there were some really surprising twists at the end.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours and 18 minutes and is narrated capably and well by Kathleen McInerney. She has a warm and rich clear alto voice and does a good job delineating the widely varied accents of a range of characters of all ages and both sexes including elderly and children's voices. Sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Eighteen years ago, Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared. His remains have just been found and the police have arrested a murder suspect.


Police chief Kate Burkholder grew up Amish but is no longer a part of the community. When the Pennsylvania elders from the town where the body was found show up to and ask for Kates help, she soon realizes a very personal connection to the case. Jonas Bowman, who was arrested for the murder, happened to he Kate’s first love. Kate decides to travel to Pennsylvania to see if she can help clear Jonas.

Kate soon realizes there was more to the dead bishop than meets the eye. Someone doesn’t want Kate to discover the truth and will take drastic measures to stop her. Will she uncover the murderer and clear Jonas?

This is my first book by this author. I really enjoyed the book and characters.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Hidden One is book #14 of the Kate Burkholder series and I have read them all.
The main character Kate (ex-Amish) is the police chief of the small Amish town she grew up in.
The book was filled with intriguing twists, moments of the past, adrenaline rushes and as always a surprise ending. Can't wait for the next on

I have been reading Kate Burkholder books since Linda Castillo published the first in the series (SWORN TO SILENCE). Since then, I've loved and liked the books. THE HIDDEN ONE is absolutely one of my favorites, so far! Originally, I wasn't excited that Burkholder wasn't going to be in Painter's Mill, but I found that the change in setting actually worked really well. The relationship with a former friend (still Amish) made the book flow. I loved the interaction between Kate (as an outsider) and the Big Valley Sheriff's department.

The crime was pretty ordinary, but the secrets behind WHO and WHY the crime was committed really surprised me. I loved that there was more than one twist at the end and it was not what I'd expected. Castillo did a great job with keeping the reader guessing until the end.

I am a big fan of Linda Castillo and read all her books from the Kate Burkholder series. So, of course I enjoyed reading this one. Can’t wait for another installment!

For those who are new to this series, the plots take place within the Amish community and the mysteries are are gory and mind blowing. Linda does not hold back.

Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this.

WOW! This was quite the story, very interesting because of Amish. Will be waiting for more of the authors books! Sometime we not who we pretend to be! Some are judged by things, but do we really change?

I've been a fan for a while now, and this effort didn't disappoint. Kate Burkholder is everything you want in a heroine; strong, smart and willing to take a chance. Moving the scene to Pennsylvania was a change for the series, ad I think it added to the series' depth.

While the story itself was not ground-breaking, it was entertaining and told well. I'm planning on continuing following the series.

I received a free copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

was really looking forward to book 14 in this series and I listened to it all in one day. I enjoyed it until right before the very end. The solution turned out to be an old trope that I’m tired of hearing about. It did explain why it was a cold case from 18 years ago but I won’t say more. Still, it was a minor disappointment because I still like Kate and Tomasetti even though he barely appeared. I enjoyed the progression in their relationship. I especially like the way that he treats her as an equal. So maybe not the best book in the series but I still enjoyed it.

This is book 14 in the Kate Burkholder mystery series. The premise: the skeletal remains of a long missing, elderly Amish bishop are found with signs of foul play. Elders from this community come to ask Sheriff Burkholder to help for two reasons: she is formerly Amish and she also once knew the man accused of the murder. In fact, as teenagers he was Kate's first love and their parting held repercussions for them both.

All of these books feature crimes set in the Amish community, usually in Ohio but this case has Kate traveling to Pennsylvania to an Amish community with different rules and culture. Kate is a stranger there, traveling alone and in no official capacity. Local law enforcement does not appreciate her presence and local families don't always trust her. I found it troublesome to the story's believability that Kate was somehow still able to discover clues and piece together information in a matter of days despite all these obstacles. Add to this multiple attempts on her life, car accidents and severe sleep deprivation and I am just not buying this character.

As is the case with many long running series I found this one truly lost its way. Kate became so unbelievable and almost annoying. The story would have us accept that Kate is Wonder Woman. She doesn't need anyone's help, people either love her or are jealous of her, certain men love her / have never gotten over her, she gets repeatedly beaten up yet always rejects medical help and still somehow moves forward despite the pain. And the multiple fight scenes at the end of the book came off as ridiculous.

Both my wife and I enjoy reading this series. This book has Kate Burkholder going to Amish country in Pennsylvania. Three Amish bishops/elders come to visit her In Painters Mill, Ohio, where she is the police chief. They want her to go to Pennsylvania to investigate a murder. Jonas Bowman has been arrested for the murder of Ananias Stoltzfus and they believe that he is innocent. They have heard of Kate. They know that she grew up Amish, but left the fold as a teenager. They know that she is a very good investigator.. Jonas and Kate have history and this is explained through flashback chapters interspersed throughout the book.
Because of this history, Kate decides to take a few days off and go to Lancaster County, Pa,., to investigate. She is attacked several times while there, and always miraculously survives, a recurring theme is this series.
This book can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend that you read them in order, as there are developments in Kate's personal life as the series progresses.
One quote: A bit of humor: "Buggy horse took a crap in the street," he tells me. "Lady in the RAV stepped in it." "Bet that didn't go over very well," I mutter as I squeeze between two teenage boys who've stopped to see what all the excitement is about.
Joe's mouth twitches. "She's pissed, Chief. Went over to to confront him. Just about tore my head off when I told her to move her car."
We both rate it 4 bright stars and plan to keep reading this series.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

I have not read any other books in this series or by this author, but I enjoyed The Hidden One: A Novel of Suspense by Linda Castillo. I liked reading and learning about the Amish customs and culture. This was a fast read, a good, solid story, and a surprising ending. There are lots of twists and red herrings to keep me guessing and reading.

I would recommend this book and this author. I will check out other titles by Linda Castillo.

#NetGalley @StMartinsPress

Kate Burkholder is the police chief in Painters Mill, Ohio. She grew up Amish but no longer a part of the Amish community. Three elders from Pennsylvania visit Kate to ask for her help for jailed Jonas Bowman, Kate's first love from her former Amish community. Over a decade has passed since Kate last saw Jonas. He has since married and has children. It's also been a decade since, the Amish Bishop, Ananias Stoltzfus, disappeared shortly after a heated argument with Jonas. Now, Stoltzfus' body has been found with Jonas' rifle nearby. With the Amish being particular about who they talk to or trust, Kate agrees to look into the case as best she can outside her jurisdiction. Once Kate begins asking questions, she begins getting serious threats and even assaulted. The killer is determined to keep Kate quiet, but she is determined to find the real killer in order to clear Jonas' name. Enjoyable Amish mystery Wanda Brunstetter.

When the bones of an Amish bishop are found in a field, the community finally knew that Ananias Stoltzfus didn’t disappear from his flock, he was murdered. The gun found with the bones belongs to Kate Burkholder’s first love and she is asked to help the Amish solve the case.

With her emotions on high alert, Kate sets out to find who killed the beloved bishop all this years ago. Even though someone is doing their best to scare her off the case. Can Kate solve the case before the murderer solves their biggest problem, Kate?

This is the first book I have read in this series. It reads fine as a standalone and I am hooked! Best of all, there are 13 more books for me to binge on now. WOOHOO! What a well written and solid mystery. Red herrings, multiple suspects, and a look inside the Amish community make this one I couldn’t put down. Off to read more in this series.

I have been a fan of Linda Castillo since her first book in this series. I love the insight into the life of the Amish and I love she's a cop. All her books have a great mystery as well as a good story.

When a church Bishop is found murdered, 3 Amish church leaders approach Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police, requesting her support with the police investigation. She also learns that the accused is her childhood friend and first love -- the stakes couldn't be higher. Kate may be no stranger to police work, but she is still estranged from their Amish community, a community in which secrets are kept close and a town that doesn't always follow the rules when it comes to police procedure.

I've been wanting to read a book centered around the Amish community for some time, and Linda Castillo was recommended as an author I needed to check out. I was thrilled that a new book was coming out and found that despite this being the fourteenth book in the series, I could start reading this one and not be "behind."

This book exceeded my expectations, and I found that I had a really hard time putting it down. The plot was interesting and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. The characters were also interesting and likeable, as was the links to the Amish culture. Definitely worth the read--I now plan to check out 1-13 in the series.

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo

Katie Burkholder is a young police chief in Painters Mill, Ohio. She is called to help solve an 18 year old cold case murder for which a childhood Amish friend has been charged.

In order to help, Katie must travel to Pennsylvania to speak to Jonas, the accused, who is in jail. Important is the fact that Katie was once Amish, having left the order as a teenager. She speaks Deitsch, the Amish language, and knows the customs.

Though Katie is a law officer, she is an outsider in Pennsylvania. Many obstacles impede her investigation, but she works doggedly to find the real killer. Lies and danger await Katie, but she is very determined to prove that Jonas is innocent and to return him to his family.

Thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for my ARC.