"Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed, his disappearance becomes even more sinister.. The town’s elders arrive in Painters Mill to ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help, but she quickly realizes she has a personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was Kate’s first love. Someone doesn’t want Kate asking questions. But even after being accosted and threatened in the dead of night, she refuses to back down. Is she too close to the case—and to Jonas—to see clearly? There’s a killer in the Valley who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried. Will they get to Kate before she can expose the truth? Or will the bishop’s secrets remain hidden forever?".

I liked the storyline I wish I had read the other books first in order to understand the storyline and characters a little better but overall good story,
Thanks to Minotaur books, netgalley and the author in exchange for a review..
Published July 5th 2022.

For me, despite this being the fourteenth book in a series, it was an easy transition into this setting. There was little to no confusion on my part as the story opened up and brought along mentions of Kate's current life or her past, it was all well explained and hardly relied on the need for reading the previous books.

This is the first Amish mystery novel I've read, however, my childhood had been spent reading quite a few Amish romances, and I quite liked the set up of Kate being formerly Amish and still working on cases related to her background. In this case, involving a man from her past, and believing he would never do what he's accused of while searching out evidence to prove it, leaving it a bit messy to whether or not she could handle the truth if it were to come out he was the murderer.

I love Kate as a main character, and anticipate future installments and have plans to read the past books in this series to see more of her and her life.

I always look forward to reading the latest book in Castillo's Kate Burkholder series. The Hidden One is another good installment in the series. When the body of an Amish Bishop is discovered Sheriff Kate Burkholder investigates. Kate Burkholder a former member of the Amish Community in the county where she is now the Sheriff. Her early life as one of the Amish lends her special knowledge when investigating crimes among them.
The prime suspect turns out to be an ex friend of Burkholder's. As she continues to investigate and ask uncomfortable questions, she uncovers some secrets that the murdered Bishop had long hidden.

I’m a fan of this series and, once again, enjoyed catching up with Police Chief Kate Burkholder. This time around she travels out-of-state as a private citizen to help a childhood friend, Jonas Bowman, at the request of the leaders’ in his Amish community. Her investigation focuses on the discovery of remains from a 20-year-old cold case and evidence which seemingly points to Jonas. The passage of time gives the story a bit of an added twist as well a distance and slower pace than the usual murder mystery. Even though Kate operates as a private citizen, she ferrets out details overlooked in the original investigation despite a lack of local cooperation.

Author Linda Castillo continues to bring the Amish community to life in a variety of ways. One that stood out to me was her use of Pennsylvania German/Dutch phrases throughout the story - always smoothly accompanied by their English translation. Another strength is how Castillo continues to build Kate’s backstory by bringing new characters to the forefront. In this case, she flashes back to Kate’s early teens and her first romantic relationship - with Jonas. Castillo really brings out the subtle chemistry between these two characters with underlying flickers of their remaining affection.

Despite a few things which seemed a bit repetitious, in the descriptions of the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside, and perhaps too coincidental, not just one but two automobile accidents, Hidden One, does not disappoint. The storyline was complex enough and engaging, without a lot of graphic details, to hold my interest and keep me guessing.

I remain a fan of the series and look forward to the next.



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read of a Kate Burkholder series book by Linda Castillo and I look forward to reading more!
Kate is a former Amish, now police chief in Ohio. She is visited by elders from Pennsylvania about a mysterious murder and her childhood friend arrested for the crime. She travels to Pennsylvania to uncover the past and unofficially help with finding the truth.
I was really captivated by this book and read in nearly one sitting. The characters were interesting and the chapters fast-paced.

Although there have been a few "misses" over the years, I have never met a Kate Burkholder book that I didn't enjoy and wouldn't mind reading again. That said, The Hidden One is far from a "miss". Given that Kate's background is such an intrinsic part of who she--and the series itself--is, it's always fascinating when a case takes her back to her own roots.

When elders from a Pennsylvania region come to Kate, they're seeking help for an old friend of hers who's been accused of the cold case murder of his bishop. Jonas, we come to learn, was Kate's first love, and through their relationship his family was expelled from Painter's Mill, where Kate is now the police chief. She never saw him again, but nearly two decades later, she rushes to his side to uncover the truth.

The truth is damning. Jonas had a history with the recently-located dead bishop that was at best rocky and was well-documented. Kate, however, with her usual determination, keeps kicking over rocks until she finds that Jonas was definitely not the only one who had issues with the bishop, and that the bishop's own background could very well have contributed to his murder.

Meanwhile, though Kate misses her partner, Tomasetti, and Jonas has a blessed life with his family, some bittersweet feelings remain between the star-crossed lovers, and the awkward moments that they create really enhance what readers have come to understand about Kate Burkholder.

A touching, though fairly short, addition to Castillo's popular series, The Hidden One (with its misleading cover) fills gaps that you didn't even know you were missing while continuing with the Amish murder theme.

I loved the main character Kate Burkholder and the mystery she has to solve. Very good writing and a great plot. Enjoyed it!

I LOVED Katie. It made me want to read the rest of the series. I haven't though so I think that affected my take on the book. I didn't appreciate the characters as I likely would have if I had read the rest of the books. The actual storyline wasn't surprising and I didn't think it was all that suspenseful. Thereofore, I don't think its fair for me to give it a star rating when it wasn't necessarily a stand alone thriller.

This may be one of my favorite Kate Burkholder books because it gives the reader more insight into her character and her teen years. When a bishop in PA is found dead, a childhood friend of Kate's, Jonas Bowman, is arrested. Elders from the community come to OH to speak with Kate about the murder, and she leaves OH to see if she can understand the circumstances around the murder.
What Kate uncovers is a long held secret that the Amish family has held under wraps for years, but when someone could no longer stomach the secret, others took matters in their own hands. Kate is able to discover this - but is put in danger. She wants to clear her childhood friend's name, but at what cost.
I liked the story, I liked the characters, I liked the motive and the shame behind it. I liked the Amish coming together to help. I just really enjoy the Kate Burkholder series.
I also had the opportunity to listen to the audio of this book - and did not like the way the narrator made so many characters sound like children. (e.g. Jonas's wife)

Thanks for the ARC. I have been in a reading funk, so this one took way longer than it should have for me. I love the fact that Castillo has me still caught up in this series and can't wait for the next one! Again, I highly recommend this series to anyone who hasn't tried it yet. I haven't had a patron complain about this series yet!

Linda Castillo's Amish novels are very popular with our patrons here at the library. This one has been taken out multiple times and it follows the detective work of Kate Burkholder solving another murder in the Pennsylvania Amish community.

Another good one by Linda Castillo. The mystery was interesting and timely. I can't wait to read the next one by her.

This book is based on a series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. I enjoyed the character, and learning about her life and her past, along with her ability to run head first into a situation. While I have not read other books in the series, I definitely will if they are anything like The Hidden One.

I listened to this story and loved every minute. I love Kate Burkholder. I loved that Kate went to a different town to help an old friend get out of trouble. I loved the narration of thus book. I loved the suspense and that we get to know more about Kates past. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This is my first book from this author but it won’t be my last! I’ve always been fascinated and interested by Amish culture, and I loved how this book combined that with a murder mystery. Every time I thought I had figured it out there was a new plot twist! I want to go read the other books in this series now. Definitely recommend! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe it’s because this is the 14th or 15th book in the series, but I knew there was going to be a car crash and a barn fire. There always is.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I love Kate. This woman just doesn’t back down. I’ve read every book in this series and I’m constantly amazed how the author writes storylines around the Amish and they continue to be fresh. Another thing I love about this series is that I know there will always be some sort of twist I did not see coming. Fans of this series will love this new installment!

I enjoyed this one because we got to learn a little bit more about Kate and her backstory, but I also didn't like it as much because it wasn't set in Painters Mill so we missed out on the normal cast of characters. The side characters are one aspect that make these books so good and this one definitely wasn't as good without them involved.

When skeletal remains are found that show evidence of foul play, the investigation traces back to revered Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus, who disappeared without a trace years before. The Amish man who is quickly accused of the murder is none other than Jonas Bowman, Kate Burkholder's first love. When the town's elders arrive in Painter's Mill for her help, Kate immediately travels to Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley to provide assistance. As her investigation deepens, it becomes increasingly aware that someone wants to keep secrets hidden. Will Kate learn the truth despite her own life placed in danger?

I am usually a fan of this series, as I like how Kate Burkholder is able to bridge the gap between her Amish past and her English life. The Hidden One misses the mark in some ways, though I do like how Kate's life among the Amish is finally described in large detail. The biggest thing that bothers me about this novel is Kate constantly goes headlong into danger. Being that she is brought to town by the elders, you would think she would use the resources at her disposal to cover her back. Additionally, Kate is usually a good investigator, but that does not seem to be the case in this novel. For the reasons listed above, I would be hesitant to recommend The Hidden One to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The choice to read and review this novel entirely rested with me.