I both listened to and read The Hidden One, and of the two, I think I preferred the audio version The narrator did a great job pronouncing the Pennsylvania Dutch, which I sometimes have trouble with in Amish stories. Personally, I'm a fan of the suspense genre and this one was like listening to great radio theater. It kept me engaged in the story,

I didn't realize at first that this was written for a general audience, as most stories involving the Amish are in the Christian book realm, so some of the language took me by surprise. Once I did realize the audience, the language made sense.

When skeletal remains on a farm in Pennsylvania are identified as Amish Bishop Ananias Stoltzfus who went missing 10 years previously, Jonas Bowman is arrested and accused of murder. His rifle was buried with the body, but did he pull the trigger? The current bishop and both ministers of the district believe in Jonas' innocence, but they need help proving it. Since the Amish generally handle their own problems, they turn to former Amish woman, Kate Burkholder, who is now the police chief in Painter's Mill, OH. Can Kate investigate a 10-year-old disappearance and find the truth before Jonas is sentenced for a crime he did not commit?

As Kate investigates she hits roadblocks from the local police who don't want her "horning in" on their case. Then, she is attacked in her hotel room and told to leave. Her questions have made someone nervous. As she turns up clues that indicate the bishop was not the man he seemed, can she expose a killer before he sets his sights on her again?

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. I know it's part of a series, and I will definitely look to read more of the Kate Burkholder stories. I definitely recommend!

This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone but it would provide additional background and details to read the entire series. Kate Burkholder is Chief of police from Painters Mill, Ohio. Kate used to be Amish but left when she was eighteen. In The Hidden One Kate got a visit from Amish bishops from Pennsylvania to help look into a case involving recently discovered decades-old remains that belong to a missing bishop. Jonas Bowman, an old friend, and her first love is charged with homicide. After receiving a visit from the elders of an Amish community in Pennsylvania, Kate's memories are jogged of her life before leaving the Amish life behind. I really liked the back story into Kate's life as an Amish pre-teen/teen. I thought it added even more depth to her character, and honestly, I was ready for a break from the Kate/Tomasetti love story, so to read about her "first love" was interesting. I also like that it was a change of scenery - I love Painter's Mill and Kate's team, but honestly, for a small town, there are more murders there than in any big city, so I was glad Painter's Mill got to rest easy for a change. I thought the puzzle pieces were complex and didn't really come together until the final pages of the book, which is always a plus as well.

Thank you Macmillan, the author and Netgalley.

This series just gets better. The characters show growth and development, plots are always fresh, twists and turns keep the reader engaged, and the writing is smooth so the reader can just sit back and enjoy.

I am a super fan of Linda Castillo. I have loved all the chief of police Kate Burkholder books of the past, so whenever I get a Castillo book I never read the description!!!! The Hidden One DID NOT dissappoint.
Living near Amish country in PA I have always been so interested in their lives. Thank you Linda Castillo for writing these books! The mystery was stellar in this book, there were many twists and turns that kept my jaw on the ground and glued to my kindle.
The Hidden One is a must read! Yes it is a part of a “series” but totally can be read as a standalone!

Loved this book! 5 stars. First time reading this author for me and it definitely won’t be my last.
Good solid writing, with excellent character development. I loved the strong lead female Katie, and other characters in the book. I know this is Linda Castillo’s 14th book in the Kate Burkholder series, but I had no problem reading this as a stand-alone novel because there was a bit of background story being told throughout the book. Let’s just say they ending had a twist I didn’t see coming. Very good read! I read the book and liked it so much I bought the audible book too so when I couldn’t sit to read I could listen. The narrator was excellent! I’m going to go back and start reading the series from the first book. Can’t wait!
A very special thank you to Minotaur Books via NetGally for the advanced readers copy in exchange gor my honest review.

Just found this series and will be checking out more of Linda Castillo's books! In The Hidden One, Castillo weaves the Amish culture into the story. The elders come to seek help which suggests a deep level of trust in the outside world. I liked the suspense and twist nearing the end of the book. Overall, a good read that has me wanting tii check out more of Castillo's stories! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

A murder from 18 years ago involving the Amish community. I figured out who did it and why pretty quickly but I enjoyed reading it all unfold. It’s an easy to read mystery with a nice balance of action and heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

This is book 14 in the Kate Burkholder Amish Mystery Suspense/Thriller and the first book that I have read in this series. I picked the perfect one to read since there are a lot of flashbacks into Kate's background growing up Amish. Kate "left the fold" and moved to Ohio and became a police officer. In this story her first love Jonas is accused of murdering Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus whose remains were recently discovered. Kate cleverly navigates the local investigators often finding herself in danger as she tries to clear Jonas' name. This installment read well as a stand-alone book but I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series. Kate is my kind of woman-loyal, smart and strong willed-nothing will get in her way to seek the truth. I also enjoyed the insight to the Amish community. Thank you to Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read The Hidden One by Linda Castillo through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kate Burkholder is the Chief Police Of Police in a town called Painter's Mill, Ohio. It is an Amish community. Kate use to be Amish but ended up no longer being Amish when she was a teenager then moved to Columbus, Ohio, my home town. Then she ended moving back to Painter's Mill to be a police there.

Kate found out from Nelson Yoder that human bones were discovered by one of his brethen's when he was cutting hay. The police came and found out that those bones were identified as belonging to Ananais Stoltz. Ananais was a Bishop for many years. Ananais disappeared eighteen years ago. He vanished without a trace. His children and grandchildren were upset with worry and heartache because no-one knew what happened to him. The police found out that he was shot twice. There was a rifle found with the bones. It was a muzzleloader which was rusted. It belonged to an Amish man, named Jonas. Kate knew Jonas. He was a childhood friend, as they grew older they played baseball, hockey and went swimming in the creek. They also hung out together as teenagers. Kate is asked by some bishops for some help in investigating the case.

This is the 14th book in the Kate Burkholder series. I just love this series. This book can be read as a standalone. I have read every book in this series. This book has a lot of nail biting suspense. I always love how the author has all of her characters well developed. Kate has a lot of life threatening predicaments that she gets herself into.
I can't wait for the next book in the series.
This was a buddy read with Marilyn and we both agreed that Kate is under so many life threatening predicaments and that she must be super human, because she never ends up in the hospital.

This was a good solid book with a moving story line. This is a series of books but I didn't feel like I was missing anything just starting with book 14. Yes, there were a couple of time when she glossed over events in her past that may have been explained in earlier books but it didn't take away from the story.

This is my first time reading an episode of the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo, set in Amish country in Ohio. While Kate has left the Amish world behind as an adult, she retains understanding and sympathy for the Amish people themselves and their way of life.

She is taken by surprise one day when three elders of an Amish community in Pennsylvania arrive at her office in Painters Mill with a totally unexpected request. Apparently, a bishop of their community, missing for some twenty years, has resurfaced…his remains were unearthed by a farmer and a man has been arrested for murder. These Elders know of Kate’s reputation and also that the man arrested originally came from Kate’s home town in Ohio. Will she please come and ensure that justice is done, working unofficially, of course?

This case allows readers insight into Kate’s past while also providing useful knowledge about the Amish people past and present in the story. The information is passed on smoothly through various events and incidents rather than large information “dumps “. Also, there is a steady pace of action once the story gets under way along with attention to the beautiful natural world surrounding Kate’s investigation in Pennsylvania.

I do recommend The Hidden One, to those who already follow Linda Castillo’s series and to those, like me, who have wondered about the Kate Burkholder books. Castillo has made this a series you can enter here comfortably.


A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As always Linda Castillo does not disappoint! If you enjoyed the other Kate Burkholder books, this one is for you.

This is the first novel I have read by Castillo and I liked it. I usually stay away from the saturated Amish genre but this novel showed a different side of the sect. It is not all smiles and roses. There are deceiving characters and ones willing to murder to protect secrets. I like Chief Burkholder as a heroine. She's strong and tenacious in solving an old murder that has caused an old friend to be charged with murder. But she also needs support, finding it in her stable and encouraging boyfriend.

I liked the plot with secrets from decades ago being uncovered layer by layer. There is a good dose of suspense as Burkholder faces opposition in her investigation. And there is a nice and unexpected twist near the end just when we think everything is wrapped up.

Even though this is part of a series and way down the line, it read very well on its own. I will certainly be looking for more from this author.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

When I requested this book I didn't realize it was part of a series. I think had I read from the beginning I may have enjoyed it more. While I don't think you necessarily need to read the beginning part of the series to understand this story, I think it would help going into it knowing the background and the story.

Linda Castillo's latest Katie Burkholder mystery is a bit darker than previous installments, but just as entertaining and heart-pounding as her previous books in this series. I can never get quite enough of the formerly Amish police chief and her ability to straddle both the Amish and English worlds in order to solve murders and crimes in the small town of Painter's Mill. Always looking forward to the next book!

In this story, Kate is outside of her element, but is still resourceful enough to accomplish what she must to bring things to a solid, satisfying solution. In addition, she manages to work through some of her history on issues that have never settled well with her.

She is asked by a group of Amish elders from Pennsylvania to investigate a murder of a bishop that occurred years before. Things have come to the forefront after a body was found as well as what the local law enforcement is fairly certain is the murder weapon. Kate travels to Pennsylvania to help the community out. The man accused of the murder has a history with Kate—a long-ago romance between Katea a young man in the community, which when discovered resulted in the young man and his family moving to the Amish community in Pennsylvania.

Kate goes to Pennsylvania, where, despite some apprehension of her involvement and subsequent holding out on letting her into the investigation by the local police, she sifts through a myriad of clues, both worthwhile and red herrings, in an attempt to figure out exactly what happened. All the while, she is also working through memories and feelings from the past.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though it was different because Kate was not in her normal environment. It provided some good back story about Kate’s earlier life in the Amish community as well as some hints about why she left. Of course, I would have liked more about Kate’s current love, but I realized Tomasseti was not ever part of this story, as it all happened before he came on to the scene. Still. The author did manage to include him, reinforcing the integral part he plays in Kath’s current life. I thought Kate’s interactions with the accused man, her former “love”, were well done as were her interactions with his current wife and children. Naturally, Kate was the perfect person to help because of her current law enforcement position and her former Amish life, which came through loud and clear throughout the book. I always enjoy books in this series and did this one. I enjoy learning more about the Amish way of life, especially in such a different, interesting way. I sincerely hope the author keeps the stores coming. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

This was a solid mystery that also discussed Amish culture, which was informative because I knew absolutely nothing about it. While it reads a little slow at times, the ending was a surprise and I had no idea how it would turn out. 3.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up to 4 stars.

This is the 14th in Linda Castillo's Amish mystery series starring Painters Mill chief of police Kate Burkholder, who grew up Amish but renounced that life.

As this episode opens, Kate's first love, Amish Jonas Bowman, is arrested for murder when the remains of a bishop are found - he'd disappeared a decade before.

The answer to whodunit - and the origins of the dead bishop - are shockers that come close to killing Kate, and make her re-evaluate what matters most.

This is a consistently outstanding series.

Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my e-arc and ALC of THE HIDDEN ONE by Linda Castillo! This one published July 12, so you can grab a copy now!

After reading her book, Fallen, from last year, I was excited about this next book in the Kate Burkholder series!

I have found both books I’ve read from this author, to be fairly quick reads as they are suspenseful, and leave you wanting to know what happens next! The chapters are also fairly short in length, which makes the reading go by quicker!

I really enjoy books that feature the Amish. Add in some murder, police detective work and seeing the differences between the English and the Amish and I’m sold! I also really enjoyed the audio, because the narrator said the German deutchz words! As per the usual, the ending of the book gives you a bit of “did this really happen?!” feeling, which I love!

I really like Kate as a female lead character. She is strong and independent, but also has a vulnerable side, and is continuing to work on asking for help (and it not showing that she’s weak).
If you have read any of this authors books, or any in this series, I recommend this one for sure! You don’t have to read them in order- there is 10+ books before this one and I’ve only read this one and last years, and I wasn’t confused at all! Each book focuses on a different case to solve.

Another amazing mystery in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. Kate is getting herself in over her head while solving a cold case with a current twist. This was particularly interesting. because there are elements of history in this mystery that will surprise you as a reader.