How does Castillo do it? The Hidden One is her best yet. I so completely enjoyed Thais book - I can’t wait for the next one.

The Hidden One is the latest in Linda Castillo's series on Kate Burkholder. Kate finds herself investigating a friend from her childhood and whether he has done what he has been accused of. I always enjoy these novels and this is no exception. It's an enjoyable easy read that feels comfortable if you like Castillo's other novels.

Linda Castillo continues to keep Katie alive and engaged in-depth with criminal activity in her books. She continues to entertain her readers throughout the book

THE HIDDEN ONE by Linda Castillo, is one of the best books I’ve read this year – heck, in the past 5 years!

Castillo and her Katie Burkholder series was brand new to me when I requested an arc via Netgalley – and I am so impressed with the story and the wonderful writing, I’ve already ordered the first 5 books in the series via amazon.

The killing of an Amish Bishop 18 years ago starts this twisted tale which moves to the present day when his remains are found. Burkholder, former Amish, but still fluent on the life and language, is called in to help the accused, Jonas Bowman, an old friend of hers, prove his innocence. But all the evidence points to him as the killer.

This story was so intricately woven with the every day life of the Amish that I never once felt as if I wasn’t part of the story – that’s to say, I was engaged from the beginning and the whole way thru.

I hate spoilers so I won’t tell how Katie discovers the truth, but I sure wish she was a real police chief. Her dogged determination is commendable.

5 stars for this wonderful story.

Another amazing book in the Kate Burkholder series., with Kate going back to her past as a teenager in Painters Mills. I was so excited to see that another installment in the series was being released, but if I;m being honest, I'd read anything that Linda Castillo writes. While I thought some of Kate's choices at the end were a little unrealistic, I still loved the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I saved reading this book until I had an uninterrupted weekend because I know from experience that the latest Linda Castillo book would be a terrific book to read. And it was! In this 15th book in her series featuring former Amish chief of police Kate Burkholder all the regular components are present. Strong pacing, dialogue, sense of place. and wonderful insight into the Amish way of life. These are strongly character driven novels that usually include a fairly brutal murder but somehow don’t feel gory. Although this book can be read as a stand alone I highly recommend starting at the beginning.

Another great book! Slow at times and not high energy suspense but a good read in this series. Loved the back history of Kate as a teen and learning more about the Amish. This series doesn’t disappoint! Would definitely recommend.

Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series is one of my favorites. They’ve all been fast reads and full of suspense with twists and turns. They keep me engaged from the first sentence until the very end. While this one wasn’t my favorite, I still thoroughly enjoyed it!

This is the fourteenth installment of Castillo's Kate Burkholder series about a former Amish woman who is now police chief in a small town in Ohio. This book starts gently, when Kate is asked by a trio of Amish leaders from Pennsylvania to investigate the discovery of eighteen year remains determined to be those of a missing Amish bishop. Because the accused murderer is Kate's first love as a teenager, she agrees to go and privately investigate. More is revealed about Kate's childhood and as always there is an interesting look at Amish life. The book starts slowly but builds to a stunning finish with several interesting twists. Recommended.

The fourteenth book in the Kate Burkholder series is a mesmerizing addition, with a lot of backstory about Kate and some stories of her teen years. In this book, Kate travels to Pennsylvania to investigate the murder of an Amish bishop and to hopefully exonerate an old friend named Jonas Bowman. Throughout the story, the past relationship that Jonas and Kate shared is unraveled, revealing why Kate is so determined to prove his innocence. The characters are mostly new ones since she left her working buddies and her live-in lover behind in Ohio. I did miss Tomasetti and his wisdom and support in this book, but Kate does call him several times, so he is not totally absent. Mostly, I missed Kate’s regular supporting characters as the new deputies with whom she has to interact lack depth and personality. They were mostly roadblocks in her quest to discover the truth. The action if fast-paced for the most part and the backstory is riveting. I enjoyed Kate’s ability to think through things and come to an answer that was both satisfying and somewhat unexpected. Fans of the series will enjoy this book and newbies will be able to follow along well since the book can be read as a standalone without any problem.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Kate Burkholder is the Chief of Police in an Amish town in Ohio. She is no longer Amish, but is accepted by the townspeople. Three Elders from a settlement in Pennsylvania come to her for help. Her friend from childhood, Jonas, has been arrested for the murder of his town’s Bishop eighteen years earlier. Katie agrees to go down and help investigate to learn the truth. The novel carefully examines the facts behind the killing, the Amish way of life and her past and present relationships. It is very well done and the mystery and its twists will keep most readers engrossed. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

I gave up reading detective/crime novels for a long while. I'm very glad I picked this one to begin reading the genre again. I enjoyed the author's writing style. I much prefer dialogue but the way the protagonist shares her thoughts more than satisfied my need for a great deal of dialogue.
Usually, I have a difficult time with books involving closed religious communities, having grown up in one, and thus aware of the controlling and often punishing means used to keep the community closed, tight, and compliant. It was handled well in this book

Wow, each new Linda Castillo book I think 'they can't get any better than this one' and then she does. The Hidden One was the best of all of hers and I've said that since the beginning when I started this series. A friend recommended the first in this series to me but I didn't think I would like it, I was afraid it was a comfy mystery, not that anything is wrong with those but not something I read. I was wrong, so wrong and became a follower of Kate Burkholder. Strong female police chief who grew up in the Amish community. A friend from Kate's history gets accused of killing a bishop of the Amish. The elders ask for her help even though it isn't her jurisdiction. I'm not going to say a lot because there was some shocking things in this one. I was stunned at a couple areas of the book. All I will say is if you like Kate Burkholder series, you will love 'The Hidden One' book 14. If you haven't read any by Linda Castillo, I highly suggest you binge this series. I was fortunate to get an ARC of this book and thank you to all who made that happen but a big thank you to Linda Castillo for writing this series.

Kate is approached by some Amish bishops from Pennsylvania for help in investigating a cold case. Jonas, who was her first love, has been accused of murdering Ananias, an elderly bishop whose remains were found recently. The more Kate investigates, the more certain she is that Ananias was not who he claimed to be, an Amish man from Minnesota. Someone knows more than they are admitting--are they trying to frame Jonas? Could a godly Amish bishop have done some of the things which have been rumored? And who is trying to violently stop Kate from uncovering the truth? I was unfamiliar with the series, but I was able to read this novel as a stand-alone. Now I want to go back and read all of the Kate Burkholder books. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review an advance copy.

Kate Burkholter returns to her past in this great mystery that takes her out of Painters Mill to aid an important figure from her past. Traveling to Pennsylvania, Burkholter must confront a closed Amish community to uncover the facts to save someone important to her past.

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Linda Castillo has her formula down pat. The storytelling is engaging, the writing is clear, and the author's inclusion of Amish language and customs is delightful. This time the story line moves to the Kishacoquillas Valley of Central Pennsylvania, which will send the curious reader researching the location.

FIRST LINE: "He'd always known this moment would come."

THE STORY: After a stunning prologue describing the murder of an Amish Bishop 18 years earlier, the story returns to the present life of Kate Burkholder. Kate left her Amish family when she was young becoming a police officer before returning to the resort town of Painters Mill, Ohio as Police Chief.

Amish elders from Pennsylvania visit Kate to ask her help in defending Jonas Bowman, jailed for the murder when the gun used shows up and he admits it is his. Although Kate has no official standing, she reluctantly agrees. She and Jonas spent a youthful and memorable summer together before being separated. She can't believe he is guilty.

WHAT I THOUGHT: The first Kate Burkholder story I discovered was Her Last Breath #5. I quickly devoured Sworn to Silence #1 and Pray for Silence #2. Then I stopped. 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. Although violence and death occur in The Outsider #12 there was more than enough life and happiness to balance the story. Fallen #13, on the other hand reverts to the ugly violence and lives destroyed. Although violence and death occur in The Hidden One #14, it is mostly in the past, a cold case.

All the characters are well-established so that you care what happens to them with, of course, the exception of the villains. Castillo does a nice job of catching the reader up if this is their first time reading the series. And it looks like Kate and John Tomasetti, an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, will finally get married.

Written in the first person, the narrative sometimes shifts to third person when filling in the past, but it is done seamlessly. There were red herrings along the way that added to the tension.

Kate gets hurt more than once in this story and always loses to the attacker. It would be nice to see her win a fight.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDThis entry filled in some very personal details about Kate and how she left her Amish family. It's a quick read and an entertaining story.

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

I enjoyed reading The Hidden One as it gave some additional insight into Kate’s past. I liked that it was a different setting than usual, so new characters were introduced. Kate continues to be the same determined police chief she’s always been and gets us thinking deeper into the situation…connects the dots.

When an old friend with a shared past is arrested for murder, Kate ventures out to find the person responsible for the crime. She is met with resistance from the local police but her dogged pursuit puts her in the crosshair of a killer who wants this crime to remain as it is.

As always, Linda writes a drama that quickly became a page-turner as I couldn’t put this book down as I had to know how this was going to end. The tale moved at a frenetic pace with first the backstory of young Kate, then the present looking for clues and the discovery of a secret that sets the tone of the story moving forward. The author delivered one of the best books in the series and I can’t wait to see where we go next with Kate. As always any appearance by Tomasetti brings a smile to my face.

I always enjoy Linda Castillo books. She makes the Amish lifestyle come to life. I wouldn't want to live it, but enjoy reading about it. This one kept me guessing til the end, not what I expected at all. I missed all the regular police dept people, but I guess a small town can only have so much murder and mayhem. LOL As usual, Katie gets like a dog with a bone, and will not give up. I always like when Katies backstory is added. Helps you understand the person she has become. The only bad thing about reading one of her books, is knowing it will be awhile before there is another..

This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review. I've rated it 2-stars, which means "It was okay" within the Goodreads rating system. Hover your mouse over the stars to see the words that accompany each star rating.

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo is a series book and brings the flavor of a well-worn main character whose backstory is gradually filled in for each volume. It's just as you'd have in a long running TV series. People who were never mentioned before suddenly show up and were critically important to the MC's life. This is #14 in the chronicles of Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police and ex-Amish, baptized but left the church so under the ban but fluent in the culture.

Those identities allow her to assume various roles when policing and interacting with the communities around her, which is the series' "hook". Here, an old boyfriend has been thrown in jail in another state, and she's off to cross state lines and intrude without a PI license or regional authority in the Amish community he joined shortly after the two broke up. Also, I wonder, do different Amish churches recognize the baptism between them, are they at all in communion that way? I don't know and didn't bother to search the web, but it bugged me the whole way through the book. Would Kate have been shunned, even by a church and community that was described as being particularly strange?

Anyhoo. The mystery revolves around remains, long dead, and the evidence that points to the former boyfriend. It's up to Kate to prove his innocence. As mysteries go, it's fairly serviceable. The murder victim has a long-standing mysterious background that is gradually unveiled, and the true culprit is revealed.

The problem is that I didn't buy any of it. I'm pretty sure that even if you're a chief of police in Ohio, you have no authority whatsoever out of your jurisdiction and that without some sort of licensing, Kate's actions would have ended up with her in jail. I also kept wondering how she was able to get leave from her job. Emergency family medical leave? Mental health day?

The people that surrounded her felt like cardboard police cutouts and generic mystery book community members splashed with a bucket of Amish-esque paint. Since she's gotten to book 14, I assume there's someone or some people doing a review of the books for accuracy but this one (I have not read the others) did not feel authentic based on my experiences.

For the story itself, it was well paced, the words were readable. It was, in a word, okay. I just didn't like it very much and I couldn't find myself immersing into the story. I ended up skipping to the ending so I knew the big truth towards the middle of the book and then finished up after backtracking.

I suppose it isn't fair to compare chicklit to other modern mystery/thriller writers like CJ Box, but I found the book somewhat lacking. I wanted to like it more than I did.