I love this series. Each book kinda starts off the same which makes it comfortable and that your part of the each book. I suggest that you read this series in order so you know the characters and their relationships to each other. It was a great book as the others are, but this one has an amazing twist that really makes you think. It sucks you in and makes it hard to put done. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed listening to this detective story. A good plot with lots of twists, turns and underlying themes. The story centers around an Amish man accused of murder and a female chief of police. I can’t say more or I’ll give out too much information. The narrator was good, too.

This review refers to the audio edition. Though the plot is a typical small town murder mystery, and would be fine for a light read, I would warn of a couple of things: there is some suggestive content, so for those looking for a strictly "clean" Amish story, be aware of that. Also understand that this narrator uses very distinct character voices. Her older male characters, especially, have a deep, heavy, stereotypical-sounding accent, and the tone completely put me off. She does a very good job with the Amish dialect, which fits well with the character voicing. I suspect her narration is something you either really like our really dislike.

This book was so full of twists and turns. From the beginning with the arrival of the Amish leaders, you know that something major is occurring if they are seeking help from somebody on the outside. Just when I thought I had it figured out, then the story would take yet another twist. I don't know if not reading any of the prior books about the main character left me without much context on her background, but since this book heavily relied on her life when she was a child I got the feeling that maybe reading some of the previous books may have been helpful.

When her childhood sweetheart is arrested, Kate Burkholder gets pulled out of her element and into the middle of murder investigation, without her formal police powers.

While I missed Tomasetti in this installment of the series, I thought the change of scenery was good. Kate can speak the language, but the Amish in Pennsylvania have different traditions and lifestyles than the Amish she was once part of, she's still an outsider.

The narrator for this book is fantastic!!! She is so easy to listen to, she keeps the suspense up, just perfect! I

Great addition to series. Kathleen McInerney is a wonderful narrator. Love learning a little more about the Amish with each book. Missed the camaraderie of the usual characters but enjoyed the change all the same.

I have been reading and enjoying this series since it began in 2009. Some I have enjoyed more than others, but all in all this is a series I tend to recommend for murder mystery lovers.

I am thankful I received an advance kindle copy and audiobook, so that I could go back and forth between the two. Ultimately I prefer reading and not listening. Although, Kathleen McInerney did a fine job narrating her voice is not what I have pictured Kate's to be all these years. 9 hours and 18 minutes and an easy listen at 2x.

Linda's prologues always suck you right in and this one is no different. Kate is being asked to help an old friend from her Amish days. Jonas is being accused of murdering a Bishop. As Kate investigates, in the thorough way that she is known for, she slowly uncovers secrets and lies about this Bishop. Can Kate solve the case without causing a ruckus, or will she put herself in death defying circumstances like always?

I liked the flashbacks to 21 years ago that gave us a feel of Kate and Jonas's relationship when they were kids.
Since she traveled to a neighboring town we unfortunately didn't have any interaction with our old friends ~ Pickles, Glock, Mona, etc. I don't feel like Tomasetti gets the page time he deserves either, and I would love a spin off series following him. Hint hint Linda Castillo.

An intense thrill ride that fans of this author come to expect.

This book was so disappointing.

The premise was fascinating, but the plot really didn't make sense. If you don't mind a thriller that requires you to suspend all belief in reasonably realistic plot lines, then maybe consider picking this one up.

I didn't realize when I picked this up that it was part of a series, but I won't be going back and reading the rest of the series based on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I had not read a book in this series prior to reading this one. It worked very well as a stand-alone book for me.

The body of a missing Amish bishop has been found and chief of police Kate Burkholder has been asked by the town's elders for help. This one hit close to home for Kate as the man accused of killing the man was her first love, Jonas Bowman. Kate travels to the Kishacoquillas Valley to do her own investigation.

The murder victim was not a well-liked man. In fact, as the book progresses readers and audiobook listeners learn more about not only the murdered man but also about Kate's past and her relationship with Jonas. Who says you can never go home again? But will going back put Kate in danger? Someone does not want her asking questions, but who?

I enjoyed this audiobook but could not help but notice how many times "Amish" was said. A LOT. I thought if I were to take a drink of dandelion wine (read the book) every time "Amish" was said, well, let's just say, I would not want to do that!

I enjoyed this book and as I mentioned, it worked very well as a stand-alone book for me. I enjoyed learning about Kate's past and her relationship with Jonas. I also enjoyed how the story played out and I can honestly say I did not see that reveal coming!

I'm sure fans of the series will enjoy this and if you have not read this series, it's a worthwhile and enjoyable read/listen.


Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am glad I read “The Hidden One” before I read any of Ms. Castillo’s other books. After reading it, and enjoying it, I read the first of the series. Then the second. Then I stopped. Her obsession with Daniel Lapp, which apparently has lasted through 13 years followed by 14 books has started to become a drinking game – and not in a good way.

Kate Burkholder is a hot mess. In real life, she could never have become a police officer, let alone a chief of police. She has so many issues that she is, apparently, unable to deal with, that she could never have passed the psychological exams. To exacerbate the issue, she is romantically involved with an equally screwed-up love interest. Her investigative approach and decisions are constantly influenced by her own screwed-up history. Not a good character.

As for this story specifically, I can honestly say that having experienced it in the order I did (#14, #1, #2), it is a good story - as a stand-alone. It is not suspenseful at all. There was nothing that made it a page-turner and I didn’t bite my nails once throughout the book. The characters were pretty one-dimensional and stereotypical.

I have not read any of this series prior to listening to this audiobook. Now I see what I’ve been missing! This book was amazing and now I’ll pick up some of the earlier volumes. The main character, Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in Painters Mill and formerly Amish, is drawn into helping with a case in another state that involves her close childhood friend, Jonas. Kate trusts him completely, due to her past experience with him, and knows that he could not/would not commit murder, as he is a devout Amish man. As the tale unwinds, there are some background details that add depth and complexity to how the story develops. I did not anticipate the multiple twists in this novel, and I did not anticipate liking this as much as I did. The author handled the story very skillfully, bringing the plot to life and adding a fullness to each person. With this being the first of the series that I read, I did not have any trouble following the story and feeling involved with the characters.

My copy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley; the opinions in this review are my own.

I think this is my favorite Linda Castillo novel so far! In the “The Hidden One”, Kate Burkholder travels to Pennsylvania to help a childhood friend accused of murder. I felt like I was on a roller coaster with all of these twists and turns. I don’t want to give too much away, but I was guessing until the end.
Kate’s boyfriend Tomasetti wasn’t really in this book, but I liked the surprise ending. This is the fourteenth book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone novel, but I recommend reading the books in order. This book wasn’t as gory as some of her other novels. I’m looking forward to Book Fifteen!
I listened to the audiobook in my car. The narrator was overall good. I enjoyed her renditions of the Amish characters, but Kate’s voice sounded robotic at times.
I want to thank the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I have read all of Linda Castillo’s books in the Kate Burkholder series and was excited to be given the opportunity to listen to the audio version ARC of the newest in this series, The Hidden One.

Kate Burkholder is chief of police in Painters Mill, Ohio, which is largely an Amish community. Kate grew up Amish but left the faith when she turned 18 years old. For this reason, some of the Amish feel a kinship with her, but many others shun her for leaving the faith..

In this newest book, two Amish bishops from the town of Belleville (Kate’s hometown) pay her a visit, asking for her assistance on a murder case. The person they have in custody is Jonas Bowman, who Kate grew up with and had a romantic relationship with as a teenager. Jonas‘s rifle was found along with some skeletal remains of Bishop Ananias Stoltzfus and they have charged Jonas for the murder, even though the evidence is circumstantial. After Kate meets with Jonas at the Belleville jail, she’s convinced that he is not the person that murdered the bishop.

Kate encounters resistance from many people that she interviews and even has threats made against her during her investigation. Even the police department doesn’t want to cooperate with her or share information regarding the case. It’s obvious she’s not going to get any help from them and that there are secrets that someone wants to stay buried. There are definitely a lot of twists and surprises, and when the truth comes to light it’s mostly due to her intuition, as well as evidence she uncovers during her investigation.

As always, Kathleen McInerney does an excellent job of narrating. I love when she does the Amish children’s voices, especially. Thank you to Netgalley and McMillan audio for allowing me to listen to this ARC and provide an honest review.

I have enjoyed followed this series for years and looked forward to each new book. But this particular book concentrated too much on Kate’s back story.

Castillos Amish series just keeps getting better. Weaving in police procedures, Kate Burkholders history, murder and so much more, this is a not to be missed.

Mystery meats Amish way of life. This was a great mix of mystery and learning some of the ways of Amish life. I went into this not knowing it was part of a series and enjoyed it very much.
Kate, a former Amish turned detective has returned to her Amish town to help solve a mystery of who killed one of the Bishops that was found buried in a field. The further she gets into the case the question becomes not who killed him but who was he and why did he lie about who he was.

When I lived in central Pennsylvania, I often joked that half of our library consisted of Amish romances and mysteries, but I suppose that makes some since considering the size of the Amish population in that area. I never checked out any books relating to the Amish community, so I’m not sure when or why I picked up the first book in the Kate Burkholder series all those years ago, but I’m glad I did. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this 14th book in the series takes place near where I used to live, so I recognized many of the settings. I enjoyed the change of scenery and the focus on Kate herself and her own past.

Few narrators are linked to a series in my mind as closely as Kate McInerney is to this series. She captures the accent perfectly and will forever be linked to Kate Burkholder in my mind. I will always choose the audio versions of these books.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I receive this book from the publisher through netgalley.com I am voluntarily leaving this review.

I still love this series. Its like visiting with old friends. This time Kate has left Painters Mill to help a man she almost married. They were very close when Kate was young but he was older than her and the police and her parents didn't want them together.

Now charged with murder of a Bishop Kate has traveled to Pennsylvania to try to help. The Amish in this town are very different than those she is used to but she still can understand them better than the outsider English. Looking into the Bishop Kate discovers several anomalies that just don't seem to come together for her.

While helping Kate is also reconciling with her past. Thinking back on past experiences, and what could have been and why she did certain things. I think this is a turning point for her. Realizing that she has to make peace with it in order to move on.

I love these books and this one didn't disappoint. While the setting was different and Kate wasn't the office in charge it still held the same great mystery and investigation that these books always have and now we peak behind the curtain of a different sect of the Amish.

The Hidden One
(Kate Burkholder #14)
Linda Castillo
This is the 14th book in the Kate Burkholder series. Kate was Amish until she was eighteen.
Author Linda Castillo allows readers to take a peek inside the Amish community through her Kate Burkholder series. Kate Burkholder left the Amish community when she was eighteen. She now serves as the Sheriff of Painters Mill, Ohio. Three Amish bishops come to Kate with a request; they want her to investigate the murder of Ananias Stolzfus. Kate’s reputation for being a very good investigator is well-known. The bishops also know she was once Amish; she can speak the language and knows the culture. Jonas Bowman has been accused of the murder; they do not believe Jonas is guilty. Ananias Stolzfus has been missing for over 10 years; the remains of his body were found with a rifle next to it. Jonas admitted the rifle was his. Kate and Jonas have known each other since she was six years old, and they were high school sweethearts.
Kate takes time off to investigate the crime although the police do not want her there; only one deputy was willing to share information with her. Through her investigation Kate comes to believe Ananias had some secrets. Kate finds her life endanger but she refuses to give up.
This is the first Kate Burkholder book I have read; I am impressed and want to go back and listen to the rest of the series. While this is the 14th book in the series it stands well alone. The threads of the mystery all came together at the end of this tale. I enjoyed learning about the Amish community.

I walked and ran a lot of extra miles in the past three days to listen to this book! It was totally worth it!! It is well written with believable characters, and the narrator did a fabulous job. I was able to distinguish the different characters through her voice and inflection. Not only was there an interesting crime, but I like how the author gives a glimmer into the lives of the Amish in a very respectful way. A great read!