An Evil Heart
#15 Kate Burkholder
Linda Castillo
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
Minotaur
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Burkholder’s books keep getting better and better.
I absolutely love this series and highly recommend it!
The deeper Kate digs into her investigation, disturbing and ugly secrets keep getting unrooted.
Start at the beginning of the series for the full effect.
5 stars

I thought An Evil Heart to be a good and thrilling mystery book to read. I like the addition of it being part of an Amish community. Four stars.

It's hard to believe this is the 15th book in this series, it seems as fresh as if it were the first. Kate has been called to a scene where it appears a person has been hit by a vehicle and the vehicle has fled. Aden Karn was only 21 years old, Amish, well liked by both Amish and English. Kate soon finds out though that Aden was killed by a crossbow and now has to find the killer. Although this is one book in a long series, I think this could be read as a standalone, the author covers the background including Kate's boyfriend/fiance, Tomasetti whom she is getting married to in a few days. As Kate digs deeper into the investigation some disturbing details about Aden start to come to the surface and although Kate used to be Amish, they start to close their doors to her when she tries to pry information out. Another body of a female is found, is this body somehow connected to Aden's? A break in the case comes from an unexpected place and Kate is finally able to piece the puzzle together. I do have to say that Kate must be in fantastic physical condition, she had a few instances where she chases or is chased by people up and down hills and the chase goes on for a while. This was a solid installment to this series I look forward to the next. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Kate Burkholder is shocked at the victim’s body. A particularly violent and personal form of homicide, When a young Amish man on rumspringa is found murdered on a farm road in Painters Mill, Chief of Police Burkholder must painstakingly follow the clues to discover the murderer. Why was this widely praised young man murdered? And why so brutally?

Remembered by most of the community as an outstanding young man, just out to sow some wild oats, Kate juggles the contrary reports as well as her own upcoming wedding.

With upgraded suspense from her earlier mysteries, this could be one of Linda Castillo’s best.

There is no one better at keeping you up all night to finish a book than Linda Castillo. Even chapter makes you want to read just one more.

As someone unfamiliar with the rest of the series, this book was great. Murder mysteries are my favorite genre, and this one was so great. Haunting, suspenseful and chilling. I can’t wait to re-read this one.

Being a fan of the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo, I was very excited to have the opportunity to read her most recent book. Set in an Amish community in Ohio, Chief of Police Burkholder has the mystery of the death of an Amish man to solve. Kate digs in to learn about the victim is hopes of learning who might have enough animosity towards him to have killed him, especially since all she asks have nothing but praise for him.

Kate was raised in the Amish community in the small Ohio town where she now serves as Chief of Police. Her sister and brother and their families are still there, and still a part of the Amish community. As one that chose to not remain Amish, her relationship with many in that community is strained. As the Chief of Police, she not only navigates the task of solving a crime, but also that of being respectful of a community that she is not a part of, although understands intimately. While I am not able to tell how accurately the Amish community is portrayed, Castillo does give the reader a glimpse into a culture that I knew very little about.

I don't think is the best book in the Kate Burkholder series, but it was entertaining and captivating none the less. If you are a reader of Linda Castillo, you will want to pick this up once it is published.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review

4 stars for a fast paced police procedural. This is book 15 in the series. It can be read as a stand alone although there are ongoing developments in Kate's personal life covered in previous books. This book starts off with a brutal murder. There are also descriptions of gang rapes. I don't recommend this book or the series to cozy mystery fans. Kate does solve the mystery and the gang rapes. The book is set in Painter's Mill, a fictional town in Ohio, US. I read this book in 3 days. Both my wife and I enjoy this series.
One quote: "The early stages of a homicide investigation are a frenetic mix of interviewing witnesses, false starts, hardcstops, and sleep deprivation."
Thanks to Allison Ziegler at Minotaur Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

5 star
Once again Linda Castillo has written a really good murder mystery. This is a continuing series but can be enjoyed as a stand alone.
The main character is Kate Burkholder, chief of police in a small town in Ohio. About 25% of the population is Amish. Kate used to be Amish but left at 18. Joined law enforcement and has returned. All of the stories involve a crime within the Amish community and is handled respectfully by Kate. Their ways are very interestingly intertwined with the mystery.
The story will grab and surprise you from the very beginning. The investigation, of course, is the whole story. I love that Chief Burkholder is completely incharge of her staff and none of the usual infighting among the troops regarding a female boss. They all respect her and follow her orders. You are introduced to some pretty disgusting characters. You will find some hiding deep dark secrets.
The action scenes will leave you breathless.
In the end all comes together to answer all the mysteries. A very fulfilling mystery.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An Evil Heart begins with Kate Burkholder--finally!--planning a wedding, and a young, respected Amish man being brutally murdered on his way to work. The man, Aden, is known to be friendly and loyal and has a good name around Painter's Mill.

However, Aden is also on rumspringa--the time in young Amish people's lives where they are free from the bounds of their Amish faith. As she investigates, Kate discovers that Aden, like many an Amish person, was enjoying his freedom: smoking, drinking, and driving cars. Aden, it turns out, also had a fondness for "English" women, despite having a devoted fiancee. Now Kate is forced to look at a whole new aspect of both her victim's character as well as the pool of people who may have wanted him dead.

When a second body is found, Kate struggles to make a connection between the two, but knows the unlikelihood of a town like Painter's Mill having two murderers at large at the same time. She starts questioning her own judgment, and flails as she goes down that dark path.

Can Kate find out who Aden really was, before his murder goes unpunished? And before she loses all faith in herself?

I have to say that, while I found the premise of this novel--victim as someone who has perhaps not led the cleanest life, despite appearances--fascinating, the follow-through left something to be desired. The crimes wrapped up too neatly, while the ramifications that were built up during the telling just kind of get left at the end, when Kate finally has her wedding. Actually, the interpersonal relationships in Kate's complicated family life are by far the best aspect of this book. Definitely a must-read for fans of the series, but not the most compelling mystery.

An Evil Heart begins with a shocking murder scene. It left me with my pulse pounding and my mouth hanging open! Linda Castillo started the book strong and never let up. This was equal parts gripping, shocking, thought provoking and intense.

Kate Burkholder responds to the scene where an Amish man has been murdered. Who would want to kill twenty-year-old Aden Karn? He comes from a good home, people in the community had nice things to say about him. It appears that he was respected and liked by those in his life, and yet, someone wanted him dead!

Kate has a murder to solve and her wedding to Tomasetti is drawing near. She doesn't let her upcoming nuptials get in her way when she has a case to solve. As she delves deeper, she learns that there are those with secrets - dark and dangerous secrets. When a young Amish teen/woman comes forward with what happened to her, everything changes on a dime.

Whew! This was such a fantastic book. I loved doing my own super sleuthing along with Kate. There are a few suspects in this book and Castillo had me re-evaluating and changing my suspect list as the book went along.

There was never a dull moment in this book. I had a hard time putting this book down as I was fully invested in the plot. This was another well written, engrossing, riveting and intense book by Castillo and a brilliant addition to the Kate Burkholder series. Another plus, is that I do believe this book would work well as a stand-alone.

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 wild ride with Kate Burkholder!

A young Amish man is found dead by the side of the road. At first glance it looked like it was an accident - car vs bicycle. But further investigation proves this young man was murdered.

Likable Aden had no enemies. His Amish Fiancée Emily is deeply in love with him and can speak no ill about him. His parents raised a strong young man. But as Kate discovers, not all is what it may seem with young Aden.

I love this series and I look forward every year for the newest release from Linda Castillo. This one is another mystery filled with twisty turns, just like the road in Painter's Mill.

I can't say enough about this series, if you haven't read these books before, start at the beginning and enjoy the ride.

As Kate is preparing for her wedding to Tomasetti, her preparations get interrupted by a murder in Painters Mill, Ohio. A young Amish man is found murdered on the side of the road. It is Kate's job to find the killer. As the investigation proceeds, ugly secrets are revealed.

This book is #15 in the Kate Burkholder series. I look forward to a new installment every year. Linda Castillo is a great writer. She seamlessly blends the crime investigation and Kate's personal life. To be fully appreciated, this series must be started with book #1.

Thank you, Minotaur Books and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I am anxiously awaiting book #16.

Another outstanding book from LInda Castillo. She's been one of my favorite authors since I read Sworn to Silence. The storyline kept me guessing all the way to very last chapters. Her characters are well developed and the storyline flows so easily that once you start this book, you don't realize how long you've been reading until it's 2am!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an awesome read! I relate so much to the main character in this story. I grew up near the Amish and the representation of their community is very well done. I am going to be reading the rest of this series NOW. Highly recommend

Kate Burkholder is the Chief of Police of an Amish community in Painters Mill, Ohio. Kate’s wedding dress fitting is interrupted when she is called to a crime scene. The crumpled body of Aden Karn, a young Amish man, is found on a dirt road next to his bicycle and has apparently been killed. Who is his killer, and what is the reason for his death? Kate intends to find out. While Kate no longer lives the Amish life, she understands the Amish community and is able to unravel the mystery of this case.

AN EVIL HEART, the fifteenth book in the Kate Burkholder series, is a good read. Since I am a first-time reader of the series, I can attest that the book works as a stand-alone. I am enticed to read the stories that precede this one and to read future Kate Burkholder books. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review AN EVIL HEART.

An Evil Heart is the latest in the Kate Burkholder series but the first I have read. I had seen good reviews for this series before and after reading this book I understand why. Kate Burkholder grew up Amish but left the church after a troubled childhood. She is currently the Chief of Police in Painter’s Mill where her Amish roots run deep in the community. When a young Amish man is found dead on the side of the road, Kate knows who he is and who is parents are. She begins a troubling, twisted case where the victim is not what he appears to be and the suspects seem to multiply the deeper she digs into his life. The background story involves Kate’s impending nuptials and even though this is my first book in the series I found Kate’s life to be an open book and easy to follow along with. The whodunnit blindsided me a little bit for a fast paced, page turning thriller. The characters are strong, unique, and splendid while the mystery is well written and compelling. This is definitely a series that I will start at the beginning and read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I have read all the other books in this series, so the characters were familiar. The story itself was fine (although I did figure out who did it a bit earlier than I usually do in these sorts of books.) I enjoy the setting. I did find that the excessive use of the "ten" codes that the police use, which then led to explaining what they mean, a bit distracting. Some use of that would be ok, but I don't think it needed to be as often as in this one. And I will say that I missed reading more about the rest of the characters. I think this one focused almost too much on Kate. But I liked the ending (finally!) and the integration with Kate's family. Will probably continue on with the series if it continues.
I received a free ARC e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure how this happened, but I had never read any of Linda Castillo's books until this one. Looks like I've been missing out, because I really enjoyed this one. I liked the Kate Burkholder character and think I will dive into some of the earlier books in this series.

The Description:
On a crisp autumn day in Painters Mill, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to a call only to discover an Amish man who has been violently killed with a crossbow, his body abandoned on a dirt road. Aden Karn was just twenty years old, well liked, and from an upstanding Amish family. Who would commit such a heinous crime against a young man whose life was just beginning?

The more Kate gets to know his devastated family and the people—both English and Amish—who loved him, the more determined she becomes to solve the case. Aden Karn was funny and hardworking and looking forward to marrying his sweet fiancé, Emily. All the while, Kate’s own wedding day to Tomasetti draws near...

But as she delves into Karn’s past, Kate begins to hear whispers about a dark side. What if Aden Karn wasn’t the wholesome young man everyone admired? Is it possible the rumors are a cruel campaign to blame the victim? Kate pursues every lead with a vengeance, sensing an unspeakable secret no one will broach.

The case spirals out of control when a young Amish woman comes forward with a horrific story that pits Kate against a dangerous and unexpected opponent. When the awful truth is finally uncovered, Kate comes face to face with the terrible consequences of a life lived in all the dark places.

My Thoughts:
I like that Kate Burkholder is compassionate and thoughtful as she goes about her duties. Also, that she takes her cases seriously and looks for alternative scenarios, not always accepting an initial reaction as truth. The setting in a mostly Amish community was picturesque. It was intriguing to follow Kate's attempts to mesh her life now that she is no longer Amish with her family who are Amish. The murder investigation was tense and exciting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on July 11, 2023.