When Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of a brutal murder, she discovers the body of a young Amish man. No one seems to have a bad thing to say about him, and yet, he's dead. And as an antithesis to the murder investigation, Kate is also trying to plan her wedding. And then another murder occurs. Kate has to figure things out soon, or the body count may continue to rise!

Wow!!! So many interesting things happening in this book. I enjoyed the twists, turns, danger, suspense, and the characters, all while trying to figure out who the killer is and why.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. I highly recommend.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

The Kate Burkholder series is one of my absolute favorites! I love how Linda Castillo makes each book in this series so refreshing and unique!

Book 15 follows Kate as she prepares for her upcoming wedding to Tomasetti while also investigating the murder of a 21 year old Amish man.

This one grabs you from the very beginning! The murder is shocking, and as the investigation goes on, more and more secrets are uncovered.

We also got to see more of Kate's family in this book, which I really enjoyed!

Just like every year after reading the latest book in this series, I'm anxiously awaiting the next one!

Thank you, @netgalley, @stmartinspress, @minotaur_books, and @lindacastilloauthor for the e-arc of this book!

AN EVIL HEART, Kate Burkholder, #15
Linda Castillo, author
Mystery/Thriller

Follow Kate Burkholder once again when a young Amish man on Rumspringa is murdered in a peculiar fashion. As she looks into this young man, she finds of a darker side under the sweet charming man that both the English and Amish both loved.

I always love to get Linda Castillo’s books early. Especially the Kate Burkholder series. With myself, an Aunt, and a cousin all fans, what else can I do? There’s the perfect amount twists and turns and even more information about the Amish in every chapter. I would give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

I've heard complaints that all of Linda Castillo's Amish-country mysteries are alike. They aren't. Yes, a young Amish person is often the victim, for one reason or another. That's the case here, but the "whys" are different from any we've seen before in this series, and very timely.,Also -- and sorry if I find this more engaging than the main storyline -- there's a wedding to be planned.

Kate Burkholder’s character is delightful. She is unique, smart, courageous, resilient and determined. You can’t ask for much more than that. The entire Burkholder series is a fabulous read. Fair warning the first chapter or two in this book, as well as all the books in the series are bit alarming. You will not soon forget Castillo’s graphic and detailed description of both the crime and the murder scene. It will have your heart pounding.

It will be an on edge of the seat experience! Read it asap!

Linda Castillo does it AGAIN!!

An Evil Heart was complex and amazing! Linda knows how to write fresh installments in the Kate Burkholder series. As a self-proclaimed expert on the Amish, I am obsessed with this series! I also love how Castillo keeps me thinking and on the edge of me seat and glued to my kindle!

I haven't read all the books in this series (yet) but I've enjoyed the ones I have read. This newest installment in the series is an excellent addition to the series, and happily we're given just enough info to feel like we aren't totally lost if we're reading out of order. This one starts out with a disturbingly brutal murder of a young Amish man, who on the surface seems like a highly unlikely candidate for murder. But clues begin to mount that it wasn't an accident and that he was apparently the intended target. The question becomes "Why?", and clues begin to surface as to the possible motive. It isn't a pretty story, but again it's interesting to watch Kate Burkholder's dogged determination to get to the truth. Castillo is excellent at setting her scenes, filling her books with a wonderful sense of place and interesting characters. Can't wait to read more!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

I like the contrast of the brutal murders and the upcoming wedding. Kate has lots on her plate. A well liked Amish guy is murdered on his way to work. That murder fells like the central story but then a woman is found dead too. What is the chances they are related? Secret lives are uncovered. I liked the story.

Another suspenseful thriller in this Amish mystery series.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder of Painters Mill is called out to a dirt road where she finds an Amish man dead from penetrating wounds, later determined to from a crossbow. As the investigation begins, no one has a bad thing to say about this 20-year-old who has been murdered in cold blood. As Kate and her colleagues continue to work the case, some disturbing information about the victim comes to light. Meanwhile, Kate is preparing for her upcoming wedding to Tomasetti.

I've read all the prior books in this series and can't imagine this #15 as a standalone given all the backstory, but Kate Burkholder is a favorite character, and the plots are always complicated and interesting. I think the main draw to these books for me is the Amish angle. I find the details about plain life make this series stand out from most of the others with similar themes. I like the writing style and the police procedural aspect as well. Always look forward to the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Published: 07/11/23

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for accepting my request to read and review An Evil Heart (#15).

Well done Linda Castillo on #15 in your series, and my first book of yours. This is a good standalone read. Throughout the story I did sense a familiarity between characters. My thought was everything would tie up in the end. I'm satisfied that I enjoyed the ending and enjoyed the main characters. Castillo wrote so well I noticed there was something between the lines, but not enough to take away from the story itself. For the gaps to close I need to read the previous 14 books. As it stands that is not feasible, however, placing #16 on my list of books to look for and read is already done.

The story has a serious subject matter, rape. I believe it was well done. There is no graphic overkill or horror for the sake of a word count. It is cruel, cold, and calculating. I found the adult storyline was written for a teen to entertain without harshness. There are quite a few conversations that could be had between caregivers and teens.

I did not like and am so disappointed in the swearing. Seriously? There are so many ways a good author can say F--- without taking this from being a family oriented reading (car ride to Amish country?) or just a general audible book. This really touched my core.

3.5 stars, and I'm not rounding up -- the profanity really is inexcusable.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I can’t believe this is the 15th in Castillo’s Burkholder series! I absolutely loved the first one and the others have all kind of blurred together. This one was average- a bit repetitive but all in all a good murder mystery set in Amish country.

Another solid installment in the Kate Burkholder series!
You know when you start reading a book and you try to read it slowly so it never ends? Well, that is is how it is for me with each book in the series. And, more so with this book! Talk about a complex and intriguing story!!!
Linda Castillo’s writing is always on point and draws you in and won’t let you go.
I can’t recommend this series enough….if you haven’t read it, you need to do it now. Start from the first book in the series as there is so much back story about Kate that you need to know about.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Another great story with a nearly perfect ending. This time Kate is trying to solve the murder of Amish man who was well-liked by everyone, but is he a victim? I’ve always said I love Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series and I know this was an unedited version, but there was a period in the early latter half that did not sound like the author or character at all. The odd way Kate was thinking to herself with dark thoughts herself and how she went a little crazy on potential suspects was weird. Now, don’t get me wrong Kate has had dark thoughts over the years, but she never acted like this. And the times that were bad, Thomasetti was there. They’ve always pulled each other from the brink. Even the case Thomasetti had was perfect to close that circle from the past. It was great how the wedding was handled to close a circle for Kate and her past too. My only complaint is the wedding scene seemed rushed and short because I wanted to revel in it feeling like I’ve been on the journey with them all these years. The biggest question on my mind now - please tell me there will be more books! Since everything was wrapped up perfectly I’m worried it’s an end to the series. Please say it isn’t so!

Thank you to St Martin/Minotaur books for providing a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kinda Castillo has written an exceptional mystery with An Evil Heart. Readers will be thoroughly stumped as they try to determine who was responsible for the death.

An Evil Heart
Kate Burkholder #15
Linda Castillo


I was asked to review one of Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder novels for Library Journal a few years ago and was very pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t expecting the depth of crime drama and the incorporation of Kate’s past with the Amish into her policing. Needless to say I was hooked and from then on have enjoyed the Macmillan Audio editions of the series. They all have an edge, they’re all dark some darker than others and this one is one of those very dark ones and it was one heck of a story so read on to see what I thought.
Enjoy!


Castillo’s An Evil Heart is a fantastic twisty turny look into the very darkest of humanity. The author’s masterful storytelling will lead her audience down some really dark and disturbing roads giving them a glimpse of the underbelly of human nature and leaving them wondering if anything is sacred. As in all the novels in her series Linda’s storyline melds an amazing plot, Amish and English (non-Amish) characters, lifestyles and dialogue keeping fans up to date with all the goings on from past trips to Painter’s Mill, Ohio as well as one heck of a mystery unique to this novel. Her knowledge of Amish language and customs then mixing it with murder and mayhem make this novel a one-of-a-kind crime drama that will appeal to a wide range of mystery/thriller fans. Fans of this fantastic author, JT Ellison and Lisa Gardner will find this read absolutely unputdownable.


Kate Burkholder has a lot on her mind right now, she and John Tomasetti are finally tying the knot, but with only days before the wedding where the ceremony will be held is still up in the air. To make matters worse she gets a call about the body of a young Amish man found on a secluded road and horrifically learns that what she originally thought was a hit and run turns out to be a very violent murder and she’s left wondering who would want to kill twenty-year-old well-liked and respected Aden Karn with a crossbow. While digging into the case and into Aden’s life she is getting two very different pictures of Aden and begins to suspect that the Amish man may have had a nefarious side. Between wedding preparations and reconnecting more with her Amish family Kate’s investigations into the case is getting her more questions than answers but there’s one thing she knows for sure and that is she won’t give up until she knows all the facts.

Linda Castillo knows how to pull a reader into a story. No matter how I end up feeling about one of her books, I can always count on being engrossed in it right from the beginning. This series has a formula that I've come to expect. There's always a murder in the very beginning, whether it just happened or is a scene from the past, and some unlucky person always happens upon the dead body. This time around, the murder was pretty gruesome, which is something that occurs in this series quite often. One thing that made it so gruesome was that it was told from the victims perspective.

This one did keep me guessing for a while. Although I suspected the murderer pretty early on, I decided that I was probably wrong, and that it was just too obvious of a choice. Needless to say, I went on to suspect several people before I found out, it indeed was this person. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't something a bit more clever, but I still enjoyed this book. I think the thing I enjoyed the most was Kate and Tomasetti finally making it official.

Kate did her usual thing of putting herself in danger instead of waiting for backup, which drives me crazy, but I've come to expect it. It's another part of the formula this series follows. I do wonder why there always has to be a showdown in every mystery novel. Why can't a person just be arrested at the end sometimes? I know people want to read the "edge of the seat" danger, but we all know how it's going to end up.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

3.5 stars

I haven't read any other books in the series, but I believe this could stand alone. The characters are well-crafted and realistic. There is some language that seems contradictory to the Amish characters, but then again, this isn't your typical Amish romance book. It looks a bit more at the harsh reality of our world. The mystery is solid with enough twists to keep readers guessing.

FINAL DECISION: This book blends an enthralling case with the pre-wedding journey of Kate and John and kept me captivated until the last word.

THE STORY: In Painters Mill, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the violent murder of Aden Karn, a well-liked young Amish man found dead. As Kate delves into Aden's life, she uncovers whispers of a hidden dark side and questions whether the rumors are an attempt to blame the victim. Determined to uncover the truth, Kate pursues every lead, even as her own wedding approaches. The case takes a dangerous turn when a woman shares a horrifying story, leading Kate to confront an unexpected opponent. As the shocking truth emerges, Kate confronts the devastating consequences of a hidden life.

OPINION: I absolutely loved this book. It seamlessly blends an enthralling case with the pre-wedding journey of Kate and John. Castillo's skillful storytelling effortlessly navigates the depths of their pasts, shedding new light on their complicated histories as the events of this novel unfold. As a long-time reader, I couldn't help but marvel at the remarkable growth exhibited by both Kate and John, both individually and as a couple. Their personal development adds layers of depth to the narrative, making their journey all the more compelling.

What sets this book apart is its ability to straddle the fine line between mystery and thriller genres. It is a true hybrid, offering the best of both worlds. The complexity of the story is nothing short of breathtaking. At every turn, Castillo creates an air of uncertainty, keeping readers guessing and second-guessing every piece of information. The mystery within the pages is incredibly intricate and expertly crafted, constantly revealing new secrets that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Just when you think you have it figured out, the plot takes an exhilarating twist, leaving you awestruck and hungry for more. Castillo's attention to detail and well-crafted pacing ensure that there is never a dull moment. From the opening pages to the heart-pounding climax, the story effortlessly maintains its grip on your imagination, refusing to let go.

Nothing is as it appears. The story brilliantly plays with your expectations to keep you on the edge of your seat. With every revelation, you realize that there are hidden depths to every character and a multitude of layers to the story. It is a testament to the author's talent that they can craft such a rich and multifaceted tale that keeps you guessing until the final pages.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is so satisfying for someone who cares more about Kate and John than the murders.

CONNECTED BOOKS: AN EVIL HEART is the fifteenth book in the Kate Burkholder series. The mystery here is completely self-contained and so this book can be read on its own, but the character stories of Kate and the other supporting characters is so much better if the series is read in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in order to help prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Hard to believe this is the 15th book in the Kate Burkholder series and I'm still loving this character. This installment is just as enjoyable as the others and filled with the suspense I've always craved. Added bonus, it has a bit more romance woven into the story. I've recommended this series over and over and I'm anxiously awaiting the next adventure. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

An evil heart was probably one of my favorite books. When I started it I thought it was too much like the other books but it really started changing. I loved the character development and learning a bit more about Tomasitti. The ending I did not see coming. Definitely give Linda Casitllo a try you will not be disappointed. These books have gotten me through so much over the years and I look forward to the new books each year.