An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo
Narrated by Kathleen McInerney
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: July 11, 2023

An Evil Heart is the 15th book in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. Don't let the 15th scare you away, I found this easy to enjoy as a standalone mystery and I have not read the previous books (yet).

This is one of those books that grabs you from hte start and leaves you guessing until the very end. There were so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and I found this fascinating!

The characters were interesting and well developed. I look forward to reading the other books in the series so I can learn more about them. Kate Burkholder was fascinating and I need to get to know her better!

If you're looking for a mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further! You will love An Evil Heart!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Gloomy and atmospheric, this novel will appeal to those that enjoy police procedurals taking place in an Amish community. I have not read this author before, and feel like I probably should have started at the beginning of the series to understand more about the community and the the police chief's background. The storyline takes you on a tour of a very dark side of Amish life with some deeply flawed characters. The narrator of the audio version did a fair job, but her cadence was stilted at times. I think I would have liked this one better if I had read it myself, rather than listening to it.

Sometimes I am just astonished when I see the number of books in a series I am reading. This is fifteen for this series and I like it as much or maybe even more than I did when I first starting reading them. Love the character of Katie, an exAmish police chief in a Amish town. Enjoy the insights into this religion and the people, the way they live. The cases are also interesting, but be warned, they are also violent. This case involves a murder of a young Amish man with a crossbow. Sometimes things are not as simple as they seem, and people can fool, people can see only what they want to see.

I also can't remember previously reading a book that started with a murder and ended up with this reader having a sentimental lump in her throat.
Sometimes people can fool us in evil ways, but sometimes they can fool us in wonderful ways.

first one in this series that I listened to in audio. The narrator was fabulous.

Once again Castillo provides us with a beautiful insight into the world of the Amish. With his vivid and down to earth writing style the author makes her protagonist, Kate Burkholder, come to life. This fast paced and action-packed story grabs you from the first page and keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. I could not stop reading this book once I started and now, I am anxious to read the other books from this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book was nearly perfect for me as I am thrilled by anything about the Amish, I really enjoy police procedurals, good mysteries are my jam, and I absolutely love a strong, intelligent female protagonist. There were only 2 points where the female protagonist let me down by being clueless or oblivious, but compared to how most strong female characters are usually written, this was mild. Overall, the story was good, the Amish flavor was fun, but the climax felt implausible and rushed just to get the book finished. So a pleasant read if you overlook the flaws.

An Evil Heart was my first book in this series. Even though it’s technically 15th in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. It was a very easy read, smooth flowing plot with relatable characters and a very intriguing murder that got more complicated as we got closer to the resolution. I loved that our FMC is an ex-Amish woman, as I grew up near Amish country and their beliefs and lifestyle are very interesting to me. I got major Witness vibes, which is an older action movie with Harrison Ford.

I had the pleasure of listening to an early audio ARC, and it was fantastic!! The narrator was engaging and their pacing was easy to fall into.

This is a part of a series that can be read as a stand alone. That said, I will be going back and will either be reading or listening to more as it was quite the compelling listen. Kate Burkholder is the Chief of Police who loves her job, her town, the people who who work for her and the people she has sworn to protect. She grew up Amish, left the life to live away from her community, but is still close with her siblings and protective of the community. She has a deep understanding of the Anish way of life, but when a tragic and twisted murder occurs she is forced to dig deep to uncover some terrible things that happened and find the truth. When a young man is killed in an awful way, the community os shocked and devastated for he was such a good Amish boy. When Kate starts her investigation she discovers some truly twisted and despicable things about him and the crime itself. Her investigation is somewhat hindered by the divide and the mistrust of the outside world. It’s a dark storyline all happening within days of Kates wedding to her beloved Tomasetti. The narration was fantastic and added to the experience. Not an easy listen as there was some truly awful things that happened, but a really good story well worth the time.

***** I received this ARC audiobook free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is set to be released July 11,2023. I had wanted SO badly to receive an ARC! Linda Castillo is one of my favorite authors and I have read each book in this series. I was THRILLED when I was given the audiobook advanced copy! They used the same narrator as in past books and to me those are THE voices of the characters!!

In An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo did not disappoint!! It had all the excitement as I have come to expect from this series! Action packed. Well done! A MUST read! (If you haven’t read this author go start from her first book!!!). Keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for the read and review of #AnEvilHeart by #LindaCastillo. There is true evil in this world and this book captures some of it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend.

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo is book number 15 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder grew up a debit Amish yet many years ago she left her faith, she keeps the town of Painters Mill safe and is well liked by the Amish community.

One crisp autumn morning she is called to the scene of a DOA in the middle of the road, a 20 year old Amish man Aden Karn has been murdered in the most horrific way, by a crossbow. As she investigates she learns how well liked Aden was, the Amish community is in shock yet as her investigation takes hold, there is more to Aden that people will admit, Aden had a dark side.
Kate and her love John Tomasetti are due to be married any day but Kate just can’t get this case off her mind and must follow it through to the end.

This series is one of my favorites and I was excited to be chosen to listen to the audiobook and read this book. The line between Kate and Tomasetti is real, I love their quips towards each other, the way they care for each other with true tenderness. This is a couple I’ve been rooting for since they met in the beginning of the series.

Between Katie, Tomasetti, the officers at the Painters Mill police station, (especially learning police code) and the Amish community, the way Linda Castillo is able to tie everything together to make a cohesive story is masterful.
Spoiler Alert - I would love book 16 to open up at Kate & Tomasetti’s wedding, as I am upset to have missed “being there”.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read/listen to An Evil Heart, I give this book 5 stars.

I was approved of getting an audio book version of An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo from NetGalley, so I would like to say thank you and this review is all my own.
I did find this story rather interesting, what started off as a normal looking murder turns out to be anything just that. And being able to have the story play as I clean, I found myself stopping from time to time to listen closely. It was fun and very engaging. If you like suspenseful murders you will probably enjoy this and I recommend it for sure. I do not want to say much on the plot as it all intertwines with one another, you will see this story starts right out the gate.

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo
Narrator, Kathleen McInerny
Book 15
This entry into the series was somewhat grim and dark. The only relief was the wedding and the family relationships.
The culprit in the murder was not really a surprise but even so the ending was satisfying although somewhat abrupt.
Kathleen McInerny is an excellent narrator and perfect for this series.
Thanks to NetGalley

This is my first book by Linda Castillo, not realizing this is #15 in a series but I felt as thought I was able to read this as a standalone book.
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Poor Aden killed roadside while Kate is trying on her wedding dress. As chief of police she drops the fitting and heads off to the scene of the crime. A gun? A knife? or something else?
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As we try and find out who and what happened to Aden we also uncover a darker side of his life. Meanwhile Kate is planning her wedding to Tomasetti. Kate is doing a good job of going between her Amish upbringing and her English lifestyles.
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Read on to find out all the details in this Mystery Thriller. This particular book is due out July 11, 2023 be sure to put it on your radar and in the meantime grab another one from the series. Thank you to Netgalley and Linda Castillo as well as Macmillan Audio for the ALC in return for my honest review. My 4* review is due to the narration, some of the characters voices were not a match for me.

I was so excited to be approved for this audiobook ARC! This was my first brush with Linda Castillo and her character Kate Burkholder and I was quite enthralled.

What I liked:
- Intriguing plot with well-established characters that felt like real people
- Detective books are always fun and I love trying to piece things together along with the main character(s)
- I felt the author really knew her stuff when it came to the processes involved in the story, such as the autopsies, homicide investigation handling, etc.
- Kate is a badass. I’m looking forward to reading more novels that involve her!

4/5 stars! It felt slightly predictable to me and I was hoping for a really crazy twist at the end, but overall it was a very good read. And certainly not my last Linda Castillo book!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy!

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo

Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillianaudio, and the author, @lindacastilloauthor for the opportunity to read this #advancedlistenercopy in exchange for my #honestreview. An Evil Heart is available now!

Police Chief Kate Burkholder is called to respond to the scene where Aden Karn, a local Amish man, has been found murdered at the hand of a crossbow. Burkholder must navigate the rocky terrain of solving the case as somewhat of an outside whilst planning her own wedding to Tomasetti. Will Burkholder cross the killer off her list quickly or will she find herself in the crossfires?

This was a quick-paced but wholesome mystery! I really enjoyed this and found it to be in a similar vein to Agatha Christie. I haven’t read any other books in this series and had no trouble follower along. I found Kate to be a very upstanding and like-able character. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a fast-paced mystery.

TW: abandonment/exile from community, sexu@l assault, violence, gaslighting

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.25/5

I've been listening to the Kate Burkholder Amish mysteries for a long time and this was another enjoyable entry in the series. As usual, Kathleen McInerney did a great job narrating the book. In this book, Kate works to solve the murder of Aden Karn who was killed by a crossbow bicycling down a country road early one morning. I was a tiny bit disappointed to feel very confident who the killer was before Kate. She seemed a little slow to puzzle things out this time around and maybe really really slow when she asked the medical examiner at the scene of Aden's murder if the arrow had gone clear through his body would there be an exit wound on the other side if they turned him over? Come on, Kate, you are smarter than that! But in her defense, she had a lot on her mind as she was preparing to marry the love of her life John Tomasetti. Loved seeing the hard-won stability and love in that relationship and the ever evolving and warming relationship with her Amish family continue to develop.

This was the first book I've read by Linda Castillo. I realized as I was adding it to my Goodreads shelf that it's book number 15 in a series. I suppose that makes me proof that this book can be read as a stand alone, and make perfect sense. This was tough to get through as an audio book. The narrator was terrible at every speed I tried to listen to. I did like the story and characters alright, but I certainly recommend it be read on paper and not as an audiobook.

Smart, Well Structured, and Sizzling With Suspense.

SUMMARY
Kate Burkholder’s wedding day is just around the corner. As the chief of police in Painters Mill, she is also investigating the violent death of Aden Karn, a twenty-year-old Amish man, whose body was found shot twice by a crossbow and abandoned on a rural road with his bicycle abandoned nearby. Was it a hunting accident or a horrendous murder? Kate’s interviews with Aden’s family and friends find him to be extremely well-liked and soon to be married to his young fiancé Emily. When a second body, a woman, is found a few days later, Kate’s hunch tells her there might be a connection, and things are not quite what they seem.


REVIEW
AN EVIL HEART is the fifteenth book in the Kate Burkholder series set with an Amish backdrop, Author Linda Castillo grabs your attention in the first five minutes of the book, and she never lets go.

The story has the potential to keep you up late at night. It is fast-paced and action-packed, and highly enjoyable. The writing is smart, well-structured, and sizzling with suspense.

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 a 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.

Castillo has developed a character in Kate Burkholder that highlights the fortitude of women. I highly applaud this book and the series. Feel free to jump into this series anywhere, but once you do, you will want to read them all.

The narrator was Kathleen McInerney. Her tone, pacing, and inflections were spot on. Her narration brought the story to life.

Thanks to Netgalley and McMillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher McMillan Audio
Published June 11, 2023
Narrated Kathleen McInerney
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Another great book in the series. You don’t need to read these books in order, this was fine as a stand alone book. I’m so amazed at how much crime happens in this little Amish town! They are going to need a bigger police force before long.

This is my first from Linda Castillo, and as such I didn't realize this book was part of a long series. I requested it because I thought the synopsis sounded twisty and intriguing. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me but of absolutely no fault of the author or story. The narrator absolutely killed this book for me. I found her way of reading so incredibly off-putting, and ultimately couldn't put up with it. Her cadence is clipped in a way that's reminiscent of William Shatner, which at the beginning I thought was a character choice for Aden, but was used the entire time. It was robotic, and would absolutely stop me from listening to another book from this series. As it is, I won't post a review elsewhere until I've read the e-book and given it a fair shot. I am still interested in the story and being properly introduced to Kate Burkholder.