THE BURNING, Kate Burkholder #16
Linda Castillo, author
Mystery/Thriller

Follow along as a former Amish practitioner turned Chief of Police Kate Burkholder as she once again dives into the Amish community to solve a murder. This time it is personal though as her brother is the suspect.

I am a huge fan of this series. They can be read as standalone books, I picked them up mid-series. It has everything expected from a mystery with a dash of Amish fun facts in the mix. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Sadly, I was unable to read this book. I downloaded it, but it did not appear on my shelf. By the time I noticed it was time to read, it had already been archieved not allowing me to download it again.

This was a 'did not finish' for me. Although I love the author, just couldn't get into the story of this popular author. Will be buying it as patrons will be requesting it but I found it did not live up to past audiobooks by this author. It was a miss for me.

This was my first Kate Burkholder book (and the series' #16) and I fairly enjoyed this thriller as it reminded me as a better, more thought-out version of James Patterson's Women Murder Club series (versus the middle ones as I thought the first was brilliant). And I really enjoyed the more detailed insights into the Amish culture; so that was a plus.

The overall crime was your usual plot line, small twists here and there. So then as a reader, I would rely on the cleverness and the way the author laid out the story, which I thought was just okay. This was middle of the road for me. I enjoyed the crime thriller aspect, mainly because that was my go-to genre, but there wasn't much to move this book up to the must-read category. Come for the crime, stay for the Amish curiosity.

One thing I didn't get, however, and maybe this was because I hadn't read any of the books in the series, was the bland and odd relationship of Kate and her husband (fiancé? I don't remember, sorry). He might as well had been just a fellow coworker in the service because there wasn't any connection or chemistry between them. I felt the connection between Kate and her brother for sure, but the husband (or fiancé?), not so much. This book had some suspense, some gripping moments, and the pacing was fine. But it just came another crime thriller lost in the pool of plenty.

The audio was done really well. I definitely appreciated that part.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audio eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I look forward to a new Kate Burkholder book every year. Once again, Linda Castillo transports us to Amish territory to the scene of a grizzly murder: an Amish man burned at the stake. Kate's brother is one of the suspects, and Kate is taken off the case, but she does not stop trying to find the answers. Kathleen McInerney is once again brilliant as the voice of this series. I'm looking forward to the next one!

3.5 Stars

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the #gifted copy of The Burning! #MacAudio2024 #MacAudio2024

Audio Length: 9 Hours 31 Minutes
Narrator: Kathleen McInerney
Publication date:July 9, 2024

So this was a shock right from the beginning... imagine an Amish man burned at the stake with little to no evidence around. Who could have done it?It's up to Kate, Tomasetti, and the rest of the team to figure out the mystery.

So when I first started listening to this, I did not realize that the main character had other books in which she was involved (alongside other characters). So I hope I did not miss much (my fault)! Although, now I am quite curious about other books in this "series" and I do wish I would have read some before reading this for more background knowledge. This was very atmospheric and chilling. Details explained and imagined. But also most things were straight to the point. This is defiantly a police procedure/crime fiction novel, so the details are meant to be a part of an overall idea. Entertaining and mysterious. I liked that Kate had an Amish background. I found that to be unique and refreshing in regard to a crime procedural. I did not mind the subplot romance either! (another thing I have little information on as I did not read any of the other books...)

So what did not work? I did feel like the middle was a bit off paced compared to the rest of the book but it was not something that truly impacted my enjoyment. And as smart as Kate was described.... I had a hard time not rolling my eyes at some of the decisions she made being a part of the criminal justice system. Some of her actions would NEVER pass by and I had to try and just set that aside.

Overall: I would recommend but check out other books first!!

Read if you like:
- crime fiction
- tv shows like: Law and Order, True Detective, and Criminal Minds
- police procedural
- romance as a subplot

Disappointing. Where the book was going was apparent from the first chapter. The reader might not have all the answers, but enough was revealed, so there were no surprises. The book is slow without the usual last-minute Castillo twist and could have benefited from a secondary plotline other than outside agencies not liking Kate and her investigation tactics. The only redeeming part was the dark history, which led to a Google dive into the Schwertler Anabaptists.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder knows the Amish prefer to keep their issues private, but when she is called out to the woods in response to a fire, she is not quite prepared for that fire to be a man tied to a stake and smoldering. No one liked excommunicated Milan Swanz, especially his ex-wife, but the Amish do not speak ill of the dead, which is a complication for the Painter’s Mill Police Department.

I enjoy this series, but there is a running theme in the books, and it is beginning to feel like a fill-in-the-blank series. Gruesome death; innocent Amish who turns out to be no different than the Englisher’s; people don’t like the police chief until they need her; Kate is severely injured; twist; the end.

First off, any Ohio mystery/thriller readers- Linda Castillo is an Ohio author and this story is set in Amish country in OH! It was so cool to hear the places referenced throughout this book and understand where they were.

3.5 ⭐️ The Burning is a dark, suspenseful mystery. I have not read any of the other Kate Burkholder books, but I am definitely interested in them now! I was able to read this as a standalone but I think I will go back and read/listen to some others!

The setting in this was very interesting, and I was really a fan of the main character Kate and her ties to the Amish community. I have not read a mystery like this before but I was very intrigued! I enjoyed the writing style and the narration for this one is very well done! I will say I feel like Kate finds herself in situations she shouldn’t a bit too many times, but overall very enjoyable read!

Was good 4.5 better then some of her past novels
Will read more from this author in the future
Read out of sequence so some spoilers but pridictable changes

I loved this 16th book in Linda Castillo's "Kate Burkholder" series!
One of my all-time favourite series!
Painters Mill Chief of Police Kate Burkholder receives an urgent, middle of the night call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. What she discovers is a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased is an Amish man who was chained to a stake and burned alive.
Kate, previously Amish, knows that the Amish community prefer to handle their problems within their own community. From what she is able to piece together the victim led an extremely troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. The suspect list rapidly begins to grow.
A captivating plot and suspenseful read!
It is always a pleasure to revisit the characters I have become quite attached to in Painters Mill.
I can hardly wait for the next Kate Burkholder story.
Once again, narrator Kathleen McInerney does a superb job telling this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The Burning
Linda Castillo
When a former Amish man was burned at the stake everyone is a suspect. This is a page turning whodunnit, you’ll be hooked just listening to the prologue. I loved that we saw the entire investigation through Chief Kate Burkholders eyes as she interviewed different suspects. I will say that I almost wish I had a physical copy only to help me keep all the characters straight. There were so many.

The narrator did an amazing job. I was able to listen to this at 2x speed with no issues.

The Burning by Linda Castillo is book 16 in her Kate Burkholder series. You’re probably asking yourself, Kelly, you’ve been reading this series and not talking about it?! The answer is no, I have never picked up any books in this series. Have I read a book by this author, another easy no. So why jump in at book 16 you ask? I like to party lol

I read this synopsis and was so intrigued and later learned it was book 16. An Amish Thriller, did I even know this was a thing?!? Also a no. But let me tell you, I binge listened to this in ONE day! It was so good. Having no prior knowledge of this story was no problem whatsoever. I was completely mesmerized by the author’s storytelling and the narrator knocked it out the park. They brought this story to life and I felt like I was right in the middle of this case and on the edge of my seat trying to piece together the clues. Now I have an entire backlist to binge and couldn’t be more excited about it!

I highly recommend reading this series. I can only imagine if book 16 is this good that the rest of the series has to be just as binge worthy.

A huge thank you Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. Be prepare to be gripped by this narration and storytelling. Loved the twist and turns and stayed for that ending. Can’t wait to read more by this author!

4 gripping and amazingly awesome stars!!

Thank you to @macmillian.audio for the gifted audiobook ARC. Special thanks to Minotaur Books/NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Narrator Kathleen McInerney did a phenomenal job of narrating The Burning. I listened at 1.75x. This is my second book by the narrator and I look forward to listening to many more books by her.

Bookish Thoughts: This fast pace murder mystery was a page turner for me. I listened in two days! Chief of police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder, which reveals a little known chapter of early Amish history in the new installment of the bestselling Linda Castillo series. This was my first book I read in the series and I highly enjoyed it. It can be read as a standalone and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series!

#MacAudio2024

3.5 Stars
Kate is called to a grisly murder, a man burned at the stake. As Kate investigates, she finds a lot of potential suspects due to the victim's background. Unfortunately, one of the connections is personal to Kate and a BCI Agent makes waves about her being biased. Tomasetti is also brought into this complicated case.

The town of Painters Mill is a small one, so Kate is a very hands-on Chief of Police, investigating suspects and following up on leads right along with her officers. I really like Kate and her officers: Glock, Mona, Skid, and Pickles. They’re a good team, more than just work colleagues.

I was addicted from page one, but man Kate made several TSTL decisions that were completely frustrating! It’s hard to believe a seasoned police chief making such stupid and rash decisions, especially when she keeps getting her butt handed to her!

The Burning is book sixteen in the Kate Burkholder series, but could be read as a standalone in a pinch. Each book focuses on a case that’s solved by the end. There is the romance between Kate and Tomasetti that begins in book one. I read the first two books in the series and then skipped ahead to book fifteen and sixteen, but I’d like to go back and work my way through the rest of the books at some point.

I’ve listened to the series from the start and really enjoyed Kathleen McInerney’s performance! Her accents and performance of Deitsch accents are well done. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

I have been a huge fan of the long running Kate Burkholder mystery series so I was dying to read this latest volume. Thankfully this latest book completely lived up to my expectations.

Technically readers could start here but they will get so much more out of the character interactions if they follow them back from the beginning. It is great to see how far they have come.

As for the mystery, I thought it was solid. I really liked how dark the setup was, which felt more reminiscent of the earlier books. Parts of the plot were guessable but that didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I’m a fan of Linda Castillo novels, and like her previous books, I really enjoyed this one. I rated it 5 stars. This is the 16th novel in the Kate Burkholder series. Although I have read the previous books in the series, it isn’t necessary to read the other books in order to read this one. Castillo does an excellent job with character development and the story moves at a good pace. I do have to warn this book seems a little more graphic than her previous books with a character burned at the stake in the beginning of the book.

The Burning Audio by Linda Castillo is a Chief Kate Burkholder novel. What makes it unique is that Kate is ex-Amish and is police chief in a community that is largely Amish. Her brother is Amish. She is recently married to a law enforcement office with a different agency. Two of her officers were on a dark county road for unsanctioned activities when they heard a scream. Then they smelled smoke. When they found the sight they were sickened. It appeared to be a man burned at the stake. All local law enforcement was on the scene shortly but try as they might, the clues were scant. The advantage Kate had was that the Amish had respect for her; they had known her as a child. They would talk to her and even then, it was like pulling teeth. The dead man, Milan Swanz, was not a good man by any definition but she would not make the victim guilty or deserving so she worked to find the culprit, even after her brother became a suspect and she was taken off the case.

Kate was stubborn and directed. The people who worked for her were totally supportive but some others in the local law enforcement community were jealous and always looking for a leg up. She followed snippets of clues that lead to her nearly being killed. The doctor at the hospital joked that he didn’t want to see her again after two consecutive visits. Her husband, John Tomasetti, always has her back, both as her husband and as fellow law enforcement. He had lost his family years earlier and it has been a rough climb back. Kate keeps digging and eventually puts together threads that she can weave together into a theory. The killers don’t want that to happen so they try to stop her. What a great character and series this is! Thanks Linda Castillo!

The narrator was Kathleen McInerney who did a decent job with Kate but I didn’t love the way she portrayed many of the men. It wasn’t the voice, necessarily, but the intonations. It is not an easy job to narrate a multi-character novel, so the job she did was credible.

I was invited to listen to The Burning by MacMillanAudio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #LindaCastillo #KathleenMcInerney #TheBurning

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is at it again. In the latest installment, she is called to the gruesome crime scene where former Amish Milan Swanz has been burned alive at the stake. As Kate tries to gather information on who committed this heinous crime, her brother is implicated. This is an action packed thriller with many twist and turns along the way. Linda Castillo did a great job as always with this fast paced , suspenseful thriller. Thank you @macmillan.audio for the ALC. Kathleen Mclnerney did an excellent job with the audio narration.

This book is part of a series, this is book 16 and while I haven't read all the books in the series, I have read 7 of them and not in order. I love that this series works as a series and each book as a standalone.

What can you expect? A gruesome murder that kicks off a seriously fast paced mystery. I love Kate. She is a brilliant MC and she always aims to do the right thing but when her brother becomes a suspect... WOWWEEEEE

The audio was brilliant, its actually the first book in the series I actually listened to and now I have library holds for all the books haha!

4.5 stars!!

The Burning opens with a horrific crime, a man is tied to a post and set on fire, left to burn. Skid and Mona, two Painter's Mill police officers are in the vicinity and first on the scene. When Kate shows up, they realize he was an Amish man and he is eventually identified. He was not a good man and had many enemies, but who hated him enough to want to kill him in this way? Sheriff, Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti begin an investigation into the life of Milan Swanz, and what they find makes Kate think about revenge in the worst way. As evidence piles up, Kate's brother is implicated and a witness sees him arguing with the murdered man, so she is taken off the case, but she doesn't stop, she continues to investigate and in true Kate Burkholder manner, ends up putting herself into danger.

Every time I read a Kate Burkholder book, I think it is the best one yet and couldn't possibly get any better. This book has a gruesome crime, that ends up leading Kate down a path into the history of the Anabaptist faith. I learned a lot about the persecution of the early Anabaptists and some of their culture and beliefs. This was a creepy story, especially because Kate was constantly being threatened by some unknown man. It was scary to think she could have been taken out several times. This book has a theme of revenge or retribution, but we all know that doesn't usually work out the way someone might want. This book kept me listening way after I should have gone to bed, but I couldn't stop. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see who the culprits were and how they were going to get caught. Another well written and plotted police procedural with twists and extremely tense moments throughout. Once again, I listened to this story narrated by the wonderful Kathleen McInerney. She has narrated this series with wonderful voices, expression and story telling skills that make it very enjoyable to listen to.