Although the 17th book in the series, this is only my third and I do wish I had started at the beginning of Kate’s story . This is a well written police procedural , and I always find it fascinating reading about the Amish Culture . I did figure out what was going on before Kate ( yay me!) and really enjoyed the story . I just wish Kate would learn to wait for her backup to arrive 🤦‍♀️

Rage by Linda Castillo is the 17th installment of the Kate Burkholder series. While this can be read as a standalone, I do recommend reading at least the first book in the series for some of the background of the character. You won’t b disappointed.

In this new installment, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder i called to investigate the death of an Amish man found dismembered on the large property in Painters Mill. A local landscaper, 21 year old Samuel Eicher, is the victim of this heinous crime. Before this investigation has even started, a second body is also found, stuffed in a barrel and friends with the first victim. While everyone in the community knows these two Amish men to be friendly, helpful, and low key, it becomes obvious something more sinister is at play here. What could be behind the gruesome murders of these two friends?

When Chief Burkholder requests the help of her husband, John Tomasetti, with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Sheriff Mike Rasmussen, they begin to uncover a relationship Samuel was in with an exotic dancer, and former Amish woman, as well as a lawsuit against Samuels landscaping company. When Cass, the dancer, has also disappeared, it only proves to Kate they are getting very close to finding out who is behind these murders, and they realize this is a much bigger secret that includes very important people who will stop at nothing to continue to work their black market scheme.

The characters in this book continue to flourish and develop with each addition to the series. Kate has such a great relationship with her fellow officers, who you also get to know in each book, and she is a definite bad ass! I love that the Amish culture continues to be explained in every book, and it is so interesting how Kate handles herself since leaving her Amish upbringing behind.

The story is gruesome, and descriptive and will keep you guessing until the last page. Ms Castillo is such a great storyteller, and this installment is no different. She touches on many themes in this book including murder, greed, trust, and secrets including those regarding what can happen when young adults consider leaving their Amish community and how easy it can be for them to be taken advantage of.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I give this a solid 4.5 stars, and the suggestion to read other books in this series.

My thoughts:
Oh, my gosh!
I have been anxiously waiting for the next installment in the Kate Burkholder series and here it is! Protagonist Kate Burkholder has intrigued me from the first book in the series. Each book is such an intense, full of action and mystery read with informative insight into the Amish way of life.
Kate’s solo investigations make me scared, cringe and physically shaking!
With that said….Rage is one horrific, intense read! Literally kept me on the edge of my seat!
If you haven’t started reading this series, you are missing out! I recommend starting from the first book as you really need to know the backstory about Kate(it will give you better insight into who she has become).
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Next-to-last (in the lineup of mystery authors coming to the St. Louis County Library) is one of my favorites, Linda Castillo, who has featured Police Chief Kate Burkholder in a long-running series of mysteries set in Painters Mill, Ohio, a small town in Amish country.

With 17 full-length books to date, the challenge for Castillo at this point might be coming up with a different crime to rattle the Amish community. “Rage” (Minotaur, 304 pages; out Tuesday) is set during a miserably hot summer but turns on the chilling murder of a young man who strayed from the church, only to return. The crime is both gory and graphic, and the investigation puts Kate herself in mortal danger, with a larger conspiracy revealed to be timely and horrifying.

On the lighter side, Kate and her new husband, state investigator John Tomasetti, , are settling nicely into married life and even welcome an addition to the family. No, not that. It’s a cat.

(Reviewed in print and online In a roundup of visiting authors on July 6.)

Rage is the 17th book in Linda Castillo's phenomenal series Kate Burkholder. I've only been with the series since book 14, and I instantly became a fan! Having written so any books, it's astounding how fresh this series still feels. I can't get enough of it!

There's a heatwave in the town of Painters Mill, Ohio. Things have been peaceful, but the discovery by three Amish children puts a quick end to that. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on the scene and finds the dismembered body of Samuel Yutzy, a 21-year-old local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. Not much later, a second body of a young Amish man is found stuffed in a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is Aaron Shetler, Samuel's 21-year-old best friend. What could these two Amish men possibly been involved in that led to such violent deaths? No one seems willing to talk about what happened to these men. The case was not progressing, however, until a mystery woman comes forward and reveals the two men had recently befriended some evil characters, who may have ties to a sinister black market. When Kate gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will another life be taken before she discovers the truth, or will she be the final victim?

The books I've read so far in the series open with a horrific death, and it's non-stop thrills from there. The death at the beginning really set the tone and mood of the entire book. I knew something was really wrong in Painters Mill and the surrounding areas, and I had no clue what was behind these murders until Kate herself did. I love when I'm reading a mystery/thriller and I have no clue as to why and whodunit until it's revealed in the story. This book, like the others I've read, are quite atmospheric. You can feel the heat (especially since it's 95 degrees and humid where I live!) and the growing despair of the Amish community. Of course, as in all great books, the biggest draw is the incredible characters. Kate Burkholder had been Amish, but she left the life when she was young. Now the Chief of Police, Kate has empathy for the young people who get lost and want a different life. At the same time, she's reunited with her remaining Amish family and has great insight due to her past. No matter how many books I read, the Amish are still a deep mystery to me. (There's only so much of my young childhood trip to Amish Country, Pennsylvania that I remember, and I didn't know much of that to begin with!) It's fascinating to learn more about them. I can also understand Kate's frustration when they want to keep their secrets. Kate recently married John Tomasetti (she only calls him by his last name) who is an Agent with the Ohio Bureau of Investigation. I simply adore the man! I really enjoy the times they work together, but I love the small glimpses of their private lives, of their total belief in each other and their skills, their love of fine wine, and here the new member of their family: a new cat that adopted Tomasetti. The supporting characters are always great. I enjoy time spent with the cops who work under Kate, especially Mona, Glock and Skid. The coroner is always interesting, and this time there's a new intern working for him who doesn't bat an eye at Samuel Yutzy's body - all nine pieces of him - lying on the autopsy table. I always enjoy learning about the lives the local Amish and their customs. The bad guys are truly evil, though that isn't revealed right away. In this story the most fascinating supporting characters are the young women involved in this horror, and how brave they learned they could be. I wish I wouldn't have to wait so long to revisit Kate and Tomasetti in Painters Mill again!

I received an ARC of the book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I have read every single book in this series and was so excited to read this one! I really enjoy the writing style, just enough to keep you interested and reading to learn more without overdoing it. The ending always ties the story together and doesn’t leave it on a cliffhanger. This was no different and I read it in one day! Greatly enjoyed this and while it is a great book and could be a standalone, having the background of the previous books really brings it together! Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Painters Mill, Ohio is a small quiet town with a large Amish community. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder was raised Amish, but left when she was eighteen. But she still knows the customs and the language and gets along well with the local group. So when some Amish children find what they believe to be a hand on the way to their fishing hole, Kate goes to talk to them and find out what they have actually found. But it turns out to be only one of numerous body parts poorly buried in these woods and unearthed by coyotes and other woodland creatures. The grisly discovery upsets everyone in this small town, but especially the Amish, when they find the victim is one of their own. Who would do such a thing? And Why?

The body of another man, the best friend of the first victim, also Amish, is found in an abandoned area on another farm. And then a girl, a fried of both boys, but from another town, is found murdered in the woods. Although the three were friends, nothing seems to indicate a motive, or a suspect. But when the police start investigating the previous places the girl had worked, and that she got those jobs on the recommendation of the first victim, things start happening quickly.

Although the town and the area are small, there is a lot that goes on unnoticed and when lights shine into dark corners, the rats flee. Kate herself is threatened several times to drop the case OR ELSE, but she is stubborn and gets blindsided by the extent of the conspiracy. When it all comes to light, Kate is amazed at how pure evil can thrive when no one is looking for it.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why locks are on the outside of all the bedroom doors 😰....

Rage is the latest installment of my beloved Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo - It seems like I write the same loving review every time I read a Kate Burkholder novel. Excuse me for this, but I blame the magic of hometown and nostalgic atmosphere. No, I am not even a little bit Amish but I did grow up fairly close to Amish communities. Hailing from the Midwest, driving outside of the city into the Ohio and Pennsylvania "countryside", I often came across Amish cafes, buggies, shops...familiar on the landscape and yet romantically and polar opposite my own religious background.

So, as I crack open the latest KB, I inhale deeply and can draw in the scent of my youth. I become innocent again and "kvell" a little in the simple life, forgetting momentarily that within seconds I will suddenly be plunged into a murder most foul, and to the ensuing police procedural.

In this installment, Kate Burkholder and her team try to discover how and why a young man, recently returned to the Amish fold, is brutally murdered. The murder of his Amish childhood friend soon follows and the race is on to discover what these two men were up to - and who, and for reason they were murdered.

Needless to say, the crumbling pillars of society hold the keys to solving the mystery, but not before our heroine is drugged and nearly murdered. Despite the fact that KB has learned to inform her dispatcher where she is and ask for back-up, she rarely waits and ends up barely escaping her own violent death. This is perhaps a good time to remind KB and the rest of you readers never to accept a drink of anything poured by anyone other than yourself or a close family member or friend, nor should you pick up your cup in a public place, once it has left your sight, even for an instant!

I received an ARC from NG (Bless you, NG, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books) and if I haven't said this at least a dozen times, I will say it again - I love you Kate, and I love you Linda Castillo!

Castillo does it again! Every time I read a new Kate Burkholder murder mystery, I am amazed at how a storyline is never repeated, how the new crimes shock me more than the last, and how she drags me back into Amish Country. This book is so terrifyingly prevalent in today's world, no spoiler intended. I could not put it down!

Spoilers!!!

Another summer, another crazy murder in Painters Mill!

Linda Castillo always finds a way to make you question visiting Amish Country! A violent dismemberment of a young man in the landscaping business and a friend found in a quarry open an investigation that involved sex trafficking.

Kate Burkholder is always on the case. However, she is also always finding herself in personal trouble. How does she always find herself without backup?!!

I will continue to look for the next installment!

Kate Burkholder is back and this time the case is incredibly brutual. When body parts are found in the woods of a local Amish boy Kate begins investigating, leading into a world of loss innocence and violence. As always, this book was incredibly engaging and read almost like an action movie.

I can’t wait to see what is in store next for Kate and her team. Thank you to Netgalley and to Minotaur books for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The latest in Castillo’s long running series finds Kate and Tomasetti working together to solve the gruesome murder of an Amish man. With all signs pointing to a deeper problem, the tension stays high as they race to find the killers before more young people are dead. While I enjoy following the police as they unravel the clues, the highlight of this for me is the contrast Kate and Tomasetti’s deep relationship provides to the darkness of murder. This can be an entry point to the series, but followers will also appreciate the department’s regular characters as well. Expect strong demand. Highly Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Castillo does it again! Bringing us another fantastic mystery in the amazing Kate Burkholder series! Rage by Linda Castillo is book 17 and it’s amazing.
This is a very well written murder mystery and although it's number 16 in the series, it works well as a standalone.
A captivating and suspenseful read!
The twists and turns, the chilling and gritty nature of the plot – all in all, a fabulous book!
It is always a pleasure to revisit the characters I have become quite attached to in Painter's Mill.
I can hardly wait for the next Kate Burkholder novel!
Loved being back in the small Amish community of Painters Mill.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Gosh...where does Ms. Castillo come up with these plots??? They are always so different, gruesome, and intriguing!

A couple of murdered Amish boys, then one murdered Amish girl. What happened during their Rumspringa that made them targets? Now, as they want to come back into Amish life, their lives are snuffed out. Ex-Amish Chief of Police Kate Burkholder teams up with her husband, Tomasetti and other neighboring law enforcement officials and it will take all of their knowledge and know how to solve these crimes!

Once again this story takes you around the bend and out again to figure out what is going on. What a twist at the end! I can't wait for installment #18!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Get ready for your yearly visit to Painter’s Mill. A dismembered body gets the action started this time. Someone will do ANYTHING to keep Kate from finding out the truth.
I love this series, but the graphic descriptions of violence can be intense. My favorite part of the books are Kate’s relationship with her team and of course Tomasetti, her investigator husband. I hope this series goes in for a very long time!
Many thanks to the author, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#Rage #LindaCastillo #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #NewSummerBook #PaintersMill

Castillo does it again with another thrilling edition in her Kate Burkholder Amish series. In this she is investigating a series of murders tied to young Amish women and choices made during Rumspringa. As usual the plot moves along with interesting characters. My readers will love this new edition to the canon.

Rage by Linda Castillo is a mystery thriller that absolutely grabs you by the collar from the very first page and doesn’t let go. This one had me hooked straight through to the end—it was fast-paced, emotionally intense, and packed with twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Castillo knows exactly how to build suspense and layer in just enough Amish culture and small-town tension to make the setting feel alive and just a little eerie. If you're looking for a gripping read that pulls you into a tangled investigation with high stakes and heart, Rage delivers.

The story kicks off with the murder of a beloved young man who owns a local tree nursery, and it’s up to Chief of Police Kate Burkholder to figure out what happened. The case quickly becomes complicated—not just by the mystery itself, but by Kate’s deep connections to the community and the secrets that begin to surface. There’s more to the murder than meets the eye, and as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that there is more to the story.

Let’s talk about Kate Burkholder. If you’ve read any of the previous books in the series, you know she’s not just any small-town cop. She’s smart, strong, and unafraid to confront even the darkest parts of human nature. But she’s also deeply human herself—haunted by her past, shaped by her upbringing in the Amish community, and constantly walking a tightrope between those two worlds. What I love about Kate is that she’s tough, but she’s not cold. You feel her emotions, especially in Rage, where the case hits close to home. She’s not some over-the-top superhero detective—she’s a real person who’s trying to do right by the people in her town, even when it’s messy or painful.

Another standout in the book is John Tomasetti, Kate’s longtime husband and fellow law enforcement counterpart, Their relationship adds a layer of depth to the story without overwhelming the plot. Tomasetti isn’t just the supportive husband—he’s the brains of the case struggling in his own ways, to keep Kate out of harms way. Their dynamic feels honest and mature. Their conversations, especially when they disagree, feel like two people who respect each other but also push each other to be better. It’s refreshing to see that kind of grounded relationship in a genre that often leans into melodrama.

The supporting characters are also well-drawn, from the victims grieving families to the suspects who keep you guessing. Each person feels like they could be holding back just a little too much—just enough to make you wonder, What’s really going on here? Castillo writes people in a way that makes them feel familiar but not predictable. Everyone has layers, and just when you think you’ve figured someone out, a new clue surfaces that changes the whole picture.

Now, let’s talk about the pacing—because this is where Rage really shines. The story moves quickly but never feels rushed. Castillo masterfully builds tension with each chapter, and just when you think things might slow down, something new happens to ramp it all back up again. It’s the kind of book where you tell yourself, just one more chapter, and suddenly it’s two in the morning and you’re still reading because you must know what happens next. The suspense is real, and the emotional stakes are high. It’s not just about solving a crime, it’s about what the crime means to the people involved, and how the truth can hurt just as much as a lie.

One of the things I really appreciated about Rage was how it explored the emotional side of violence—not just the act itself, but the ripple effects it has on a community. There’s anger in this book, sure, but there’s also grief, betrayal, love, and a lot of gray areas. Castillo doesn’t give us a neat and tidy moral lesson. Instead, she shows us how complicated people can be, and how sometimes justice doesn’t feel like a clean win.

Why did I like this book so much? Honestly, it hit all the right notes. The mystery was compelling. The characters felt real. The pacing kept me completely absorbed. And the writing—clean, sharp, and emotionally resonant—made everything feel vivid and urgent. I was right there with Kate, trying to piece together the clues, feeling every dead end and breakthrough. The emotional undercurrents gave the story weight, and the ending… wow. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that it was deeply satisfying while still leaving me thinking long after I closed the book.

Linda Castillo has written a whole series of Kate Burkholder novels, and if Rage is any indication, she’s only getting better with each one. This isn’t just a whodunit—it’s a story with heart, complexity, and a main character you can really root for. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves crime fiction, police procedurals, or thrillers with strong female leads. Whether you’re already a fan of the series or jumping in for the first time, Rage is a thoroughly engaging and exciting read from start to finish. It reads just fine as a standalone. In fact, I did not realize it was a series until I wrote the review.

If you’re in the mood for a thriller that’s smart, emotional, and seriously hard to put down, go grab Rage. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press | Minotaur Books for the Advanced Readers Copy of the book. All opinions are my own because I am blessed to have freedom of speech.

Author Linda Castillo has been on my radar for some time now, and I’m glad I’ve finally read one of her books. Even though it’s the newest one I was
able to read it and enjoy it as a stand alone. With two brutal murders of young Amish men happening in rapid succession Chief of Police Kate Burkholder needs to find out what they’d become involved in that was so evil they both lost their lives because of it. The writing took me to her town of Painters Mill, sweltering in a heat wave where Kate is becoming a target for the killers herself as she begins to unravel connections. Her having been a member of the Amish faith added an interesting twist as it affected her understanding of all involved.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy, I highly recommend it to mystery lovers who enjoy a smart, empathetic female lead and a writing that puts the reader into the action, and mind of the lead character.

Rage by Linda Castillo is a wow of a read. It has Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and now husband, John Tomasetti on a complicated murder investigation. The Kate Burkholder book 17 had me in its grip from the beginning with the unexplained murder. Such an intriguing read. So much going on but yet it is the day to day following up clues and leads that kept me reading. I wanted the guilty caught and punished.

Still I was not expecting some of the twists and secrets in the Amish community of Painters Mills though I had learned from Kate anything can happen. Spectacular suspense, that kept me glued to the reading this story until the conclusion. And what a conclusion it was!

As soon as I finished reading any Linda Castillo book I am eagerly looking forward to the next one. I have been obsessed with the Kate Burkholder series. Rage was such a fantastic story that I really did not want to finish the book. I knew when I reached the end of this book that I would have to wait for the next in the series. And this is a series I never want to end. Beginning with book one in the 17 book saga Kate Burkholder takes us from a young cop to the seasoned veteran that she is in Rage. The characters in Painters Mill are all familiar by this time. Castillo has a way of connecting us with each person individually. We become concerned about them when they get too involved in the investigation We hold our breath when Kate is trying her best to rescue or keep one of her officers out of danger. Rage is the story of a gruesome murder concerning young Amish men. The the twists and turns of the storyline are truly more interesting than actually finding out who committed the murders. Rage was in my opinion a little bit different because Kate has reached such a level of involvement with her officers. Her personal life is also playing into the plot. It would be so easy to see this book as a weekly TV series with a cast of returning characters and guest stars each week. Honestly I don't know why someone hasn't already approached Linda Castillo with the idea. However, until that happens, I will continue to read and look forward to every book in this series. This is most definitely a five-star review! Oh and it is always a surprise when the killer is revealed. You may have figured it out before the story is over but then the problem is how is Kate going to get the person and stop the crimes. It never ceases to amaze me how Castillo can come up with so many different endings for each story.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from netgalley.