
Member Reviews

This is another great book in the series by Linda Castillo, but can be read as a stand alone book. The book was filled with the authors usual combination of mystery and suspense. A few twists towards the end added to the enjoyment of this book. This is a book which I would recommend to those who enjoy mysteries, bonus if you want a series. The narrator is great for this series.

As body parts pile up and the description of each murder is very specific, Kate finds she will not be having a very easy day. It starts with kids playing on their property and finding body parts and they immediately go for help. Another body is found in a container.
Things are heating up and Kate calls in her hubby to help attempt to solve these murders. As Kate keeps getting "hints" to drop the case and dangerous things keep happening to her, she continues on. As the story unfolds the human trafficking of Amish girls is brought to the forefront.
This 17th installment is another great addition to the series, and I can't wait for the next book.
5 stars

Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is called to the murder of Samuel Yutzy, an Amish man who owned the local landscaping/tree farm. The scene is a disturbing one and it takes a lot of police work and interviews to get the smallest bits of information, but Kate and her team are determined to nail the bad guys. Especially when they discover another murder.
Kate’s background with the Amish helps pave the way for cooperation between English and the Amish community. As she questions Samuel’s family and friends it becomes apparent that he was running with an unsavory crowd but had been turning his life around.
The story was a page-turner, and I really like Kate, but just like the last book she charged ahead without waiting for backup and it ended badly almost every time. It was frustrating and hard to believe a seasoned police chief would do this over and over. With that being said, the mystery was hard to put down and the conclusion was a nail-biter!
Rage is book seventeen in the series, but I think it could be read as a standalone as each book introducing a new mystery and is wrapped up by the end. I would highly recommend reading at least the first couple of books to get Kate’s history being raised Amish and the circumstances that led to her leaving. It has bearing on how she came to be the police Chief of Painters Mill and includes the start of the romance between Kate and Tomasetti, an Ohio BCI agent.
I alternated between an audio and e-copy and can recommend either version. Kathleen McInerney’s wonderful narration enhanced my enjoyment! Her accents and performance of Deitsch accents are well done.

Rage
by Linda Castillo
Narrated by Kathleen McInerney
This was a solid 4+/5 stars for me. Rage was my first book by Linda Castillo, and I hope it won't be my last. Police Chief Kate Burkholder is ex-Amish, and dead bodies start showing up, namely Amish bodies. I listened to this and could picture the scenes as they played out over my speakers. I loved how well the Amish culture and language were integrated within this story. This book held my attention and gradually revealed what was really going on and who was behind the murders. I'm hoping that Chief Burkholder will be in future novels, as I loved her take-no-prisoners attitude. She was a great main character.
The narration was decent as well, and it was easy to follow the story. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the chance to listen to this ARC!

Another great one from Linda!
I always love the books in the Kate Burkholder series and I think this one has been my favorite.
As someone who lives in Ohio close to Amish communities it’s always fun to read books based in your local area.
I really enjoyed this particular case that Kate takes on! It’s dark and creepy and reveals some darker ties that the victim had. Amish Mafia perhaps!
I flew through this audiobook and loved every second of it!

I was able to listen to the advanced audiobook copy thanks to NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Great story, very cheesy narration. It would be more entertaining to listen to an AI voice. That being said, the story drew me in quickly and I really wanted to find out what happened so I stuck with it. I'd recommend this book for sure, but not so much the audiobook.

Our former Amish chief of Police is back! This time trying to unravel the mystery of a dismembered body found in a field. When more bodies turn up, she's forced to take a closer look at the first victim's relationship with his clients. Girls are leaving their Amish flock for the outside world; only to find that it comes with its price!!
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for this ARC! Thankful and Humbled
Solid 4.5 stars!!!!
"RAGE" by Linda Castillo, out July 8th 2025

I found the overall plot to fall kind of flat, but maybe it just wasn't my thing! The audio narration was clear and easy to listen to!

I’ve been a huge fan of Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series, but a huge part of what keeps me coming back is the audio version. The narrator just is Kate at this point.
The mystery in this one was excellent, although I was surprised that the police weren’t more aware of human trafficking signs. That said, I think this is a huge issue and I appreciate the author shedding light on the topic.
As per usual, my fav parts were moments between Kate and Tomisetti!

This was a gripping book, with a spectacular performance by Kathleen McInerney. I was intrigued by the Amish culture and how the teens seem to challenge the norms. having lived in Ohio for many decades now, the mugginess was so well described.
The murder mystery was well paced and pretty intricate, but clipped along.
#netgalley #Rage

This book read really well as a standalone. I haven't read any others in the series & didn't feel like I was missing any required background info. I love that it's based around the Amish community, as that was a new, refreshing change, which actually provided some knowledge around their traditions and language. The story was intriguing, it started off with a bang, and was very well-paced, with an edge-of-your-seat last bit. I think this would've been a 4-star read for me, had it not been for two things:
1. Narration - The narrator pronounced a couple of things wrong (one specific thing I remember was she said "live," like alive, instead of the correct "live," like I live for this). The male character's name was said A LOT & it drove me crazy hearing "Tomasetti" so often. There's something about repetition in books that can completely pull me out of the story & that happened in this case.
2. Predictability - There were lot of characters, so I can't say that I knew the "who" behind it all, however, I thought the theme/what was happening & why was quite obvious, which made me confused when the detectives didn't put it together until much later than expected. I was hoping I'd be surprised by it being something different.
Those things aside, I enjoyed the story & the characters. I would love to read more books in this series! Thank you the publisher & NetGalley for my copy of this book.

I always look forward to the next Kate Burkholder Book and I surely enjoyed both the e-book and the audio version that I listened to afterwards. The audio version nicely presented, made it easy to listen to. As with any series it is better to read them in order because of the character development and the connection between the various people. This story brings to light that the year of freedom for young adults does not always have a good ending. The unbending attitude of the fathers with their strong beliefs in what is right or wrong is not helping their sons needing help and understanding to be accepted back into the Amish community. For the girls add shame of what they might have done during their freedom. Kate does jump to action a bit too early instead of waiting till backup arrives which gets her in bad situations.

The first ARC I received from Linda Castillo was The Burning (Kate Burkholder #16) in the summer of 2024. After realizing it was part of a series, I devoured the first three books before diving into book #16. Let me just say: I love the Kate Burkholder novels!
Kate was born into the Amish community but chose not to return after her rumspringa, a decision that still causes tension with her family. Now, as Chief of Police in a small town with a large Amish population nearby, her unique background allows her to navigate delicate cases others can’t. She understands the culture, customs, and silence that often comes with Amish crime scenes.
In Rage, the seventeenth installment in the series, two young men are found brutally murdered—both at a pivotal crossroads between the modern world and returning to be baptized into the Amish faith. Kate throws herself into the investigation with her usual laser focus… until her own life is threatened. Will she back off or fight harder to bring justice?
Kathleen McInerney’s narration is pitch-perfect, especially her nuanced portrayal of the Amish voices. Kate Burkholder book #17, Rage, released July 8th, so you can grab this enthralling FOUR STAR read now!
Thank you to NetGalley, Linda Castillo, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review—it was quite the intense journey!

2.5 grotesque stars not rounded up.
Trigger warnings: Violence, dismemberment, Foul language and human trafficking
The opening was dramatic- and violent. There was too much graphic description describing a dismemberment for me. I had not expected so much swearing, including the fbomb in a novel following a former Amish woman/ detective. Rage focused very little on the Amish community, mostly on gruesome details about victims and continual visits to the Cheetah Lounge strip club. Having enjoyed Castillo’s last book, I was disappointed.
The audiobook narration was clear and easy to understand. It enlivened the book. Some of the male voices were a bit ‘forced’ from the female narrator, especially the doctor’s voice.
I ended up doing a lot of speed reading, as I did not like the book due to reasons in the first paragraph.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 17th book in the Kate Burkholder series and the first one I have read. The story begins the with suspense and maintains that intensity throughout.
This was an engrossing mystery thriller set within the Amish community.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to listen to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was my first book in this series, and it was a solid listen, if a little more gruesome and depressing than I expected. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little more about Amish living, and found the small town setting to be charming. The main character was a little more bumbling than I like detectives to be (how does an experienced cop keep getting attacked like that?), but was likable enough. I could have done without a lot of the details about the bodies — usually I don’t mind autopsy scenes, but something about the examinations in this story made me squirm.
Reading the book as a standalone didn’t seem to take anything away from the story, even though I wasn’t familiar with all the characters or Kate’s backstory.
Regarding the narration, I can’t say I enjoyed this narrator very much. There was a really clipped cadence to her speech, which grated on me, especially during scenes with the coroner.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and provide honest feedback.

Kate Burkholder, chief of police in Painter’s Mill Ohio, is called to the scene where local Amish children have found what they think are body parts.
After further investigation the body has clearly been dismembered. As Kate continues her investigation, it is discovered the body belongs to local Amish boy Samuel Eicher. Who would want this boy dead? Who would be able to dismember him like that?
Kate continues to follow the leads, leaning on her past of growing up Amish. As more bodies continue to show up, can Kate solve the case in time?
This is the first book I have read of this series. I did not realize this was installment 17 of the series. Was I able to get through the book with not having started at the beginning? Yes! But I will definitely go back and start this series from the beginning.
I loved that this book was police procedural and I loved that it involved the Amish. I haven’t read any other books like this.
The narration overall was good. I liked the female voice I just didn’t like some of the male voices but it’s just my opinion and I would listen to other books by this narrator especially if she does other books in this series.
I was given an ARC of this Audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this in exchange for any honest review. This is my honest opinion.

Linda Castillo does it again, delivering yet another gripping Kate Burkholder novel!
For a sleepy Amish Town, I’ve always thought that Painters Mill had a lot going on! In Rage, Chief Burkholder finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation, involving the dismembered body of 21 year old Samuel Eicher, a former Amish Boy, and successful landscaper, who left the fold a few years ago.
In investigating his, and another boy’s murder, a hot bed of criminal activity is discovered, during which Chief Burkholder finds herself in a spot of trouble. Going in without back up, as usual, Katie puts herself in serious danger. Will she ever learn? (I think I know the answer to that question but one can always hope!). While I found this quite far-fetched, I quite enjoyed it and as usual loved the narration.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the alc.

I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley (Thank you @Macmillan Audio). All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The next installment of the Kate Burkholder series did not disappoint. Kate is back at it to solve a gruesome murder of a local Amish landscaper. While tracking down leads a second young local Amish man is found murdered. Kate races through time to solve this case and uncovers a darker secret. Rage is a page turner that you won't want it to end.
The audio was great! Kathleen McInerney did a fantastic job narrating the book.
This book is apart of a series, so I do recommend starting from the beginning as Kates character progresses, however each book does have it's own crime story that could be read in any order.

Rage is the 17th book in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. I look forward to July every year as I know the new Kate Burkholder book will be published. I only read a couple of series and this is definitely one of them. Somehow the books just keep getting better! You will love this series if you love wonderful characters, learning more about the Amish, and gritty police procedurals. I definitely recommend reading this series in order as Kate's life continues to progress.
I always listen to the books in the audiobook format. Kathleen McInerney is the narrator and does an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life.
Synopsis:
Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Yutzy, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?
The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Yutzy’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have been involved in that led to such violent ends?
With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters—individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.
To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook for my opinion.
This book will be published on July 8, 2025.