Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1)

by Linda Castillo

Some secrets are too terrible to reveal . . .

Some crimes are too unspeakable to solve . . .

Painter's Creek, Ohio may be a sleepy, rural town with both Amish and 'English' residents, but it's also the place where a series of brutal murders shattered the lives of an entire community over a decade ago. When the killing stopped, it left in its aftermath a sense of fragility, and for the young Amish girl, Katie Burkholder, a realization that she didn't belong.

Now, 15 years, two dead parents and a wealth of experience later, Katie has been asked to return as Chief of Police. Her Amish background combined with her big-city law enforcement expertise make her the perfect candidate. Katie is certain she has come to terms with the past. Until the first body of a slaughtered young woman is found in a pristine, snowy field...

• ISBN10: 0312374976
• ISBN13: 9780312374976
• Publish Date: 23 June 2009 (first published 1 June 2009)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 16 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 321
• Language: English

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

Kate Burkholder has a past, a secret she's been keeping since she was a kid, an innocent Amish kid. She was attacked and her actions appeared to stop the actions of a murderer. But now the murderer is back, the numbers carved into the bodies are going up and she's having to balance her past and her present and deal with messy local politics.

This was an interesting murder mystery that kept me guessing throughout. Plenty of red herrings to keep me going. The romance didn't quite work on some levels but I'd be interested to read more set in this place, it gave me a good feeling of place and people.

I'm new to the series and so far I'm loving it. I love the main character and can't wait to see what happens with Kate next.

The book is an easy read and the characters are believable. The crime was great and well thought out. I have to admit, I didn't know who the bad guy was and was shocked when it was revealed. I loved that, since it's hard to find books where you don't guess everything.

I also loved the minor characters and the town that is created. They are interesting and have there own unique tone. The author created a world I have not seen before.

Overall I am pleased and now I'm on my way to read book two.

[readingwithwrin]

3.5 stars

"A female chief of police was rare, especially in a small town. An Amish cop was unheard of."


Warning: This book contains Rape, Murder, and gory details about the murders.


Last year I accidently read the 4th book in this series, so I did end up knowing some things, but it didn't affect the story up until the last few pages.

Kate Burkholder is the chief of police, in small town Ohio, on top of that she is also ex-amish and has a secret that she has kept hidden since she was 14. When a woman turns up raped, tortured, and murder with roman numerals carved into her stomach, Kate fears that someone from 16 years ago is back. While this not only shocks the town it also brings back old fears and makes the whole town on edge. But with Kate's judgment impaired with a fear that she knew who the killer is, she doesn't ask for help soon enough and the town council end up taking matters into their own hands calling in the sheriffs department and BCI.

I love how strong of a character Kate is and how, despite being raised Amish she isn't angry at them, and has been able to maintain a pretty good relationship with them even though she is under the Bann. She still has the strong morals that they did and is still slightly naive to what can happen in non-amish life.
I did struggle at times to believe the person from her past was the one who could possibly be doing the murders though and I found that part of the story to be a wild goose chase since no one had heard from the man since it happened.

It was a huge contrast to see John Tomasetti (BCI) how he was in this book as an alcoholic, pill-popper who, is on the verge of losing his job. It was actually sad at times since I already knew what kind of person he has become now.

I really did enjoy seeing how their relationship came to happen and why they both act the way they do.

I never once thought it would be who it was though, I figured it would have been someone from the Council since they were always getting over involved and trying to take over the case.
I did start having suspicions though right before Kate figured it out, so it was nice to know that I wasn't to far-off. I could have done without some of the details from a few of the crime scenes since they can get pretty graphic at times.

But overall I still enjoy this series and I can't wait to read the next one.

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