An Evil Heart

Starred review from May 1, 2023

When a young Amish man is brutally murdered with a crossbow, police chief Kate Burkholder's investigation isn't easy. Aden Karn was a hardworking young man, beloved by his parents and many in the community. Emily, who hoped to marry him, knew her parents approved. But a violent killer intended Aden to suffer before he died. When Burkholder hears rumors that Aden hung out at a local bar because he was on rumspringa, she didn't think she'd learn anything unexpected. The bartender, however, knew a different side of the victim. He saw a man who turned violent against women when he drank too much. When a young woman's broken body is found wrapped in plastic in a local creek, Burkholder suspects a connection because they're such unusually heinous crimes in the small Painters Mill community. With two gruesome murders on her hands, Kate has little time for preparations for her upcoming wedding to Tomasetti. VERDICT The follow-up to The Hidden One is a compelling, violent police procedural, alleviated by the love and tenderness surrounding the upcoming wedding. Those who watched Kate's developing relationship will enjoy the storyline surrounding the wedding and the skill with which the author juggles crime and kindness.--Lesa Holstine

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 29, 2023
At the start of Castillo’s thrilling 15th mystery featuring Ohio police chief Burkholder (after 2022’s The Hidden One), the body of 21-year-old Aden Karn turns up on a desolate road with crossbow wounds in his abdomen and mouth. Raised in a respected Amish family, Aden was happily engaged to a respectable young woman and appeared to be an unlikely target for a violent crime. As Kate begins her investigation, however, she learns that Aden might have been more complicated than he seemed: he was reportedly a mean drunk who often visited the shady Brass Rail Saloon, and was friends with Vernon Fisher, a young man on rumspringa who spends most of his time drinking, smoking, and womanizing. Meanwhile, the strangled body of 26-year-old Paige Rossberger is found half-submerged in a nearby creek. Paige wasn’t Amish, but Kate becomes convinced there’s a connection between the murders. Though some readers will piece the puzzle together more quickly than Kate does, Castillo’s punchy prose and well-developed characters keep the pages turning, and a subplot involving Kate’s upcoming nuptials to her longtime love will tug at readers’ heartstrings. Series fans will be eager for the next entry. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary.

June 1, 2023
Evil abounds among the Ohio Amish. Painters Mills police chief Kate Burkholder is ready to wed her longtime love, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent John Tomasetti. No longer Amish, she's both happy and nervous that her family wants to join in her wedding celebration. When a dead body is found in the middle of a quiet country road, it's initially thought to be a hit-and-run, but a closer look reveals a grisly murder. The dead man is Aden Karn, a well-liked Amish youth of 21 on Rumspringa, the time young Amish people get a taste of living in the outside world. Aden was shot twice with bolts from a crossbow that were then removed. Emily Byler, who'd had a serious relationship with Aden, is devastated. Searching for enemies, Kate comes up with Amish-born Vernon Fisher, who instead of joining the church hangs out at a garage he bought with a rowdy group of friends. Fisher had purchased a truck that Aden and his roommate, Wayne Graber, had fixed up, but it stopped working and he wanted his money back. Fisher's nasty temper and rude behavior make him an obvious suspect, but something feels off to Kate, who works with a police task force to dig up background information on Aden and anyone who knew him. Though the Amish resist talking to the police, Kate gradually learns that Aden wasn't as nice as he seemed, spending time in bars and picking up women for casual sex. When a prostitute--beaten, sexually assaulted, and killed--is found wrapped in plastic and dumped in a creek, Kate is convinced there's a connection. Several nasty secrets emerge, and Kate's almost killed before the killer is caught. Characters you care about and a cleareyed look at their unique culture make this series the best of the Amish bunch.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.