#lindacastillo – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Dark Path by Linda Castillo

Book Description

For the first time in print comes a collection of five short stories in the Edgar award-winning Kate Burkholder series, PLUS one new, never-before-published story, from New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo.

When two young boys don’t return home from an innocent afternoon of fishing, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must track them down before the first winter storm of the season bears down on Painters Mill in THE PACT.

In DISAPPEARED, Kate races against the clock to find a two-year-old who has vanished during a violent thunderstorm. Was the little boy swept away in the rising creek waters? Or is his disappearance even more sinister?

In BLOOD MOON, a man is brutally attacked by a large beast in the woods. Throughout the night, reports of similar incidents escalate and Kate must confront the creature terrorizing the town before violence tips over into tragedy.

When a family dog brings home a human bone, Kate finds herself on a desperate search for answers to end the macabre rumors and ghost stories inundating Painters Mill in the Edgar award-winning short story HALLOWED GROUND.

In DARK STORM RISING, Kate must brave a dangerous blizzard to save an elderly Amish woman from a sinister foe. Will Kate reach her in time to save her life?

In A DARK PATH, a brand-new story, an Amish couple disappears while enroute to town. They’d recently been threatened by their granddaughter’s troubled boyfriend—and there’s heavy weather moving in. Kate rushes toward their remote farm, but a dog on the road causes her to crash into a ravine, where she discovers a shattered buggy. Together, she and her new canine friend must find the couple before it’s too late.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Dark Path by Linda Castillo has her trademark writing style even though the stories are not as dark as her novels. All six stories feature her blend of twists, mystery, kind-heartedness, some humor, and sometimes violence.

There are five short stories written as novellas plus a new short story that has as its title the same name as the book compilation. In “A Dark Path,” a brand-new story, an Amish couple disappears enroute to town. They’d recently been threatened by their granddaughter’s troubled boyfriend with a storm moving in. Kate rushes toward their remote farm, but a dog causes her to crash into a ravine, where she discovers a shattered buggy. Together, she and her new canine friend, Sherlock, must find the couple before it’s too late.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why have a collection of short stories?

Linda Castillo: Charlie, my editor, asked me to write that first short story many years ago. I had never read a short story. And his advice to me was, just get to the point. And make them a little bit lighter. I would write a short story, and that short story would be released on Kindle, or, another digital device right before the release of a novel. And I started getting a lot of mail from readers who were saying, ‘I don’t use an e- reader. I like to have a book. I need a physical book. Now I can’t read your short stories.’ Because they’ve only been available on Kindle or another device, Charlie, my editor at St. Martin’s Press, said, let’s do a collection of six or seven stories. And that’s what we did. You know, the first collection was titled A Simple Murder, and since it was very well received, we did this one. Because each individual short story is too short to do a novel, so we did a collection.

EC: Is it different to write a short story than the books?

LC: I would say the biggest difference, of course, is the pacing. Things must happen very quickly. And one of the things that I also try to do, and as you well know, the novels get very dark sometimes. There’s a murder involved, and there are some dark elements in some of the Kate Burkholder novels, especially the early novels. And the short stories, even though some of them deal with darker topics, some of them are fun, some of them are cozier than the Kate novels. For me, as a writer, it was really a nice change. It was a different pace. It’s faster, and, you know, you don’t really have time to develop your characters as much. So maybe it’s a little bit more topical, but in a fun way.

EC: I usually don’t like the short stories because the plots are not detailed enough and there is not much character development. But if a reader has read the Kate books, they will enjoy these short stories. Do you agree?

LC: I have a funny story. There was one reader, and I think she gave A Dark Path a pretty good review, but she said, ‘I’ve not read any of the novels, but these are way too innocent for me.’ And I was dying to respond to her. I wanted to tell her, but the novels are not that innocent. No. I guarantee you’re going to get a murder. But some of them I wouldn’t call them lighthearted stories. But just, a little bit more lighthearted than the, than the novels.

EC: What was your favorite short story?

LC: “Blood Moon.” This is the story with the hog. Anyone who has been out camping or, having a tent in the yard or whatever, sleeping out in the barn or something like that can relate. Telling ghost stories and then hearing a noise and you’re like, what was that? And to me, that’s so much fun and that was kind of the whole idea behind that short story. It was just, really a lot of fun, and, you know, kind of one of those adventures. It was a little quirky, but I really did enjoy that story.

EC: Did the stories have a lesson to them?

LC: I think some had a theme of tolerance. “The Pact,” with the two little boys who did the whole blood brother, cutting the wrist in the beginning. You know, there really is a lesson in that. And then the other one is “Hallowed Ground,” where the Mennonite woman wants to give tours of an Amish cemetery. “Disappeared” also has a theme of tolerance where the Amish girl falls in love and gets pregnant by the English boy and her parents try to separate him from the baby and love of his life. I think one of the things that I always try to do, maybe not in the same way with every story, is that tolerance works both ways. In “The Pact” the Amish parents weren’t exactly wild about those two kids being best friends. These are probably the little moral lessons that we learn as children, and I think, you know, it’s not always a bad thing to have that reiterated as an adult.

EC: Did the setting play a role?

LC: My settings always seem to have stormy weather in them too. Me and weather. I hope readers are okay with that. I’m a huge fan of weather. The first book, Sworn Silence, took place during a long, cold Ohio winter. That was such a big part of the book. It made everything more difficult as far as the investigation and the story. If you add the weather element, you have a man against man, and then you also have man against nature. It adds a little element of moodiness or, just a little something extra that I love, I’m a huge weather fan.

EC: What about the new short story, “A Dark Path?”

LC: There’s a Labrador in the story. We had a yellow Labrador too. I found him when I was living in Dallas where we lived. It was very sad, and the day that I had one of my dogs put down, a woman carried in this emaciated animal, just skin and bones. No hair, just bloody, bloody skin. I thought it was a pit bull. And I told Dr. Williams, I will take that animal. I thought, I just put Blue down and I’m here at this moment because I need to save this other animal. We took him, and we had to feed him. He almost died because he was starved to death. We had to feed him every hour, He got his hair back and his head was no longer bigger than his body, he turned into a gorgeous, sweet tempered yellow Labrador. His name was Nutmeg, and we gave him a very, very good life. And we lost him, a few years ago now. That is who I based the Labrador in “A Dark Path.” I didn’t name him after Nutmeg, but named him Sherlock. I gave the lab in the story the look of the yellow lab Nutmeg.

EC: Will you have Sherlock as a rescue dog working for the police department?

LC: Sherlock bonded with Kate. He has the personality of a lab. He will be a supporting character in future stories. And I don’t know if you remember, but Tomesetti brought home a cat. The books deal with heavy topics of murder. I think the cat and Sherlock bring a level of comfort. And so that’s kind of what I try to do with that. Sherlock will be just a home family member. This story combines the abusive boyfriend with Sherlock saving Kate.

EC: What about the next book?

LC: It’s called The Betrayed and will be out in July 2027. I absolutely love this story. The plot has an ordinary Amish woman, with a family, a husband, and suddenly finds herself the target. Kate comes in blind, having no idea why, why would somebody be trying to murder her. She does not lead a reckless lifestyle, she’s not a risk taker, and she’s lives in Painters Mill. It has some dark moments.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Special Feature Post by Elise Cooper: Authors Remembering Their Special Dogs

I was not sure how I would handle adding to and posting this article. While sharing blog posts, books, and an on-line friendship, Elise and I have gone through the heartbreaking loss of our dogs, who were so much more, at almost the exact same time.

I lost Athena on 4/10/2026 after twelve wonderful years. She made me fall in love with all varieties in the pitbull family of terriers; their wiggly butts, zoomies, and abundance of kisses. It is still too hard for me to write much without tearing up, but I was happy Elise pulled together this article with her memories of Torii and some of our favorite authors remembering their furry family members.

Athena

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Anyone who had a dog realizes for many pet owners they were more than just a pet. To some they were a friend, partner, child, or encompassed all those qualities. It seems so unfair that they do not live long as we would like. Will Chesney, the dog handler, wrote the book, No Ordinary Dog about Cairo, the Belgian Malinois military working dog who was part of the mission to get Osama bin Laden. He put into words what others who lost a dog are feeling. Anyone who is a dog lover and who has lost a dog can relate to what Will said in the book. “The story does not end on a high note. It never does with dogs, right? Someone once said that buying a dog is like buying a small tragedy. You know on the first day how it all will turn out. But that’s not the point, is it? It’s the journey that counts, what you give the dog and what you get in return.”

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Elise’s Tribute to Torii

Torii was our fourteen-year-old beloved black Labrador Retriever who we had to put down because all her vitals was shutting down. She was a survivor and fighter who always seemed to bounce back, having overcome immune disease, one bout with tick disease, mass cell tumors, heart disease, high blood pressure, torn ACL, gerardia, bitten by a vicious dog that required a drain, and an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Unfortunately, she got a second bout of mass cell tumors and eventually it was too much for her to overcome.

We thought of her as a child because that is how she acted. She made us so very, very happy because of her kind, caring, and loveable ways. Two events stand out for me. One was when I was on the phone with my supervisor and was not a happy camper. Torii jumped on the couch, put her head on my shoulder, and started licking me. It was like she was saying ‘calm down mom things are going to be OK’. The other event is when we were having lunch in an outside restaurant and two children passed by, obviously afraid of dogs. I started talking to them and coaxed them to come up to her. Torii worked her magic and soon the children were enamored with her, crying when their mom said they had to go.

We miss Torii so very much. She gave unconditional love. She always amazed us with her strength and endurance while overcoming life’s obstacles. She was always well behaved except for the times she talked back when she wanted to eat. She made us laugh and smile with her antics. She will always be forever in our hearts and always remembered.

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Below are some authors who wrote about that special dog they lost in their lives:

Linda Castillo is a best-selling author known for writing the Kate Burkholder mystery series with her latest, A Dark Path. She speaks about the special dog she lost and was very attached to. “I had a chocolate lab. Gosh, it was back in the late ’90s, and I loved this girl. Her name was Cinnamon, and she was a dog that we just connected with. Cinnamon was one of those special dogs. If my husband and I were out and about, and we were on our way home, back to the house, I would feel this little leap of joy in my gut, because for a second, I would think that I was gonna see Cinnamon. She was a dark chocolate lab. We got her when she was a puppy from the Humane Society. And she was little, a runt. She was gorgeous. She was a beautiful dark chocolate Labrador. She had the Labrador, everything, the body, the personality, the appetite, and was calm as could be.”

“She was seven years old when she died of cancer. I made myself wait 3 months. I went down to the SPCA and I’m looking and my husband was like, everything that I look at, if it wasn’t Cinnamon, I did not want to get that dog. I had volunteered down there before, previously. So, about three months later, we went back to the SPCA in downtown Dallas, and I found the most unlikely dog. We had seen him before. He weighed 144 pounds, probably a Newfoundland. We did not get him that day but the day I won a writing contest; I drove down to the SPCA. He was still there, I put this 144-pound dog in the back of my Mustang, and I took him home.”

“I know each person is different and realize they must follow their feelings. But I think that the love that people feel for a dog, is a love just as strong as those with children. They always say, you can’t replace them, and you can’t, but a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you have to wait until you get another dog, because, you can’t replace the one that died.’ I think that the best way to mend a broken heart, when you lose a dog, is to get another dog, or two. That’s my theory.”

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J. A. Jance is a best-selling author known for writing three series centering around Seattle police detective J. P. Beaumont, Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady, and mystery solver Ali Reynolds who is featured in her latest book Overkill. She speaks of her special dog that she lost. “Sixteen years ago, coming home from a Saturday morning shopping trip to Target with my daughter and grandson, Colt, we spotted a little miniature dachshund running down the middle of a busy road. My daughter pulled over onto the shoulder while I jumped out and gave chase. It was rainy and cold. Eventually two college-aged kids pulled over and helped me corner her.”

“She was tiny, muddy, soaking wet, shivering, and scared to death. She had a collar but no tag and no chip. We spent the better part of two hours trying to locate her owner to no effect. Eventually we came back to the house, Bill, my husband came outside to see what all the fuss was about, and ended up carrying her into the house. On the way, Colt was explaining to Bill how we found this “poor little fella on the street. ‘Colt, Bill said, Fella is a boy name. This is a girl dog.’ ‘Okay’, Colt replied. ‘We’ll call her Bella.’”

“And Bella she became. She had obviously lived in an apartment. She had no idea how to use our doggie door, but her instincts were strong. When it came to moles, she was a killer. The first time she brought one of her bloody prizes into the house, it was right in the middle of a dinner party!”

“Because she was scared to death of our dog sitter, when it came time to go on a book tour, Bella went along and became Bella, the Book Tour Dog. Her first day on the job, she interacted with 2500 people including spending time with one woman. She had recently lost her daughter to cancer, and she had come to the signing to have her daughter’s book signed. Once I finished autographing her book, I passed her along to Bill and Bella, and Bella did her comforting best for the next half hour. But boy was she tired when we got back to the hotel.”

“We had her for eight years. Prior to having Bella, we had been golden retriever-people, but Bella helped us downsize. We’ve since had two more long-haired miniature dachshunds, Jojo and Mary. Jojo is gone, now, too, and I believe Mary is what my father would call our ‘toes-up dog.’ Loving an animal means we’re going to lose them eventually, but I wouldn’t have missed the time spent with anyone of them. I wrote a novella which is, I believe, a fictionalized version of Bella’s history. It’s called A Last Goodbye.”

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Peter James is the best-selling author of the Roy Grace novels. His latest is The Hawk Is Dead. He spoke of the special dog he lost. “Phoebe was a German Shepherd. German Shepherds have a very unfair reputation for being aggressive. In truth, its owners who should have that bad reputation: Yes, an ill-treated and badly trained Shepherd may well turn aggressive – as would almost any breed. But properly trained, loved and nurtured they can be among the gentle breeds of dog in the world. I watched one time an eight-year-old baby crawl across the floor and take a handful of food out of Phoebe’s bowl – and she just lay there, passively, without batting an eyelid. But with sheep that is another thing. I once asked a police dog handler how to stop a German Shepherd from chasing sheep and he told me it was virtually impossible since it was in their DNA! I remember when Phoebe was 12 years old, a great age for a Shepherd, and her back legs were starting to go, as we were walking through a field of sheep, she totally forgot her age and decided she was two again and damn well was going to have herself a sheep!! She almost pulled me over.”

“We’ve always tended to have three dogs of differing ages. Getting a new dog is the only cure I know for the pain of losing a dog. I honestly think losing a dog can hurt more than then losing a human relative. All my dogs are a combination of soulmate, writing companion, and personal trainer. Doesn’t matter how bad the weather might be and how much I do not feel like going out for a walk or a run, all I need is a baleful look from any of my dogs and off we go!”

“My wife, Lara, is a qualified canine massage therapist (a dog masseur) and she works with dogs with serious arthritis. She comes across a wide variety of breeds in her work – and is always falling in love with each of them! Sometimes we will replace a loved dog with the same breed, but oftentimes we may get a rescue. I’m a patron of the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) so I have a big incentive to take on rescue animals – and it is so rewarding.”

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Jenna Blum is a best-selling author whose latest is Murder Your Darlings. She speaks of her special dog Woodrow, a Labrador Retriever. “He was my North, my South, my East, and West. My working week and my Sunday rest. My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song. As W. H. Auden said, ‘He was my daily joy, my pal.’ I called myself (or he called me) “Mommoo,” so he was a fur child of sorts. But he was also The George Clooney of Dogs–not a nickname I gave him. He was a very elegant soul in a dog suit.?

“I have a new black Lab, Henry Higgins, who is a dog in a dog suit, and I love him just as much and fiercely, in a very different way. You can always expand to let a new love into your life! My memoir about Woodrow is Woodrow on the Bench. I hope it helps people who are caring for a senior animal and/ or who have lost one.”

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Melinda Curtis is a best-selling author of light‐hearted contemporary romance. Her latest is The Cowboy’s Accidental Bride and Winning the Bull Rider’s Heart. She speaks of her special dog Calvin, a chocolate lab. “Calvin grew up with our boys and thought he was a boy, too. If they played catch, he demanded to play, too. If they went swimming, he went swimming, too. And if we tried to leave him outside while other kids were over, he’d protest mightily, doing everything from dragging the screen door away from the slider and into the back yard or prying a board off the fence. You never know what personality your child will have. Same goes for animals. Calvin had a big personality and we loved him for it. He could be high energy but also gentle with little kids and our elderly parents.”

“We did get a dog after Calvin but we went smaller, a terrier mix. She’s mellower, tan, but still short hair.”

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Catherine Curzon is a bestselling author of World War Two saga fiction. She writes under the pen name Ellie Curzon with Helen Barrel, their latest, The Lifeboat Orphans and The Lost Orphans. She writes about her dog Pippa. “She was a Jackapoo and she was my everything. Best friend, constant companion, everything. It’s impossible to overstate just how much she meant to me and still does. I think about her with love every single day. I loved that little girl beyond my capacity to even articulate how much. She was everything to me in the world. Pippa was bright, silly, beautiful, and the best pal anyone could wish for. She enriched my life enormously and brought so much happiness to everyone who knew her.”

“Pippa passed a little over two years ago and it’s taken me until now to feel ready to look for a new companion, but I think that time is finally here. My husband and I are trusting to fate to send us the right pup, just as it did with Pippa. We didn’t choose her, she found us.”

“She is featured in my latest books The Lost Orphans and The Lifeboat Orphans. We started writing the series just after she died. Nothing has hit me as hard as her death. I felt like I lost a part of myself. Helen suggested to name the dog in the series after my Pippa. She is grey and peachy. I love having her in the book because that makes her immortal.”

Anyone who lost a furry loved one can agree with the sentiment of Camille Marcotte, “I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you: but instead, I am deeply honored knowing you spent the rest of your life with me.”

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Rage by Linda Castillo

Book Description

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?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Rage by Linda Castillo has a riveting plot. Like a fine wine, she only gets better with each story. Kate Burkholder is a unique character that readers will always root for.

The action starts from page one where an Amish man is brutally murdered. 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. 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. Then, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market that includes sex trafficking.

Kate is beaten up and warned to stop the investigation, but she is not someone who will give up when justice has not been served. As Kate gets closer to the truth of who is behind the murders, she herself becomes the target of the killers, putting her life in danger.

Each book tops the other one in suspense, mystery, and action. Castillo is a master at building suspense with intense and dark secret undertones.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: We were unable to speak about last year’s published book, The Burning. Is there anything you want to say about it?

Linda Castillo: This is one of my favorites. I think I looked at some of the reviews and saw had readers responded to the story. It was a satisfied book to write because it was a good mystery with the secret underground society of the Anabaptist culture that took out bad Amish. I liked the whole aspect of that story.

EC: How do you feel about this current book, Rage?

LC: Occasionally I listen to my books on audio. This makes me fall in love with it extra hard. Kathleen McInerney is such a great narrator. During my next road trip, I plan on listening to this book.

EC: How did you get the idea for this story?

LC: I am a news hound. I read a lot of crime stuff. There has been so much human trafficking in the news. I did research and realized that Amish women could be victimized. They have

an innocence, naivete, vulnerability, becoming prey to predators. They know they are misbehaving to have fun, but once it reaches a certain level they cannot escape. When exposed to sudden freedom during Rumspringa, they cannot handle it and go overboard, get crazy, and get themselves into trouble.

EC: As in most of your stories you always teach the reader something about the subject matter. Is it true what you put in about sex trafficking?

LC: Emojis are true, and I had no idea about it. Law enforcement can search websites and chat rooms for certain terms. These traffickers tried to find a way around that by using emojis. They use underground language.

EC: How would you describe one of the victims, Samuel?

LC: He got in over his head. He did many things he was very ashamed of and was hoping to make things right. I think he was a decent guy who started down the wrong way and went in the wrong direction. I think once he fell in love everything changed, and he got back on track.

EC: Did Kate see a connection between her past and the other Amish women?

LC: They were all survivors, damaged, and had to take a journey. There is enough information in this book about Kate’s past, so that readers will be able to see the parallels between Kate and these women. The women were young and inexperienced as Kate was, very young, naïve, and vulnerable. They seemed to be lost and unable to re-fit in the Amish community. Kate ran away from her past and her identity. As she recovered and matured as a woman she knew when it was time to go back, with the opening of the Police Chief job. But the Amish women in Rage are not at that point yet. But the last scene in the book shows how one young woman was in the middle of the same journey Kate took.

EC: Interestingly, some of what you wrote made me think about the safety of animals.

LC: If someone has an animal and they end up dying what happens to their animals? I did that in the scene with the horse. I have horses and it upset me to write the scene where the horse was there alone without water and feed, plus it was hot. But I wanted to make sure readers knew that the animal was taken care of. My husband and I have two Blue Heeler dogs, that we are obsessed with and love. We want to make sure they and the horses are taken care of if something happens to us.

EC: In your books, you inform the readers about certain police procedures during their investigations. Your notes about dismemberment were very interesting.

LC: I put in this book quote, “The general rule of thumb for a homicide that involves the dismemberment of a human body is that there are probably two crime scenes. The death

scene, where the victim was murdered and/or dismembered, and the location where the body parts were disposed of and found.” It was a very astute and smart observation. I did not speak to a live law enforcement person about this but read about a dismemberment homicide. I thought about how I wanted to use this fact to make the investigation more difficult for Kate. It worked for the book. Unfortunately, it is a learning experience for me where I learn new things about murder. I must go through every investigational step either by research, talking with somebody, or figuring out the next logical step.

EC: In this book even though Kate is put through the ringer, do you agree she appears to be more cautious?

LC: I did it on purpose, that she now calls for backup. In real-life, small-town police probably do not have much backup. I read a book whose title was When You Are the Only Cop in Town. But I do not want Kate too stupid to live. She must do her due diligence. I still wanted that level of danger, but Kate did not do something foolish. Hopefully the reader is holding their breath, but is waiting for back up to rescue her, upping the suspense.

EC: In this book John Tomasetti is front and center. Do you have a blueprint as to when he will be featured and when he will not?

LC: It will depend on the case Kate is working on. The murders in this book where unusual for the area and are brutal. They had a big city feel, which is what brought Tomasetti in. He will always be there, but I want to vary his level with the crimes.

EC: What about having your books made into a movie or TV series?

LC: Last time we spoke we had a little nibble. I had a Zoom meeting with a script writer and some producers that included Poppy Montgomery who starred in the series “Unforgettable” and “Without A Trace.” She was one of the producers of the first movie, “An Amish Murder,” back in 2013. She loves the character, Kate Burkholder. Her and two other producers on the Zoom are very enthusiastic. I recommended some books in the series, Born to Silence, Down A Dark Road, Among the Wicked, and The Hidden One to read. I thought these books are very representative of the series.

EC: Next books?

LC: The next Kate plot has two Amish women walking down a country road when a car hits and kills one of the women. Was it an accident or more than that? I want to keep my stories fresh by changing the type of crime and the motivation. This book will be published in 2027. But in 2026 there will be another collection of Kate short stories in a brand-new hardcover never released with a new short story never published. It is titled A Dark Path. It will come out in spring or summer 2026.

THANK YOU!!

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Book Review: Outsider by Linda Castillo

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

OUTSIDER (Kate Burkholder Book #12) by Linda Castillo is another gripping and intricately plotted suspense/mystery police procedural featuring small town Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in Painters Mill, Ohio. I love curling up on the couch with each book in the series because I know I will get a great smalltown police procedural while also learning something new and interesting about the Anabaptist Amish life in Ohio.

Widower Adam Lengacher is out on a sleigh ride with his children on a snowy afternoon. They discover a pickup truck stuck in a snow drift off the road. When Adam looks inside for anyone who is hurt, the cab is empty, but there is blood on the seat. Further down the road they find a women curled up and almost frozen. Adam calls Katie and tells her what he has found and asks for her help.

Katie is shocked when she arrives at Adam’s farm to find Gina Colorosa, who befriended her when she moved to Columbus after leaving Painters Mill. Katie has fond memories of Gina, but also bad. When they became police officers together everything was fun and exciting, but Gina soon began to work with other officers and detectives on the vice squad that there are serious rumors being whispered about. Now she is in Adam’s home with a gunshot wound, a story of running for her life from corrupt fellow cops in Columbus, and a blizzard raging outside. Kate wants to believe her, but she knows Gina is not telling her everything.

With Tomasetti’s help, Kate attempts to find the truth as she and Gina stay with Adam and his children on their farm, but two determined detectives want to make sure Gina can never talk.

Ms. Castillo’s storytelling completely engaged me in the personal conflict between what Kate feels she owes her old friend, what she knows Gina did wrong in her past, and what she can believe of what Gina is telling her now. Besides all this personal tension in the story, you have Kate worrying if Gina is bringing danger to Adam and his children. While Tomasetti does the investigating away from the farm, there are still surprises and twists brought into the story just with their conversations trading information. When the dirty cops arrive, it is edge-of-your-seat action time and the surprises that happen very close together have Kate reevaluating her life and relationships.

I highly recommend this addition to the series! I am never disappointed when I pull out a Kate Burkholder book to read.

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About the Author

Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence, was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and an appearance on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.lindacastillo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindacastilloauthor

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/outsider-by-linda-castillo

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0818PX5KG/?bestFormat=true&k=outsider%20linda%20castillo&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_23&crid=6QOT60XHQ3XM&sprefix=outsider%20linda%20castillo

Book Review: A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A GATHERING OF SECRETS (A Kate Burkholder Novel Book #10) by Linda Castillo is a gritty new small-town police procedural/crime thriller featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in Painters Mill which is in Ohio Amish Country. This book can be read as a standalone for the crime thriller plot, but Kate’s personal and professional life have evolved throughout the series, and I enjoy reading them in order.

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called late in the night when an Amish family’s barn burns to the ground and their son is missing. The fire investigator is called when the fire fighters smell gasoline and a charred body is found locked in the tack room. The body is identified as eighteen-year-old Daniel Gingerich who appears to be a well-liked and hard-working Amish young man, so who would want him dead?

As Kate investigates Daniel’s life, she finds herself impeded by the Amish community of which she was once a member. As dark secrets begin to surface, Kate is forced to once again face the personal crime perpetrated against her in her youth which has an eerie similarity to what is whispered about Daniel Gingerich. While the Amish are a peaceful and loving community, there are certain things that are not discussed and can go unpunished due to shaming of the victim, and which are crimes in the Englisher world. Kate has many suspects, but the solution to this crime will lead to danger and sorrow.

I love reading this series and following Kate’s life. Kate is a complex character. She at times misses the Amish life but accepts her current path is the right one for her, especially when it comes to justice for everyone. All of Kate’s officers have a strong bond, Tomasetti is once again a great personal partner, and finally Tomasetti has popped the big question. Yeah. The crime plot was dark and gritty, especially juxtaposed against the assumed always perfect Amish way of life. This crime thriller is perfectly paced with plenty of surprise twists along the way and a surprise ending I was not expecting.

I highly recommend this small-town police procedural/crime thriller!

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About the Author

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.lindacastillo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindacastilloauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaCastillo11

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-gathering-of-secrets-by-linda-castillo

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36187085-a-gathering-of-secrets?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=nLYt7sV3tQ&rank=1

Guest Feature Book Review from Elise Cooper: The Burning by Linda Castillo

Book Description

Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father.

Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that’s the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share?

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves—and her own roots.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790608-the-burning?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=XAnbABKVSx&rank=1

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Elise’s Book Review

The Burning by Linda Castillo once again is a wonderful read. She seems to have outdone herself with a horrific crime and putting her main character through the wringer.

Unfortunately, this year Linda Castillo is unable to give an interview because a close family member is seriously ill, and she needs to be at home for them. But last year in an interview she noted about this story, “Regarding the murder I want to keep things fresh. I have readers peek back into the reformation by burning someone at the stake, and another person drowned. This is what was done to the Anabaptists during the reformation.”

The plot begins with newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. As with most of her books, many of the victims are not well liked. In this case, Swanz loved to argue with people, had a temper, kept grudges, sought revenge, demanded obedience and submission from his family, and was basically devoid of a moral compass.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate dives deep into the Anabaptist culture, finding all the dark corners of its history. She uncovers a secret legacy that verges on Amish vigilantism. Because of her due diligence she becomes a target, realizing that violence and ruthlessness are being used to rid the world of those who “are not fundamentally good.”

As the story unfolds, her brother Jacob, known to have argued with Milan, becomes a suspect in the killing of Swanz and is arrested. Because it is now a conflict of interest, she is ordered off the case but decides to work the case behind the scenes with her husband, John Tomasetti, an Ohio BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) investigator, to prove her brother’s innocence. She knows she must continue to investigate because one of the law enforcement officers, working for the Ohio BCI, assigned to the case, has tunnel vision and only sees her brother as the suspect. Working together, Tomasetti and Kate must find the killer to clear her reputation and her brother. In the story she is attacked three times, sometimes brutally, making readers wonder if she should take some self-defense classes.

It is very interesting how Castillo explores Kate and Jacob’s relationship. He is her older brother, someone who she has looked up to as a child. She knows him well and realizes he is not forth coming with the answers to her questions. Although she sees him as honorable, she also recognizes he is keeping secrets.

There are also glimpses in the book about the relationship between Tomasetti and Kate. They dance around the subject of starting a family. A powerful book quote, “the part of me has always wanted children. The idea terrifies the part of me that is a cop and knows too much about the dark side of a world that can be cruel.”

Linda commented last year, ““I loved writing this book. Kate is still adjusting to being married and does feel the tick of her biological clock regarding having children. This is something that a lot of women have in the back of their mind, how long can I wait before I have a baby? This is where she is right now. I think for the next several books she will only be married. Remember Tomasetti had his first wife murdered. He is cool with her being a cop and police chief. In fact, he nicknamed her ‘Chief.’ But how much will he put up with if she is endangered or gets hurt? This will come to a head at some point. But in The Burning book, it is simmering in the background. If she does have a child, does she want to risk her children being without a mother. This is a huge question. This is a high-risk profession. Kate and Tomasetti must figure it out. It is something that will be addressed starting with The Burning book.”

Per usual this story is a winner with many twists and turns. Kate takes a dark and twisted journey with evil and danger lurking everywhere, putting both her life and career in jeopardy. A bonus is how Castillo explore Kate’s personal life and feelings.

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About the Author

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