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Title details for The Burning by Linda Castillo - Available

The Burning

A Novel

#16 in series

by Linda Castillo
Kathleen McInerney
Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 2 copies available

"Kathleen McInerney masterfully differentiates the returning characters, along with new folks good and evil, male and female."—AudioFile
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder that reveals a little-known chapter of early Amish history in this next riveting installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.
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.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Kate Burkholder

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 9, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250345080
      • File size: 274172 KB
      • Duration: 09:31:11

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 10, 2024
      At the start of Castillo’s enthralling 16th mystery featuring Painters Mill, Ohio, police chief Kate Burkholder (after An Evil Heart), Kate’s colleagues find the charred body of 36-year-old Milan Swanz bound to a stake in the middle of the woods. Milan had a reputation for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, but Kate is still surprised to learn that he’d divorced his wife and been excommunicated from Painter Hill’s Amish community a few months earlier. On further investigation, Kate learns Milan had made several enemies in recent years, including Kate’s brother, Jacob. When one of Milan’s neighbors claims to have seen Milan and Jacob in a physical altercation days before Milan was killed, the sheriff arrests Jacob for Milan’s murder, despite Kate’s protests. Though she’s taken off the case, she remains determined to prove her brother’s innocence, and pulls her husband into an off-the-books investigation—which she continues even when a masked stranger threatens her. Well-shaded characters, near-perfect pacing, and a fascinating glimpse into Ohio’s Amish community mark this as another winner for Castillo. This series is nowhere near out of steam. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Kathleen Mclnerney returns to voice Chief Kate Burkholder in the sixteenth audiobook in this series. McInerney masterfully differentiates the returning characters, along with new folks good and evil, male and female. A crime scene at which an Amish man has been burned at the stake begins a new investigation that involves the detective's deep dive into the history of the Anabaptist culture. The case becomes personal when her brother becomes a suspect, challenging Burkholder to balance family loyalty with police duty. McInerney's dramatic talents shine in tense scenes in which Burkholder faces danger. Listeners will appreciate learning more about the Amish community, making this a worthy addition to the series. E.Q. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      December 6, 2024

      In the latest outing for Police Chief Kate Burkholder (after An Evil Heart), a body is discovered in the woods near her rural Ohio town. The victim, Milan Swanz, was tied to a stake and burned to death. Kate sets up an investigation that includes the local sheriff's department and the FBI and learns that Milan had recently been excommunicated from a nearby Amish community. As Kate gathers information, she finds that the victim was not well-liked; he was an unreliable worker and was abusive to his family. When Kate's brother is identified as a suspect in the murder, she is asked to step back from the case, but her family loyalties and her close connection with the Amish community prevent her from doing so, even as she is violently warned off the investigation several times by unidentified assailants. In a final confrontation, Kate manages to outrun the killers and expose the motive for Swanz's murder. Castillo includes a wealth of knowledge about Amish history and custom in this mystery, but the plot is formulaic and somewhat trite. Narrator Kathleen McInerney gives Kate a girlish voice that does not suit her character. VERDICT Graphic violence and a pat story arc make this mystery gruesome and a bit too predictable, but fans of the series might enjoy anyway.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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