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Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder) Review

Linda Castillo's second book in the Kate Burkholder series is very similar to the first book. She gets another case in the small Ohio town of Painters Mill and needs to solve the mystery with her love interest distantly close by. This case is 'bigger' given the victims and that increases the bar for intensity to some degree but I felt like I was reading the first book again in other aspects.

The first book was good because it was a new type of mystery novel for me. She repeats alot of the same in this book with the characters, their issues, and their demons. She didn't do anything shocking along the way that changed the series before the next series book is released. I thought that I had the mystery figured out but she threw in a twist that was effective in some ways and ineffective in other ways.

This book was not a bad book but I am looking for at least a subtle difference from the last one. I think she was a bit safe with this one since the first book was quite successful. I hope she challenges herself and shocks her growing fan base a bit more with the the next one.

Still a Kate and John fan...more than the celebrity (un)couple...and will read the next one.

Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder) Feature

ISBN13: 9781427209719
Condition: New
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Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder) Overview

The New York Times bestselling author of Sworn to Silence delivers an electrifying thriller—Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must confront a dark evil to solve the mysterious murders of an entire Amish family

In the quiet town of Painters Mill, an Amish family of seven has been found brutally murdered on their farm. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to secrets, but she can’t get her mind around the senseless brutality of the crime.

State agent John Tomasseti arrives on the scene to assist. He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a tentative relationship, but each is wary of commitment. The disturbing details of this case will push them to their limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts.

When Kate discovers a diary, she realizes a haunting personal connection to the case. One of the teenage daughters may have been leading a lurid double life. As the case develops, Kate’s list of suspects grows. Who is the attractive stranger that stole the heart of the innocent young Amish girl? Did her estranged brother—a man with a violent past who was shunned by his family and the Amish community—come back to seek out revenge? Driven by her own scarred past, Kate swears she’ll find the killer and bring him to justice—even if it means putting herself in the line of fire.

Topping her own bestselling debut, Linda Castillo once again immerses readers in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and compelling psychological puzzle.

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Customer Reviews

An excellant folow up to SWORN TO SILENCE - Neal C. Reynolds - Indianapolis, Indiana
Linda Castillo does provide a rather unique contrast by her very graphic and gory descriptions of the murders in her first two novels as compared to the peaceful and simple nature of the Amish people. Most definitely, those drawn to her books by an interest in the Amish culture may be put off by the graphic descriptions. However, maybe she is making some sort of statement in portraying the grotesque violence against such peaceful people as the Amish. Be that as it may, this is a terrific sequel and I will be looking forward to the next novel in the series.

Blood and Innards - MJS - New York, United States
A mystery series set in Amish country and featuring a female lapsed-Amish police chief has a lot going for it. A crime taking place in and around this closed community is automatically charged an air of the forbidden. A woman, in this case Kate Burkholder, who leaves a male-dominated culture only to re-enter it in a position of power presents a fascinating set up too. Add to this a writer, Castillo, who can actually write and you have a recipe for success.

Why only 3 stars?

There are a few significant drawbacks for me. The first is that this is not a mystery; it's a thriller. It's not that it's so terribly obvious, it's that Burkholder has a suspect early on and she's right. Then there is the grotesque nature of the crime. Want to read about the murder of an entire Amish family and the sexual torture of their two daughters? Me neither. Castillo doesn't exploit the material she's just too painstakingly detailed for my taste. Finally there's the incredibly weighty back stories of Burkholder and her love interest - more stomach-churning violence - and the fact that the first book of this series had the two investigating a serial murderer. People have moved for far less provocation but these two are hanging around at the scene of multiple crimes.

Of course, that's challenge of any mystery series. (Who in their right mind would invite Miss Marple over for tea?) But it's an awful lot for book two.

Castillo makes a few bold choices - Burkholder's sections are all told in the present tense, all other characters in the past tense - that would fall apart in the hands of a less talented writer. They aren't all successful but Castillo sets a fast pace for the book so that even missteps aren't very noticeable.

For thriller fans who don't mind or enjoy a gory murder, Pray for Silence is worth checking out.

Amish Culture Clash - S. McGee - New York, NY
Linda Castillo's second book in her series featuring Kate Burkholder isn't a remarkable novel, but it's a perfectly acceptable mystery to devote a few idle hours to on a rainy weekend. There were too many similarities to the debut offering for me to feel tremendously enthusiastic: once again, Kate must solve a violent crime that divides a close-knit community; once again some members of that community take offense at her approach or lose faith in her; once again, her romantic life appears volatile.

However, I ended up preferring this to the first book, and giving it 3.5 stars, in large part because this plot doesn't require implausible assumptions about the villain. (In the first book, Kate Burkholder wonders whether a man she believed she had killed didn't really die at all....) While once again a murder in the community -- this time, the gruesome slaying of an entire Amish family -- brings up memories of Kate's own past both as a former member of the Amish community and of violence, the plot expands in some interesting directions that highlight the clash of cultures between the Amish and the "English" -- aka, the modern "rest of the world". Mary Plank, the teenage daughter of the family, was tortured before her death -- what was the reason for that? As Kate investigates, Castillo takes the opportunity to shed light on the Amish way of life as well as the nitty gritty of the police investigation.

It's a solid enough read, but never real breaks out of the prosaic. There are a handful of obvious suspects, and Kate's job is to narrow them down and wrestle with some peripheral issues, some of which are personal and some professional. The result is a book that hews closely to a formula, but one that is appealing enough to still be readable. The conclusion was suspenseful enough for me to keep reading page after page.

One caution: this is NOT a warm and cozy crime novel set amidst the peaceable Amish. The initial crime is violent, and graphically described - this is not a mystery that will appeal to cozy readers. Indeed, I wonder how Castillo will develop this series. How many major murders and violent crimes are likely to afflict a small town like Painters Mill, after all? Especially ones in which Kate's own Amish upbringing prove to be an asset to the investigation?

I imagine I'll keep reading the series, however, although I expect I'll opt to seek out the books at a library or wait for the paperbacks rather than fork over for a hardcover edition.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 08, 2010 11:45:06

Books Mystery & Thrillers

Friday, October 8, 2010