Kate Burkholder grew up in the Amish community of Painters Mill. At the age of 14 a violent act shattered her world and the actions of her family led to a troubled life that ended up taking her away from the community and only life she knew and into the world of law enforcement. Her appointment as Chief of Police of Painters Mill is a based on the fact she is a woman and Amish, not necessarily because she is the best candidate for the job. Her Amish background however, does not bridge the two worlds since she is under the bann for not joining the church, but her knowledge of the Amish, their language and customs, makes things easier.
When a serial killer, whose spree sixteen years before was dubbed The Slaughterhouse Murders, returns with spectacular violence, Kate is determined to catch him. At the same time she is keeping a secret from her past, she believes she knows who the Slaughterhouse murderer and the act of violence was his attack and her killing him in self-defense. So how could he have returned?
In Kate’s desperation to conceal the past and protect her family, she makes mistakes, combined with the ‘assistance’ of a washed out, alcoholic agent from the BCI, sent in attempt by his superiors to get rid of him, it appears the killer will never be caught. (Holy run-on sentence Batman!) This is a killer that appears to kill for the pure thrill of killing. When Kate realizes who it is, he moves in to eliminate her as a threat.
This book moves from Kate’s point of view to third person, I have noticed this is a very popular way of writing. When done skillfully, as it is here, I feel it adds to a story, makes for a more enjoyable read. In this case it adds to the suspense, since you are with Kate when the killer comes after her, and at the same time, you know what efforts others are making in her behalf. Ms. Castillo keeps the action moving in this book, her vivid descriptions of the ice and snow, the characters feeling the cold through their layers makes you feel like you are there. If I had not peeked at the ending, (bad habit I know) the killer would have come as a surprise, but the methods used to find him were fascinating. This book kept my interest, the murder scenes were vivid but not gory. I would recommend this book to thriller fans.
If you would like this book, send me an e-mail with the name of the book in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. The first person who e-mails will receive my copy of this book. It is a hardbound book in excellent condition.
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