Pray For Silence by Linda Castillo

PRAY FOR SILENCE is the second installment in Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder Series. Kate is the Chief of Police of small town Painters Mill, Ohio, which includes a large Amish community. She is no stranger to the Plain Life, being born into an Amish family herself. However, after enduring a traumatic event as a young girl, when Kate became of age, she decided not to join the church, which resulted in her being banned by the church, the Amish community and her family. Even though she doesn't live the Amish life, she still respects their beliefs and strives to keep a balance between the two cultures.

The peacefulness of small town life was brought to an abrupt end when an entire family was found brutally murdered with no apparent motive and little evidence left at the scene. The fact that the murdered family was Amish was even more baffling. The Plank family had recently moved to Painters Mill from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and had become well liked and respected by the other families within the district.

Even though Kate didn't personally know the Plank family, she felt a connection to them and given the brutal manner in which the two young daughters were assaulted, it affected Kate more than she cared to admit. It triggered painful memories of her own past that she has tried to put behind her.

Once again Kate enlists the help of Detective John Tomasetti, from the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation in Columbus, to help with the case and offer a profile of the murderer. But Kate also has her own personal reasons for wanting him there. They'd become quite close some ten months earlier when they first met while he was assisting her on a previous murder case. Their relationship is complicated yet she feels a certain reassurance and comfort from him that she neither expected nor knows how to handle.

When Kate finds a diary written by one of the daughters it begins to shed some light on what may have happened that terrible night and reinforces the fact in Kate's mind that even the Amish have secrets. It may well have been Mary Plank's secrets that got her entire family murdered.

My thoughts:

As in the first book, the story takes off right away with the quick discovery of the murder victims and subsequent criminal investigation. It's been roughly ten months since we first met Chief Burkholder and her small but effective staff. The list of suspects begins to grow. Not a lot of attention is put on the relationship between John and Kate, although there is a definite connection there. We do learn that John has been put on leave until he deals with some of his own issues, namely his addiction to prescription medications. He can not return to his job until he passes a drug test that he previously failed. His suspension, however doesn't keep him from assisting Kate on her murder case. What I like is that even though these two characters have such a strong chemistry, their relationship doesn't take away from the main theme of the book, which is the murder case. However, I actually found myself wanting there to be more going on with them.

The murder case is just as realistic and believable as the serial killer case in the first book and since most of the characters are carried over from the first book, I felt like I already knew them. The new characters involved in the investigation are equally as original and help give the story twists and turns.

The bottom line is that even though I wasn't as on the edge of my seat with this second book, I did enjoy the story and was completely satisfied with the outcome of both the murder case and how things were left between John and Kate. I think Ms. Castillo is smart in developing this relationship slowly and not making it center stage where it may take away from the main theme of the book. I look forward to seeing what the next case brings and if the romance will continue to grow. I would like to thank Mnotaur/St. Martins Press for supplying my review copy.

PRAY FOR SILENCE

Author: Linda Castillo

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Published: June 2010

Pages: 320

Grade: B

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You may also be interested in my review of SWORN TO SILENCE found here.

Teaser Tuesday: Pray for Silence

Teaser Tuesday is where we readers/bloggers share a couple sentences from the books we're currently reading. It's a great way to get a feel for books you may be interested in reading for yourself. For more details and other teasers, visit Should Be Reading each Tuesday.

Today the teaser I'm sharing is from a book I actually finished yesterday. The book is PRAY FOR SILENCE by Linda Castillo. It's the second book in the Kate Burkholder series, the first being SWORN TO SILENCE, which was recently released in paperback. Here is my teaser from PRAY FOR SILENCE . . .

For a second, I can't speak or move or even think. Then my cop's mind switches on and the horrific details of what I'm seeing slam into my brain. ~ page 15

This is a great series from Linda Castillo that I have been enjoying very much. I'll be posting my review in the coming days, so I hope you'll come back to check it out.

The Sunday Salon:

Hello and welcome to another Sunday Salon! Boy, I honestly don't know where this week went but it sure did fly by! It's hard to believe we're approaching the end of July already. Although it has been very hot here, it doesn't seem to be as unbearable as summers past. In fact, many days its been hotter in my home state of Ohio than here, which is crazy to me. Tuesday I had a scare with my A/C unit when it started blowing hot air through the vents. I've been living on borrowed time with the unit so I figured the time had come and it just wasn't going to work anymore. Then my Dad called and suggested that since my electricity had gone on and off several times a few days before during a storm, that maybe it tripped the breaker. So I flipped it off and back on again and suddenly I had cold air flowing again! Dad is a genius! I know I'm going to have to replace it one day soon, but its a relief to not have to do it right now.

As far as my reading goes, I had a pretty good week. I have not allowed myself to get involved in any of the new summer series on TV, because, for one reason, none of them really appeal all that much to me. And secondly, I've been loving all the reading time in the evening. However, I believe Mad Men starts again July 25th on American Movie Classics and I just can't resist that show. It's so smartly written and different than anything else on TV and the actors are all amazing.

But back to the books - I finished Joshilyn Jackson's BACKSEAT SAINTS and I'll be working on my review later today. But I will say now that I am such a fan of her work and I look forward to reading more from her. Last week I posted my review of Linda Castillo's SWORN TO SILENCE [Review Here] and I was surprised when I received her new book PRAY FOR SILENCE from the publisher on Thursday! This is the second book in this new Kate Burkholder series and it is fabulous! What a nice treat that was! So I'll be reading that one soon and posting my review.

Tomorrow I'm heading over to Books A Million to pick up a copy of the 50th Anniversary edition of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. There was an online coupon and I just have to have it. I wish we had some independent book stores in my town but our only choices are two big chain stores. But I am very excited to get this book and to read it before the end of summer.

Right now I'm reading A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick. I'm about a hundred pages in and I'm really getting into his writing style. It's very unique and the story is interesting right off the bat. After that I haven't decided what is next. I have so many great books to read: THE QUEEN OF PALMYRA, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA, PRAY FOR SILENCE... I could go on and on!

I'm planning to continue my leisurely weekend today by not doing too much of anything, except reading. The housework and laundry are all done, the yard is taken care of, so I can relax and not feel guilty about it. I will be keeping an eye on The British Open and nibbling on some grouper that we had left from last night's fish fry but aside from that, my nose will be stuck in a book. I hope you are able to enjoy a peaceful Sunday doing whatever it is you want to do as well. Thanks for stopping by and please come back in a day or two when I post my review of BACKSEAT SAINTS.

Sworn To Silence by Linda Castillo (Kindle Version)

Kate Burkholder has been the Chief of Police in the small town of Painters Mill, Ohio for two years. Before that she worked for the Columbus PD in the Homicide Division. Kate isn't your typical small town cop. Part of the reason the town council hired her as chief was because she used to live there - but more importantly, she used to be Amish. Painters Mill includes a large Amish community and the mayor and members of the council thought it would work to their advantage to have an ex-Amish person on the force. Kate didn't let the fact that her hiring was a political move bother her - she's just wanted to be a good cop and do her job.

Kate's world was rocked when in the dead of winter on a frozen January night the body of a brutally murdered young woman was discovered in a field. With virtually no evidence found at the scene, Kate has to rely on her experience and small staff to solve this case. It quickly becomes obvious, once the body is autopsied, that there are disturbing similarities between this murder and several other murders that took place sixteen years earlier, known as The Slaughterhouse Murders. To make matters worse, more bodies are being discovered. As Kate scrambles to find answers, she is forced to open up a part of her past that she has worked hard to forget. Sixteen years ago, when she was only fourteen, she experienced her own kind of horror that changed the course of her life forever. No one knows her secret but when the bodies start adding up, she fears a connection and prays she can control it without jeopardizing the case. It's not only herself she's worried for, but her Amish family who banned her when she was eighteen.

My thoughts:

Linda Castillo is a master crime fiction writer. At no time during this book was there a lull in the story or even a moment that was not edge-of-your-seat thrilling. I'm not a huge murder mystery reader, but Ms. Castillo has lit a fire under me that leaves me excited to read more of her work. SWORN TO SILENCE was released in June of 2009 and is the first in the new Kate Burkholder Series. I'm excited to tell you that the second book, PRAY FOR SILENCE, just came out on June 22nd of 2010. I'm looking forward to reading it very soon.

Kate Burkholder is an original and interesting lead character that is so believable that I instantly became her ally in this quest to find the killer. She's tough, but not over-the-top. Bringing in the Amish element, not only to the general storyline, but into Kate's personal background was genius. I loved the contrast between the Amish and newer English ways of life. She does a great job of showing how two totally different cultures can exist side by side in a modern world. The supporting cast of characters are genuine and just as original as Kate's character. You can feel the bond these people have created in the short two years Kate has been their leader and you can sense the loyalty. That's not to say that all of the characters are on Kate's side. There is some conflict at play from certain other characters that gives the story a realistic feel as well.

SWORN TO SILENCE is first and foremost a story about serial murders, so there are some disturbing accounts regarding the brutality of the victims, but its not to the point that I had to skip over it. I don't like gore in the books that I read. Linda Castillo knows the perfect balance to ensure the reader gets the true feel for what the characters are dealing with without going too far. She even manages to bring in a physical attraction between Kate and another great character but smartly, doesn't veer too far from the main point of the book, which is solving these murders. Most of the book is told from Kate's perspective in the first person, but there are times when the reader is following John Tomasetti, a profiler brought in from another agency to help with the case, and those parts are told in the third person.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoy suspenseful crime novels. There is not one dull moment in this book. If you're interested in learning more about Linda Castillo and her books, please visit her website. You can also read an excerpt from the new installment. PRAY FOR SILENCE. If you've never read her books, I encourage you to give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

SWORN TO SILENCE

Author: Linda Castillo

Publisher: Minotour Books

Published: June 2009

Pages: 336

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5 (Highly Recommend)

Teaser Tuesday: An Amish Mystery

As you probably know by now, Teaser Tuesday is the weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading where we get the chance to tease other readers with a glimpse of the books we're reading. I always look forward to this event because it takes me inside of some really great books for a feel of whats inside. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read and let it fall open to a random page
• Choose two teaser sentences to share being careful to avoid any spoilers that may give too much
• List the name, author and page number your teasers were taken from so that others will be able to look up the book further

My teasers today come from SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo:

I'm an outsider here, a foreigner trespassing on sacred ground. The fact has never been more evident as I enter the world of my past. ~ page 84

Musing Mondays: Current Reads

Today's musing is: What are you currently reading? Would you recommend it? Is it part of a series? If so, which one? What are you thinking about it? What book(s) would you compare it to, if any?

My response:

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm currently reading SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo. This is a murder mystery set in the small town of Painters Mill, Ohio, which also includes a very large Amish community. The Chief of Police is Kate Burkholder, who was born into an Amish family and lived that life until she became an adult when events happened that she felt left her no choice but to leave. This is the first in a new series by Castillo, who is no stranger to mystery novels. This is the first time I've read her work but it certainly will not be the last. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story. It can get a little dicey with the descriptions of the murders, but its not so bad that it completely grosses me out. I will definitely be looking forward to more in this series. Because I don't read a lot of murder/mystery books, I don't really have one to compare it with. The Amish twist in the story gives it an originality that I really like, although there has been a trend this past year of books centered around the Amish. Maybe it's because I'm originally from Ohio, near the Amish, that I am enthralled with this story. I've enjoyed the contrast between their way of life and the newer English ways. Also, having an ex-Amish female police chief is something I love about the story.

Another book I'm reading is EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert. I started this book last month while on vacation and while I am enjoying it, I needed to take a break from it for a few weeks. I typically only read one book at a time, but I needed something else while I read this one. This is a book that I will have to really think about before recommending to anyone. First, I have to finish reading it so my thoughts will be complete. But even now, being only half way through it, I believe it isn't for everyone. I believe it's the type of book that you either love or hate. I haven't decided yet, though I'm leaning in one direction. You'll have to come back at a later time and read my review to find out how I feel about this one.

For more musings, please visit MizB at Should Be Reading.