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Few authors can sustain the intensity and pace set by Linda Castillo in SWORN TO SILENCE, her debut mystery novel. That she chooses such an unusual setting and heroine is even more amazing. Castillo has created a spell-binding thriller that draws readers in from the beginning and doesn't let go until the last page. There's no putting this book down, so don't even start if you can't continue reading for a significant period of time. It's that engrossing. SWORN TO SILENCE begins with Kate Burkholder, an unlikely chief of police. She was raised in the rural Ohio community where she serves, but her background and family are Amish (even though she herself has left the Amish community). Living in Painters Mill, Ohio, usually presents little more challenging police situations than winter accidents or loose cattle roaming onto the local highway. So, when a string of murdered young women indicates that a serial killer is on the loose, confidence in Kate's abilities comes under fire by the local politicians. Worse than that, the murders appear to be the work of a serial killer who made his appearance more than 15 years ago...someone with whom Kate is intimately familiar, although she cannot reveal the circumstances. Under pressure to solve the murders quickly, before more young women die, and still maintain her secret knowledge of the earlier serial murders, Burkholder doesn't know whom she can turn to. Her police team is loyal, but they are quickly outnumbered as the city council begins calling in additional law enforcement help, who have their own agendas in regard to the case. Eventually, Kate realizes that she must confide in someone, even as she gets closer to the killer and his MO. Whom she chooses is as much a surprise as is who the killer turns out to be. What readers will enjoy are the twists and turns along the way, as well as the great heart that Linda Castillo has given to the police department in Painters Mill. Castillo's characters are tough, yet flawed, chased by their own demons and inadequacies. Still, there's never a point in this story where readers will not feel sympathy and kinship for this community of people trying to do the right thing. Castillo has created a great heroine in the unlikely Kate Burkholder, who is equal parts tough cop and vulnerable Amish girl, reliving a horrific incident from her past. It seems almost certain that Kate Burkholder will gone on to solve other cases and gain a strong readership anxious to follow her every move, if this stunning debut novel is any indication.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, July 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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