Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder)

Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder)
by Linda Castillo

Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder)
List Price: $24.99
Our Price: $1.94
You Save: $23.05 (92%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Linda Castillo
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-06-22
ISBN: 0312374984
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Minotaur Books

Book Reviews of Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder)

Book Review: Another great thriller from Castillo
Summary: 4 Stars

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.

Summary of Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder)

New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo delivers an electrifying thriller in which Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must confront a dark evil to solve the mysterious murders of an entire Amish family.

The Plank family moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to join the small Amish community of Painters Mill less than a year ago and seemed the model of the Plain Life?until on a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered on their farm.  Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect.  Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from the English?and each other?but this crime is horribly out of the ordinary.

            State agent John Tomasetti arrives on the scene to assist.  He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a volatile relationship.  They soon realize the disturbing details of this case will test their emotional limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts?and for Kate, a personal connection that is particularly hard to bear.

            When she discovers a diary that belonged to one of the teenaged daughters, Kate is shocked to learn the girl kept some very dark secrets and may have been living a lurid double life.  Who is the charismatic stranger who stole the young Amish girl?s heart? Could the brother?a man with a violent past, rejected and shunned by his family and the Amish community, have come to seek out revenge?  As Kate?s outrage grows so does her resolve to 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 us in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and intriguing psychological puzzle.

Literature & Fiction Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Women ImageLittle Women
by Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops: $5.00
The Killing Ground ImageThe Killing Ground
by JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowning ImageSaving Fish from Drowning
by Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancy ImageLife Expectancy
by Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princess ImageConstant Princess
by Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1) ImageWolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)
by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Sahara ImageSahara
by Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy) ImagePerelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)
by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.64
Price in other shops: $10.50
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towers ImageThe Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towers
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Mars ImageRed Mars
by Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
The Silent Girl: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel ImageThe Silent Girl: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel
by Tess Gerritsen
Ballantine Books; Published: 2011-07-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.97
Price in other shops: $26.00
Dead Reckoning (Berkley Sensation) ImageDead Reckoning (Berkley Sensation)
by Linda Castillo
Berkley; Published: 2005-12-06; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.24
Price in other shops: $7.99
Fallen: A Novel ImageFallen: A Novel
by Karin Slaughter
Delacorte Press; Published: 2011-06-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops: $26.00
Still Missing ImageStill Missing
by Chevy Stevens
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2011-05-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.59
Price in other shops: $14.99
Overkill (Berkley Sensation) ImageOverkill (Berkley Sensation)
by Linda Castillo
Berkley; Published: 2007-10-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder) ImageSworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder)
by Linda Castillo
Minotaur Books; Published: 2010-05-25; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.99
Price in other shops: $7.99
Sworn to Silence: A Novel ImageSworn to Silence: A Novel
by Linda Castillo
Minotaur Books; Published: 2011-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.08
Price in other shops: $14.99
The Perfect Victim ImageThe Perfect Victim
by Linda Castillo
Jove; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.80
Breaking Silence (Kate Burkholder) ImageBreaking Silence (Kate Burkholder)
by Linda Castillo
Minotaur Books; Published: 2011-06-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.01
Price in other shops: $24.99
Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder) ImageSworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder)
by Linda Castillo
Minotaur Books; Published: 2009-06-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.97
Price in other shops: $24.95