The Hidden One
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15
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Average rating4
The discovery of an Amish bishop's remains leads chief of police Kate Burkholder to unearth a chilling secret in The Hidden One, a new thriller from bestselling author Linda Castillo. Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed, his disappearance becomes even more sinister. The town’s elders arrive in Painters Mill to ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help, but she quickly realizes she has a personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was Kate’s first love. Forced to confront a painful episode from her past, Kate travels to Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley, where the Amish culture differs dramatically from the traditions she knows. Though Bishop Stoltzfus was highly respected, she soon hears about a dark side to this complex man. What was he hiding that resulted in his own brutal death? Someone doesn’t want Kate asking questions. But even after being accosted and threatened in the dead of night, she refuses to back down. Is she too close to the case—and to Jonas—to see clearly? There’s a killer in the Valley who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried. Will they get to Kate before she can expose the truth? Or will the bishop’s secrets remain hidden forever?
Reviews with the most likes.
Nothing says summer like the newest Kate Burkholder novel and a murder in Amish Country. Except this murder takes place in rural Pennsylvania, not Painters Mill Ohio, where Kate is Chief of Police. And the prime suspect, Jonas Bowman, is someone who Kate knew very well when she was a teenager, rebellious and traumatized by a recent rape but still part of the community.
As a favor to the church elders, Kate travels to Pennsylvania to look into the case. She has no authority there, so she has to piece together the clues without the local police department's help. In the midst of chasing suspects and putting her life in danger (honestly, she is injured more times than in any previous book in this series), Kate also has time to reflect on her previous relationship with Jonas. Is she trying to prove him innocent because of their history, or are there bigger and darker issues that the local police have missed?
I appreciated the different setting for this book, as it made things more challenging for Kate, although I missed Glock, Mona, and the rest of the Painter's Mill crew. There are also very few scenes with Kate's fiancé Tomacetti, but he is in Kate's thoughts frequently even when she is far away from him. The flashback scenes to Kate and Jonas' relationship help flesh out a character who, 14 books in, is still complicated and compelling.
