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Overview
The New York Times bestselling series hailed as “gripping” (People magazine) and “compelling” (USA Today) returns with Police Chief Kate Burkholder called to the scene of a horrific tragedy on a peaceful Amish farm.
The Slabaugh family are model Amish farmers, prosperous and hardworking, with four children and a happy extended family. When the parents and an uncle are found dead in their barn, it appears to be a gruesome accident: methane gas asphyxiation caused by a poorly ventilated cesspit. But in the course of a routine autopsy, the coroner discovers that one of the victims suffered a head wound before death—clearly, foul play was involved. But who would want to make orphans of the Slabaughs’ children? And is this murder somehow related to a recent string of shocking hate crimes against the Amish?
Having grown up Amish, Kate is determined to bring the killer to justice. Because the other series of attacks are designated hate crimes, the state sends in agent John Tomasetti, with whom Kate has a long and complex relationship. Together, they search for the link between the crimes—and uncover a dark secret at work beneath the placid surface of this idyllic Amish community.
Chock full of twists and chills and set against the unusual world of the Amish, this series “will delight fans of Chelsea Cain and Thomas Harris” (USA Today).
Editorials
From the Publisher
“In addition to creating exceptionally well drawn characters and crafting a gripping plot that takes some shocking turns to a heart-pounding conclusion, Castillo probes with keen sensitivity the emotional toll taken by police work. The third in this series of thrillers (after Sworn to Silence, 2009, and Pray for Silence, 2010) is another winner.”—Booklist (starred review) “Kate’s third offers plenty of violence, a surprise ending and some insight into the Amish way of life.”—Kirkus Reviews“Castillo melds deeply flawed characters with a glimpse into a unique community in which isolation can hide a plethora of secrets.”—Publishers Weekly
“Castillo has created a gripping series about police chief Kate Burkholder, who was raised in an Amish community but left during her teens, which creates a constant tension between herself and the community but also an understanding of the people involved. Life in the farming area is vividly portrayed and both the sociological background and the physical setting add greatly to the mystery. The mystery is complicated but clearly plotted with a heart-stopping ending.”—RT Book Review (4 ½ stars)
“This is the third in a stupendous series . . . Written at a thrilling pace, with haunting images, Breaking Silence is a novel worth staying up all night to reach the end.”—New York Journal of Books
Publishers Weekly
In Castillo's fine third Amish thriller (after Pray for Silence), Kate Burkholder, police chief of Painter's Creek, Ohio, finds a gruesome crime scene at a farm. Solly and Rachael Slabaugh, and Solly's brother, Abel, have drowned in a poorly ventilated manure pit, succumbing to methane gas asphyxiation. But the deaths are no accident and may be related to a recent string of hate crimes against the Amish. The hate crimes designation brings in John Tomasetti, an agent with the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and Kate's sometimes lover. Kate becomes close with the four orphaned Slabaugh children, especially with the daughter, 15-year-old Salome. Kate, who was raised Amish, understands the difficulties an ambitious Amish teenager faces. Escalating hate crimes are uncovered, but the investigation is stymied because the Amish resist help from outsiders. Castillo melds deeply flawed characters with a glimpse into a unique community in which isolation can hide a plethora of secrets. 150,000 first printing; author tour. (June)Library Journal
Police Chief Kate Burkholder (Pray for Silence) is once again trying to balance the needs of the Amish community and the Englishers in Painters Mill, OH—a challenging task after a series of hate crimes against the Amish. What started out as harassment has escalated into the killing of farm animals and physical attacks. Kate's problem lies in the unwillingness of the victims to press charges or give her much evidence to work with. Things come to a head when three members of the Slabaugh family die in what initially looks like an accident but in reality was murder. Did they die in a hate crime gone wrong? Or did someone closer to home have reason to want them dead? With the help of the new county sheriff and state agent John Tomasetti (who, as always, makes her emotional life confusing), Kate has to find the answers before someone else dies. VERDICT Castillo really hits her stride here and tones down some of the graphic violence present last time around. Think of this as a cross between Karin Slaughter, with her darker outlook on human nature, and Julia Spencer-Fleming, who balances the darkness with moments of hope. [125,000-copy first printing; national tour.]—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WIKirkus Reviews
A series of hate crimes against an Ohio Amish community turns deadly.
Painters Mill Police Chief Kate Burkholder was raised Amish. So she's not surprised that many of the crimes committed against the community are going unreported by the clannish sect that wants to keep its distance from the "English." When she's called to the Slabaugh farm and finds the bodies of Solly, his wife Rachael and Solly's visiting brother Abel in the manure pit, Kate is devastated. The fact that their deaths look like just another accident is no solace to the four children left behind: Mose, 17; Salome, 15; Samuel, 12; and Ike, 10. Their only relative is an uncle who's not the community's choice to raise the children because he's no longer Amish. When the autopsy shows that Solly was hit on the head and pushed into the pit, the investigation ramps up. Did the people who've been killing animals, burning buggies and beating Amish people escalate to murder, or is there some other reason for the murders? Kate's investigations turn up some scandalous discoveries. Salome, for instance, is pregnant by Mose. True, he's adopted, but he's still her cousin. State agent John Tomasetti, Kate's friend and lover, is sent to help on the case. His presence is more than welcome, since the pressure has Kate drinking more than she should. She'll have to revisit some dark places in her past before she can solve the crimes.
Kate's third (Pray for Silence, 2010, etc.) offers plenty of violence, a surprise ending and some insight into the Amish way of life.