Monday, June 27, 2016

Among the Wicked

Title: Among the Wicked
Author: Linda Castillo
Expected Publication: July 12th 2016 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook; Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Suspense
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #8

Linda Castillo does not let the reader down. Even if the book starts slow, she always has a twist or two at the end that grabs the reader and does not let them go. She slowly winds the story through the people and places and when you think you might have it figured out, there is that last piece of the puzzle that is just waiting to fall into place.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder is asked to go to Roaring Springs, New York to investigate a death in an Amish community. Since she was raised Amish, she is the ideal candidate for this undercover assignment. She knows that inattention to detail and trusting the wrong people can turn things sideways quickly but that is not going to stop her. There are still 40 children in this community and if they are in danger, she needs to move quickly to move them to safety.

Fifteen-year-old Rachael Esh, a girl with many secrets, has been found dead. There is no plausible reason for this young girl to wander into the woods during the middle of a snowstorm mile from her home. Even more troubling, OxyCotin had been found in her bloodstream and even more perplexing is that she had recently lost a baby. No one in this tight Amish community will talk, and with Kate’s past, she is determined to find out what happened and bring either an answer or justice for this young girl who had no one else to speak for her.

There were some strange goings-on in this Amish settlement once Eli Schrock took over, but no one was talking and the fear is palpable. Establishing herself as a recently widowed woman looking for a new community that was adhering to the old ways, Kate was slowly accepted. Unfortunately, there were a few that did not trust her and knowing that she had only a short time to gather what she needed, she poked one too many beehives and what flew out was both unexpected and life-threatening.

What is amazing about this book is that the clues were there the whole time. Speckles and dots that were left like breadcrumbs leading to the final showdown and until you get to the end; you did not realize them for what they were.

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