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jjhende's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lherna6's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Love the flow of the book, characters easy to love. Though at times the story jump forward with out much detail.
aboyd1991's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
heidipretzel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Violence, Torture, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Medical content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo takes us back to Painter’s Mill, Ohio days before the wedding of Kate Burkholder and her fiancé, John Tomasetti. An Evil Heart is the fifteenth A Kate Burkholder Novel. While it can be read as a standalone, I do recommend reading the series in order. It allows readers to get to know Kate and see how her relationship with John came about. Each book in the series builds upon the previous one. I thought An Evil Heart was well-written with realistic, developed characters. Kate Burkholder is a strong, smart woman. Her background (being raised Amish but she is now Englisch) helps her when it comes to cases she handles. John Tomasetti works for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He is a good partner for Kate. He understands her long hours and her devotion to her job. The pair work well together when John joins Kate on a case. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder’s latest case is a gruesome one. Amishman Aden Karn was killed on his way to meet his ride to work. Kate delves into the case. Kate questions Karn’s family, friends, girlfriend, roommate, and coworkers. She wants to get to know the victim and discover what could have led to the victim’s demise. Kate works to piece together the clues and then narrows in on the guilty party. Kate is methodical in her investigation. She is a hard worker. Kate has a good team to assist her. The mystery can be solved early in the story. The why takes longer to uncover. The reveal scene was action packed and full of suspense which had me quickly flipping the pages. There are graphic details that could disturb some readers and trigger others. The story also contains foul language. Kate and John’s wedding day is special. The planning is emotional for Kate. She grew up Amish and dreamed of an Amish wedding. But now she is English. Kate wants to find a way to merge the two cultures. Kate is also working on her relationship with her family. The wedding can, hopefully, bring the Burkholder clan closer. The author beautifully blends the whodunit and Kate’s life into one engaging story. I especially enjoyed the ending. An Evil Heart is a suspenseful story with a macabre murder, wedding worries, dubious acquaintances, an unusual weapon, a curious clue, and a cruel killer.
rmarcin's review
4.0
Kate is preparing for her upcoming wedding to Tomasetti when she gets a call that someone has been killed by a crossbow. He is identified as Aden Karn, Amish and engaged to Emily. He is painted as a kind and sweet young man. However, Kate finds out that he ran with a cruel and sadistic group of men, those who enjoyed a lot of sex.
Then, another body is found, this time a young woman. As Kate continues to investigate, she finds that people are lying to her, or concealing information. When someone finally confesses a terrible story to Kate, and with a tip from the coroner, Kate remembers an important detail. When she goes to investigate, she realizes that she is in grave danger.
Then, another body is found, this time a young woman. As Kate continues to investigate, she finds that people are lying to her, or concealing information. When someone finally confesses a terrible story to Kate, and with a tip from the coroner, Kate remembers an important detail. When she goes to investigate, she realizes that she is in grave danger.
lynguy1's review
4.0
The sights and sounds of a beautiful autumn morning greet readers in An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo. However, as the fifteenth book in the Kate Burkholder mystery thriller and police procedural series gets underway, those same readers will likely be surprised by what happens next.
This series features Painters Mill, Ohio, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder who investigates the death of a young Amish man, Aden Karn. He’s well-liked, funny, hardworking, and engaged to Emily Byler. Did he have a dark side or is something else happening in the community?
Besides being the chief of police, Kate is trained as an emergency medical technician. She’s intelligent, has good instincts, and wants to repair her relationships with her family. Tomasetti, the man she will be marrying soon, is obsessive and intense when he’s on a case. He works for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and they met when he assisted on one of her cases.
The author takes readers on a journey through the life of Aden Karn from his family dynamics to his girlfriend and her family, his co-workers, and those who he spent time with. Additionally, Castillo seamlessly blends Kate’s personal life and events into the story line. Kate shows some growth in this novel as her wedding approaches and she interacts with her family and friends.
The characterization is excellent, making the numerous characters come to life for me making it easy to keep track of them. Readers of the series will be familiar with many of them. One thing that struck me as slightly odd was the number of nicknames for officers on Kate’s investigation team.
The descriptive narrative transported me to Kate and her team’s suspenseful investigation. The plot twists worked well and the ending was action-packed. Ms. Castillo is an excellent storyteller who kept me turning the pages with gripping scenes and a creative plot that built suspense. This novel shines light on law enforcement cooperation, family, jealousy, lies, betrayal, friendship, death, and the darker side of some communities.
While the novel works well as a standalone, readers will be able to better appreciate Kate’s full background if the series is read in order. Readers should also be aware that there are some disturbing scenes in the book.
Overall, this book was briskly paced, suspenseful, and gripping. This novel should delight those readers that enjoy police procedurals and mysteries that have a strong female lead character. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.
St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for July 11, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
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My 4.34 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
This series features Painters Mill, Ohio, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder who investigates the death of a young Amish man, Aden Karn. He’s well-liked, funny, hardworking, and engaged to Emily Byler. Did he have a dark side or is something else happening in the community?
Besides being the chief of police, Kate is trained as an emergency medical technician. She’s intelligent, has good instincts, and wants to repair her relationships with her family. Tomasetti, the man she will be marrying soon, is obsessive and intense when he’s on a case. He works for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and they met when he assisted on one of her cases.
The author takes readers on a journey through the life of Aden Karn from his family dynamics to his girlfriend and her family, his co-workers, and those who he spent time with. Additionally, Castillo seamlessly blends Kate’s personal life and events into the story line. Kate shows some growth in this novel as her wedding approaches and she interacts with her family and friends.
The characterization is excellent, making the numerous characters come to life for me making it easy to keep track of them. Readers of the series will be familiar with many of them. One thing that struck me as slightly odd was the number of nicknames for officers on Kate’s investigation team.
The descriptive narrative transported me to Kate and her team’s suspenseful investigation. The plot twists worked well and the ending was action-packed. Ms. Castillo is an excellent storyteller who kept me turning the pages with gripping scenes and a creative plot that built suspense. This novel shines light on law enforcement cooperation, family, jealousy, lies, betrayal, friendship, death, and the darker side of some communities.
While the novel works well as a standalone, readers will be able to better appreciate Kate’s full background if the series is read in order. Readers should also be aware that there are some disturbing scenes in the book.
Overall, this book was briskly paced, suspenseful, and gripping. This novel should delight those readers that enjoy police procedurals and mysteries that have a strong female lead character. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.
St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for July 11, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
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My 4.34 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
dixie1090's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mckenziemartines's review
3.0
I borrowed this on Libby and the narrator was good except for when she was speaking as the coroner (I think that’s who it was). Didn’t realize this was number 15 in the series - I just got it from a recommendation from TikTok. Not bad, but the police codes and the explanation of the police codes got repetitive.