Reviews

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo

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brandigovia's review

5.0

Loved it! I've read the entire Kate Burkholder series and this one did not disappoint. Linda Castillo does it again!

Linda Castillo NEVER disappoints; she’s one of my favorite authors. Her Detective Kate Burkholder series is the best, and the mysteries are always fast-paced and engaging. I nearly always read them in one or two sittings.

Full confession: I live in Amish country in upstate New York, so this Amish mystery series particularly resonates with me. Amish culture here is a very big part of our lives.

This book was excellent. Kate is such a relatable character, and in every book we always learn a little more about her personal life. This story, centering around her first love having been arrested for a murder of the Amish bishop in the town he lives in, introduces us to a little more of Kate’s childhood.

I didn’t know where this story was going and was definitely surprised by the twist. It was a fast-moving story from page one.

4.5 stars, but rounded up to 5 for Goodreads.

reading_rainy's review

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4.0

*3.5* This series continues to be engaging, intense, and also oddly heartwarming for all the brutal murders.

The set up is Painters Mill Police Chief Kate Burkholder leaves town to investigate a murder. The prime suspect is someone she's grown up with, and has strong emotions connected to him. I missed all the usual characters in this one, but mostly Tomasetti. There is a quite strength to him that balances Kate's somewhat reckless behavior. I really need at least one romantic scene with them, there are none in this book.

Yes, this story is a bit predictable, with Kate getting physically hurt at the end of every book, but I don't care.

What niggled at the back of my mind was the reshaping of Kate's childhood. Earlier books cover the horrors that happened to her at 14. This book attempts to show her as an almost normal, healthy teenager at 15. I can't imagine teenage Kate would have been able to recover so quickly when longtime readers know how her childhood abuse clung to every part of her adult life.

As a standalone, it was pretty good, but as part of the series, it didn't make sense. Other than that, I love these characters, and will continue to read the series until Kate and Tomasetti are in the old folks home, sitting in rocking chairs, hands clasped.

Big thanks to St. Martin's press, Linda Castillo and Netgalley for the ARC.

muddypuddle's review

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5.0

4.5

natalier3's review

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4.0

I have long since been fascinated by the Amish lifestyle and have been wanting to read more novels around this.
Linda Castillo has been recommended in this genre so I was excited to try her latest one!
The plot is fast paced, there are lots of characters and relationships to keep track of, as well as scenes from different timelines too so as an audio I did have to rewind rather a lot to fully grasp the unfolding events.
This is book 14 in her Kate Burkholder series so the characters are well established. There are lots of references to Kate's backstory so I would definitely recommend reading in order. I definitely feel like I've missed out on some great books and would love to go back and read them later.

sciencewhizliz's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I have been reading this series for a long time. And they’re good quick reads but some of the plots are starting to be repetitive. That being said, they’re entertaining even if they’re nothing to write home about.