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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is one of my favorite series and I enjoyed this latest book. I liked that Tomasetti was involved in the case. The mystery was intriguing and I’m always happy to see the other officers on Kate’s team. It’s also very fun to see some of the towns and locations I grew up around mentioned throughout the story.
I do wish there was a little bit more character development with everyone. There was a bit of a relationship between two of the officers in the last book that went unresolved that I wanted to find out more about, but it wasn’t even hinted at again in this one.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next one.
I do wish there was a little bit more character development with everyone. There was a bit of a relationship between two of the officers in the last book that went unresolved that I wanted to find out more about, but it wasn’t even hinted at again in this one.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next one.
dark
mysterious
tense
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
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I have read every single book in this series and was so excited to read this one! I really enjoy the writing style, just enough to keep you interested and reading to learn more without overdoing it. The ending always ties the story together and doesn’t leave it on a cliffhanger. This was no different and I read it in one day! Greatly enjoyed this and while it is a great book and could be a standalone, having the background of the previous books really brings it together! Loved it!
I have read every single book in this series and was so excited to read this one! I really enjoy the writing style, just enough to keep you interested and reading to learn more without overdoing it. The ending always ties the story together and doesn’t leave it on a cliffhanger. This was no different and I read it in one day! Greatly enjoyed this and while it is a great book and could be a standalone, having the background of the previous books really brings it together! Loved it!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
It’s hot and muggy in Painters Mill, Ohio and things are heating up for Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her team. Rage by Linda Castillo is chilling, suspenseful, and dark. Kate calls her husband Tomasetti with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Sheriff Mike Rasmussen for assistance as murders start to pile up for the team. A dismembered body that is found by children is only the beginning of this story. As the team investigates, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing, including killing police officers, to hide their crimes. Can they be exposed and arrested before this happens?
The characterization is excellent, making each person come to life for me. 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. She likes to finish what she starts, is focused, hates the politics and media side of the job, and is respected by her officers. She’s loyal, driven, intelligent, has good instincts, and is courageous, but she’s also impulsive and ends up alone in situations where she needs backup. Kate comes alive and it’s easy to connect with her and want her to succeed in finding the killer. Since she grew up Amish, she is mindful of the divide between them and the English communities and tries to bridge the divide and earn the trust of both sides.
As usual, the novel is descriptive to the point of being graphic at times with the murder descriptions. However, it also easily transported me to Painters Mill in summer. The plot twists worked well and the ending was action-packed. Ms. Castillo is an excellent storyteller who kept me engaged with gripping scenes and a creative plot that built suspense. The story captivated me from beginning to end. However, it is somewhat over-the-top from the standpoint that some events should have resulted in characters being on medical leave rather than retraining immediately to work. Ms. Costillo is clearly a master at building tension and delivering exciting results that keep readers engaged. Themes include trust, greed, respect, innocence, naivety, secrets, murder, and complicated family and community relationships.
Overall, this book was gritty, suspenseful, action-packed, and gripping. This novel should delight those readers that enjoy police procedurals, crime thrillers, and mysteries that have a strong female lead character. However, be aware that it is also unsettling at times. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author. This is the seventeenth book in the series.
St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for July 08, 2025.
The characterization is excellent, making each person come to life for me. 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. She likes to finish what she starts, is focused, hates the politics and media side of the job, and is respected by her officers. She’s loyal, driven, intelligent, has good instincts, and is courageous, but she’s also impulsive and ends up alone in situations where she needs backup. Kate comes alive and it’s easy to connect with her and want her to succeed in finding the killer. Since she grew up Amish, she is mindful of the divide between them and the English communities and tries to bridge the divide and earn the trust of both sides.
As usual, the novel is descriptive to the point of being graphic at times with the murder descriptions. However, it also easily transported me to Painters Mill in summer. The plot twists worked well and the ending was action-packed. Ms. Castillo is an excellent storyteller who kept me engaged with gripping scenes and a creative plot that built suspense. The story captivated me from beginning to end. However, it is somewhat over-the-top from the standpoint that some events should have resulted in characters being on medical leave rather than retraining immediately to work. Ms. Costillo is clearly a master at building tension and delivering exciting results that keep readers engaged. Themes include trust, greed, respect, innocence, naivety, secrets, murder, and complicated family and community relationships.
Overall, this book was gritty, suspenseful, action-packed, and gripping. This novel should delight those readers that enjoy police procedurals, crime thrillers, and mysteries that have a strong female lead character. However, be aware that it is also unsettling at times. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author. This is the seventeenth book in the series.
St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for July 08, 2025.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In RAGE, written by Linda Castillo, three Amish children discover body parts while playing hide and seek. While Kate and her partner, dressed like a cow, visit a class of second-graders to give a safety talk, Kate Burkholder (Chief of Police) gets a call about a dead body (parts) found by Amish kids. Is it the body that of Sam Yutzy, a man who has a nursery of trees and wants forgiveness for past transgressions? If it is, how did this horror happen? I read on.
I enjoy returning to Kate Burkholder’s world. I especially like her relationship with her husband, John Tomasetti (an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation). The fact that Kate was once Amish adds to the authenticity of her character. The plot is absorbing, as usual; Linda Castillo writes in a way that captures my attention. I like the way she weaves the review of facts into the dialogue and look forward to reading future books in the Kate Burkholder series. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review RAGE.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kate Burkholder #17
Rage by Linda Castillo
On a typical hot summer's day in Painter Mill, while Kate is entertaining school kids with one of her deputies dressed up as a cow, such simple things come to a screeching halt when a dismembered body is found. Soon enough another body is found. Both bodies indicate that the killer(s) were very intentional with the message they are conveying. These people need to be found and stopped before more people die.
I'm in awe of Kate. She can be pulverized, practically drown in pig slop, endure surviving the totaling of countless vehicles, make a little stop at the hospital and still be home to have dinner with her sweetheart hours later. She doesn't let us down here as she investigates something that could be much bigger and more widespread than Painter Mill has ever encountered.
The two young men killed were of the Amish community and had been living their wild years but seemed ready to settle down and pick up living good Amish lives. Now it seems their wild times might not have been innocent teenage/young men fun. Something very dark and dirty is lurking and even if some of the young Amish kids know secrets, they are not talking, they seem to be willing to keep secrets to the end of time. Possible messages have been received, someone is controlling what is said and done and there might be no escape for those who want to get away from evil. But what is the evil, who is the evil?
It's not necessary to read any or all of the books before this one. This book works as a standalone although it's fun for me to look back at all Kate has gone through and see that it's never going to stop. Surely she should have a concussion or ten by now, Kate is made of some tough stuff and she's still "going in without backup". Fun and gory stuff, another Kate Burkholder winner!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rage by Linda Castillo
On a typical hot summer's day in Painter Mill, while Kate is entertaining school kids with one of her deputies dressed up as a cow, such simple things come to a screeching halt when a dismembered body is found. Soon enough another body is found. Both bodies indicate that the killer(s) were very intentional with the message they are conveying. These people need to be found and stopped before more people die.
I'm in awe of Kate. She can be pulverized, practically drown in pig slop, endure surviving the totaling of countless vehicles, make a little stop at the hospital and still be home to have dinner with her sweetheart hours later. She doesn't let us down here as she investigates something that could be much bigger and more widespread than Painter Mill has ever encountered.
The two young men killed were of the Amish community and had been living their wild years but seemed ready to settle down and pick up living good Amish lives. Now it seems their wild times might not have been innocent teenage/young men fun. Something very dark and dirty is lurking and even if some of the young Amish kids know secrets, they are not talking, they seem to be willing to keep secrets to the end of time. Possible messages have been received, someone is controlling what is said and done and there might be no escape for those who want to get away from evil. But what is the evil, who is the evil?
It's not necessary to read any or all of the books before this one. This book works as a standalone although it's fun for me to look back at all Kate has gone through and see that it's never going to stop. Surely she should have a concussion or ten by now, Kate is made of some tough stuff and she's still "going in without backup". Fun and gory stuff, another Kate Burkholder winner!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rage is the 17th book in the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. I look forward to July every year as I know the new Kate Burkholder book will be published. I only read a couple of series and this is definitely one of them. Somehow the books just keep getting better! You will love this series if you love wonderful characters, learning more about the Amish, and gritty police procedurals. I definitely recommend reading this series in order as Kate's life continues to progress.
I always listen to the books in the audiobook format. Kathleen McInerney is the narrator and does an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life.
Synopsis:
Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Yutzy, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?
The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Yutzy’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have been involved in that led to such violent ends?
With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters—individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.
To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook for my opinion.
This book will be published on July 8, 2025.
I always listen to the books in the audiobook format. Kathleen McInerney is the narrator and does an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life.
Synopsis:
Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Yutzy, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?
The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Yutzy’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have been involved in that led to such violent ends?
With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters—individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.
To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook for my opinion.
This book will be published on July 8, 2025.