Two Quick Recommendations...

 

Forgotten Trail by Claire Kells

This is the third mystery with ISB agents Felicity Harland and Hux Huxley. This one takes place at Pinnacles National Park in California. I really enjoy the National Park setting in this series, especially when it introduces me to parks I've never heard of before, like Pinnacles. And Felicity and Hux are such engaging characters. They make a fun team. I had one problem with the mystery and how the murderer knew to be there, which I felt was never satisfactorily explained, but I liked everything else about it. Especially the suspenseful moments in the park and those unexpected twists along the way.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Season on the Wind by Suzanne Woods Fisher

"Ben Zook had only two loves in his life. Books and birds."

No longer part of the Amish community, Ben has returned to his childhood home of Stoney Ridge in search of a rare bird. He's hired shy Micah Weaver as his guide. But it was Micah's sister, Penny, who first taught Ben to love birds twenty years ago, when she was just twelve. Too bad he doesn't remember her. 

"She looked at his profile. Him. Ben was her spark bird."

I loved this book because of Micah, Penny, and Ben. And that Amish setting. But most of all, because of the birding! This is an enchanting and heartwarming romance.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo

 

Jonas Bowman was Kate Burkholder's first love back when she was fifteen years old. It's been over twenty years since she's seen him, but when she finds out he's been accused of murdering an Amish bishop, she heads to Pennsylvania to help out. Because she knows Jonas could never murder anyone. 

The Hidden One is the fourteenth Kate Burkholder mystery. She's the Chief of Police in Painter's Mill, Ohio, where most of this series is set. Kate grew up Amish, which helps her navigate between the English and Amish in her community now. In this book, she heads to Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania on her own to look into this murder, putting herself in danger once again. 

I find the Amish setting in these books, with their faith, culture and traditions, fascinating; and I always enjoy Kate's interactions with her family and the other Amish. The flashbacks into Kate's teenage years and her friendship with Jonas was also fun. And I thought the mystery involving the murdered Amish bishop was very compelling. I didn't quite guess the twist at the end, but I did like it. But then, I've liked all of Linda Castillo's books. This is one of my favorite mystery series. 

Happy Reading!

Bookish suspense...

 

Fallen is Linda Castillo's thirteenth Kate Burkholder mystery, and it's every bit as good as the twelve books that preceded it. I really enjoy this series. It's set in Painter's Mill, Ohio, a township of 5,300 people set in the heart of Amish country. Kate is the Chief of Police. She was raised Amish, but left the community when she was eighteen. Her ties to the Amish, and her understanding of their language and culture, is one of the reasons I enjoy reading these books so much. She has a close relationship with John Tomasetti, an FBI agent who sometimes helps out with her investigations.

This book begins with the brutal murder of Rachael Schwartz, another girl who was once part of Painter's Mill's Amish community. In fact, Kate used to babysit her. To have to investigate her murder now is hard for Kate. As she delves into Rachael's past, Kate discovers the once wild teenager had many secrets...and angered many people, both among the English as well as the Amish. And whoever killed Rachael is determined to keep Kate from learning the truth.

This is another solid offering from Linda Castillo. It's got good pacing, and the ending is very suspenseful. I guessed one of the twists early on, but the rest of the mystery kept me guessing. I liked this one. And I really like Kate and her small squad of police officers. Good characters and an interesting setting make this book another entertaining one by Linda Castillo. I'd give it 4 stars!

Happy Reading!

Other Kate Burkholder mysteries I've reviewed:

Gone Missing

Among the Wicked

A Gathering of Secrets

Outsider

Among the Wicked...

"My name is Kate Burkholder and I'm the chief of police of Painters Mill, Ohio, a township of just over 5,300 souls, half of whom are Amish, including my own family. I left the fold when I was eighteen, not an easy feat when all I'd ever known was the plain life..."

In this latest Linda Castillo mystery, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder has been asked to help out on a case in upstate New York investigating the suspicious death of Rachel Esh, a 15-year-old Amish girl. But in order to do so, Kate must go undercover and join this isolated Amish community as a newly widowed Amish woman. Roaring Springs is a community that's led by Bishop Eli Schrock, a strict believer in rules and order and in keeping separate from the outside world. He also likes to keep a tight rein on the members of his community, which makes it that much more challenging for Kate to fit in there, not to mention being able to sort out the truth from all the rumors and secrets swirling about Rachel's death...and around Eli Schrock himself. It makes it a lot more dangerous for her, too.

Part of the appeal of this series for me is that it's set in Amish country, and every mystery revolves around the Amish in some way. They have such an interesting culture; I like novels that explore their way of life. I also like Kate Burkholder. She's a strong female character, with intelligence and heart, who tends to get a bit headstrong and stubborn when it comes to solving a case. And the mystery in Among the Wicked, which goes deeper than anyone suspects, pushes Kate to her limits. And it has an ending that I never came close to guessing. I found it unputdownable. It's nice to read a book as well-written and good as this one. I guess that's why this mystery series is one of my favorites.

Happy Reading!

Gone Missing

"My name is Kate Burkholder and I've been the police chief of Painters Mill for about three years now. I was born here to Amish parents in a one-hundred-old farmhouse set on sixty acres of northeastern Ohio's rich, glaciated soil. I grew up Plain. Up until the age of fourteen, I was a typical Amish girl--innocent, God-loving, content in the way most Amish children are ... All of that changed on a postcard-perfect summer day when fate introduced me to the dark side of human nature. I learned at a formative age that even on perfect, sunny days, bad things happen."

 In this Linda Castillo mystery, Kate Burkholder has been asked by State Agent John Tomasetti to consult on a case involving three missing Amish teenage girls. They come from different communities in Ohio; they didn't know one another; and they went missing months apart. But Kate and Tomasetti think their disappearances might be related. Then one of the girls turns up dead, and a fourth girl goes missing--a girl that Kate knows personally.

This is a good mystery. But it's the Amish setting I like best: their rules and restrictions, family values and faith, and the way they choose to not be a part of the modern world. Because she was raised Amish, Kate understands them; but because she chose to leave their community when she was eighteen, she's no longer welcome among them, which makes her a nicely complicated character. In her job as police chief, she tries to bridge the gap between the Amish and the English, which isn't easy.  And her growing relationship with Agent Tomasetti is another fun complication. It's all these layers and complications that make this mystery series so good.

Happy Reading!