By Ande Jacobson
Fallen, is the thirteenth Kate Burkholder thriller, this time exploring the dangers of following one’s dreams. Kate isn’t the only one who left the Amish community when she approached the critical decision point of whether or not to be baptized. In Kate’s case, she never was. Rachael Schwartz was another young woman facing that difficult decision, and she too left the community, but under very different circumstances from Kate’s. Still, when she turns up murdered in a dreary motel room in Painters Mill, Kate catches the case, and it stirs up memories of her own past. She recognizes that she and Rachael never fit in, although their rebelliousness manifested in very different ways. Kate knew Rachael as a child, and she saw that even then Rachael followed her own mind in ways that Kate both admired and knew would cause her trouble as she grew older.
Through the case, Kate is drawn to two Amish families that are somehow close to the case. Rachael’s parents, Rhoda and Dan Schwartz, still live in Painters Mill. They were never supportive of Rachael’s differences and like many Amish families, were very strict when she disobeyed. When Rachael’s demise becomes known, Kate could see they feel the loss. Rachael’s childhood best friend, Loretta, now married to Ben Bontrager, appears to have kept in touch with Rachael, although she was both envious of and never approved of Rachael’s lifestyle. Kate talks with her multiple times through the story. Loretta’s husband too has some secrets, although it takes quite some time to unravel just what that all means.
Loretta and Ben have a daughter, Fannie, who reminds Kate of both Rachael and of herself. Fannie doesn’t fit the ideal of a young Amish girl. For one thing, she’s an expert rider, often found out in the fields riding her favorite horse better than most other riders Kate has seen. Sadly, riding isn’t something considered appropriate for women in this Amish community. Roles are sharply divided in Amish culture, and while all of the roles are crucial for the functioning of the society, the Amish are a strict patriarchal culture with harsh penalties for violating the rules, both written and unwritten. Kate is intrigued both by Fannie’s defiance against Amish traditions and her obvious skills. She’s somebody that Kate wants to keep her eye on. She’s not sure just how Fannie fits into the case until much, much later although she is also fairly certain that at some point, Fannie will leave community being unable to accept her role in the society. Kate knows something about that given her own history.
As with most of the stories in the series, it takes time for Kate to put the pieces together to figure out just who is involved in the case and how. There’s far more going on than is initially apparent. Castillo takes time to weave the pieces together as she lets readers discover the puzzle pieces along with Kate.
The formula is also still in place, although once again when Kate runs into trouble, it’s because she ends up in the wrong place alone. This time though she has the foresight to at least have backup on standby if she doesn’t report in. Still, she almost loses her life yet again before things get rectified. And there is unexpected fallout from the case that affects several innocent bystanders. The prongs of this case cross boundaries too, both Amish and English are involved in aspects of the crime, and the murder stems from some universal human frailties.
As keeps happening in the series, human foibles show up in all communities in some fashion. Some of those foibles relate to youthful transgressions, while others relate to more ominous forces concerning abuse of power. There are predators within every community as is clear throughout the series. Castillo doesn’t pull punches. Just because the Amish live a simpler life, that doesn’t mean they are immune to human foibles. How they deal with them often differs from their non-Amish counterparts. In many ways, Amish reckoning is far harsher than many of the consequences in the secular world, although there are times when self-imposed punishments can outweigh nominal legal consequences no matter the community.
In side plots, Kate finally hires a new dispatcher to allow Mona to fully assume her duties as a police officer. Unfortunately, her involvement in the case is an exceptionally gruesome introduction to a major crime. Mona has a few emotional moments as even a seasoned officer might under such circumstances, but she also shows herself to be a valuable member of the investigative team.
And the story moves Kate’s and John’s story along as well. They are partners personally and professionally, and they are both better because of their relationship, something that’s the worst kept secret in Painters Mill. There will certainly more to come on that front as the series continues.
Kate’s team includes:
- Mona Kurtz – the night shift police dispatcher, and newest rookie officer
- Lois Monroe – the day shift dispatcher
- Jodie Metzger – the second shift dispatcher
- Margaret – the new dispatcher hired so that Mona can assume her duties as an officer
- J. Banks – formerly the youngest police officer on the team
- Rupert “Glock” Maddox – a former Marine and Kate’s most experienced officer
- Chuck “Skid” Skidmore – another veteran police officer
- Ludwig Coblentz, the local coroner and physician
- Roland “Pickles” Schumacker – a retired officer who serves as an auxiliary officer and brings a wealth of experience and expertise to any case
- John Tomasetti – a BCI officer and Kate’s boyfriend
The primary Kate Burkholder series includes:
- Sworn to Silence (2009)
- Pray for Silence (2010)
- Breaking Silence (2011)
- Gone Missing (2012)
- Her Last Breath (2013)
- The Dead Will Tell (2014)
- After the Storm (2015)
- Among the Wicked (2016)
- Down a Dark Road (2017)
- A Gathering of Secrets (2018)
- Shamed (2019)
- Outsider (2020)
- Fallen (2021)
- The Hidden One (2022)
- An Evil Heart (2023)
- The Burning (2024)
- Rage (2025)
There are also a few Kate Burkholder novellas beyond the primary series, but they are side stories and break from the formula and tone of the primary series though still involve Kate and company.
References:
Sworn to Silence, by Linda Castillo
Pray for Silence, by Linda Castillo
Breaking Silence, by Linda Castillo
Gone Missing, by Linda Castillo
Her Last Breath, by Linda Castillo
The Dead Will Tell, by Linda Castillo
After the Storm, by Linda Castillo
Among the Wicked, by Linda Castillo
Down a Dark Road, by Linda Castillo
A Gathering of Secrets, by Linda Castillo
A Good Reed Review 