What you see is not always what you get

By Ande Jacobson

Linda Castillo’s fifteenth Kate Burkholder mystery is An Evil Heart, and it starts with a horrific murder. An Amish man is murdered on his way to work when his assailant lies in wait along the side of the road where Aden Karn commutes on his bicycle each morning. Aden sees the man and stops. What follows is a horrific and graphic murder at the heart of the story. The obvious question beyond who did it is why would anyone do such a thing?

As always, the investigation is not a straight line. After a woman driving her kids to school finds the body on the road and calls it into the police, Kate and her team jump into action. It doesn’t take long for the coroner to identify the cause of death – Aden was shot twice with projectiles (or bolts) from a crossbow or related weapon, at least one from very close range. That knowledge sends Kate on the path to learn as much as she can about Aden, his habits, his associates, and his family. He’s Amish, and he’s coming to the end of his Rumspringa (or running around period immediately before baptism). Initially, everyone Kate talks with sings his praises all saying what a hard-working, nice young man he was. He’s also all but engaged to a young woman who appears completely smitten, and her parents are also in awe of Aden. His employer claims him to be a model employee who gets along well with everyone, but given how he was killed, clearly somebody had a different opinion of him.

Despite all of the praises Kate is told, something about the situation just doesn’t sit right with her. A model Amish citizen isn’t generally gruesomely murdered and left on the road in plain sight. Somebody was sending a message, and it belied all the good things people had to say.

Kate eventually uncovers a very disturbing duality. There’s a group of young Amish men who exude trouble and with whom Aden and his roommate had some dealings. Beyond these sketchy associates, it seems Aden had a very dark side, something that nobody is willing to talk about at first, but Kate keeps digging, and eventually she uncovers the truth of who and what Aden was in life.

Castillo again delves into the realm of both how the Amish handle their own problems, and also how they are not immune from the evils that plague the outside world. People are people, and while most people have a sense of community and empathy, some people are the embodiment of evil no matter where they live.

Aden Karn is one such individual. He’s a predator, and a very nasty one at that. He hides it well, but through her diligence, Kate gets the people closest to Aden to tell her the truth, and then the murder becomes a case of determining which of his associates had the means and opportunity to enact what might be considered a public service by some, but not in the eyes of the law. Yes, Aden was a dangerous individual who needed to be stopped, but not through extrajudicial means. In this, Castillo also brings to light how somebody could truly believe they are performing a public service taking justice into their own hands, no matter how ill-advised, something not unique to any particular community, Amish or English.

Of course the formula also comes into play. Once Kate figures out who is the most likely perpetrator, as always, she finds herself alone without immediate backup facing off with yet another dangerous individual. Fortunately for her, backup arrives before it is too late, and while she’s a bit bruised, she’s not badly injured this time.

The story ends with a joyous occasion. Kate Burkholder’s and John Tomasetti’s wedding lurks throughout the story, and while readers don’t get treated to the actual ceremony and reception, they learn more about what goes on to bring an Amish wedding to fruition. It’s a major event, and it’s one that brings Kate and her siblings much closer than they’ve been since she left the fold. Although not to be performed as an Amish ceremony, they agree to hold the wedding at her brother’s farm, the place where Kate and her siblings grew up. More than that, a good portion of the Amish community joins in despite her having left the plain life. Kate and John even see a truly special guest arrive at the very end of the story, one that Kate was sure couldn’t be there given the circumstances. Where the story ends leaves readers wanting more, but it’s clear that the wedding happens off the page, and that Kate and John will begin a new phase of their lives together in the next installment of the series.

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 fiancée, and at the end of the story, husband

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)

It is best to read the series in order for the continuity of the long story arcs, although Castillo provides some recaps and introductions in each book so that readers could read ahead in the series if they wanted to skip a few books. There are also a few Kate Burkholder novellas or short stories beyond the primary series, but they are side stories and break from the general formula and tone of the primary series while still involving 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

Shamed, by Linda Castillo