By Ande Jacobson
The sixteenth Kate Burkholder mystery by Linda Castillo is The Burning. This time, Castillo educates the reader on some disturbing Anabaptist history from the Reformation period. While the Anabaptists as a whole are pacifists, during the Reformation when the Anabaptists were persecuted by the mainstream Christians of the day, a sect arose that embraced violence when necessary in defense of the community. This sect was known as the Schwertlers, or loosely translated “of the sword.” Although its members knew that violence was a sin, they saw the need for it when the community was threatened, and as a group would use a particularly nasty ritual to eliminate threats while ensuring those so sacrificed a place in heaven as martyrs. While it’s thought that this group ceased to exist, an unusual and disturbing case sends Kate down an investigative path that includes digging into the details of this outcast group’s practices.
Two months have passed since Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti’s wedding, and life and cases go on. Milan Swanz was a formerly Amish man who had been excommunicated after numerous attempts to force him to reform. He was violent. He was deviant. And his body is found in what appears to be a ritual burning at the stake, which in the little rural Ohio village of Painters Mill is extremely unusual. He’s found by two of Kate’s officers in the middle of the night sparking an investigation that is both disturbing and educational.
Having grown up Amish, Kate is familiar with much of Amish and Anabaptist culture. The Anabaptists are loosely grouped into three separate sects including the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Hutterites. The Amish are the most restrictive, shunning modernity in favor of the plain life for the most part. The Mennonites and Hutterites have similar religious tenets, but they are somewhat less restrictive often embracing modern conveniences, less extreme separation from the outside world in some cases, and more modern attire than the Amish. Still, the Amish consider the other sects to be false believers, and tend to stay separate, although they are aware of and even fear some of the legends of the past.
As Kate digs into the investigation, she’s sidelined by some ugly political swirl and an overzealous BCI agent who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. The investigation turns up a connection between Kate’s brother Jacob and Swanz, and the BCI agent pressures the mayor and the sheriff to exclude Kate when they need her most. Not being one to give up easily, Kate continues investigating and uncovers information that the others never would have found on their own, but not before her brother is ensnared in the mess despite his innocence. Kate finds some surprising connections within the Amish community, and she gets the most help from an extremely unlikely source, the bishop’s wife. Her ties to the community despite her leaving the plain life always help when a case involves the Amish culture in some way, and this case covers angles not previously explored in this series.
Late in the story, the old formula holds yet again, although this time Kate doesn’t show up to the final confrontation alone. Even though Kate and John are both skilled and highly trained officers, they find themselves in a potentially deadly situation, and neither escapes without serious injury this time. Fortunately for them, their wounds will heal, and they’ll be back in action before long.
Kate solves the case and again shows how indispensable she is in this community. The Amish trust her more than any other member of law enforcement, and that trust is well-earned. The group she exposes this time has done real harm and needed to be stopped.
The story moves quickly, and Castillo’s weaving the real (yet disturbing) Anabaptist history into the plot makes it an even more fascinating read. Legends come from somewhere, and it can be surprising what truths they reveal, however unlikely.
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
The Hidden One, by Linda Castillo
An Evil Heart, by Linda Castillo
The Burning, by Linda Castillo
A Good Reed Review 