By Ande Jacobson

In Linda Castillo’s eleventh Kate Burkholder novel, Shamed, the Amish don’t always get it right even when their intentions are noble. Seven years before the main story takes place, something happened in the middle of the night that would later haunt a family in Painters Mill although the story doesn’t start there. This time, the story begins with what should be a happy fall afternoon when Mary Yoder takes her two granddaughters, Elsie (age 7) and Annie (age 5) Helmuth to the abandoned farm down the road where Mary had played as a child to pick up fallen walnuts. Mary and the girls begin their task picking up walnuts that have fallen from the trees, the girls playing some along the way. After a while, Mary notices some movement in the house that should be empty, so she goes to investigate. The girls eventually follow her into the house, and unfortunately for Mary, it doesn’t end well. Beyond her demise, Elsie is taken by the perpetrator leaving Annie screaming and running from the scene. Continue reading →