Wow! This book is hard to read in that it is graphic and somewhat disturbing to read, but you keep on reading it.
The Plank family moved from Pennsylvania, to join the small Amish community of Painters Mill less than a year ago and seemed the model of the Plain Life—until on a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered on their farm. They were murdered (shot at point blank range) and two of the young girls were tortured and butchered. Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from the English—and each other—but this crime is horribly out of the ordinary. During the course of the investigation, disturbing evidence is uncovered, this evidence is hard reading and I found myself feeling quite sad and sickened.
State agent John Tomasetti arrives on the scene to assist. He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a volatile relationship. They soon realize the disturbing details of this case will test their emotional limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts—and for Kate, a personal connection that is particularly hard to bear.
When she discovers a diary that belonged to one of the teenaged daughters, Kate is shocked to learn the girl kept some very dark secrets and may have been living a lurid double life. Who is the charismatic stranger who stole the young Amish girl’s heart? Could the brother—a man with a violent past, rejected and shunned by his family and the Amish community, have come to seek out revenge? As Kate’s outrage grows so does her resolve to find the killer and bring him to justice—even if it means putting herself in the line of fire. A powerful read that does keep you enthralled throughout. ( )

When an Amish family – the entire family of 7! - is murdered in their home, Kate (formerly Amish herself), the local chief of (“English”) police, is horrified and, despite no initial leads, insists she will bring the killer to justice. The men of the family (dad and two boys) were all killed inside the house; mom and baby shot outside; and two teenage daughters were tortured and killed in the barn. The Amish are peace-loving people, so what could have been the motivation for this kind of carnage?

This was good, though be warned it’s also quite graphic. It’s a bit jarring, to be honest, reading about an Amish community and being faced with the violence. But it’s a good story. I’m not a big fan of the personal side of Kate’s life, though, at least not her relationship with Tomasetti. I just don’t “get” the connection there. So, the mystery/detective work is definitely the draw for me in this book (and series? I don’t recall the first in the series enough to say for sure). ( )

En kall oktobernatt mördas samtliga medlemmar av en amishfamilj på sin gård i Painters Mill. Familjen Plank hade flyttat in mindre än ett år tidigare, och var i samhällets ögon själva sinnebilden av det anspråkslösa amishlivet. Polischef Kate Burkholder och hennes kollegor har få ledtrådar, inget motiv och ingen misstänkt för det fruktansvärda brottet. Kate, som är född och uppvuxen som amish, är väl medveten om att amishsamhället bär på hemligheter som de inte vill dela med utomstående ibland inte ens med varandra. Men mordet på familjen Plank är ett brott som inte liknar något annat.

Molto bello, avvincente e ricco di colpi di scena anche questo secondo libro dove Kate Burkholder deve scoprire chi siano gli efferati assassini dei Plank, una tranquilla famiglia amish composta da padre, madre, due giovani ragazze e tre bambini piccoli.
Una vicenda terribile che sembra inizialmente non avere alcun movente ma che, passo passo, si rivelerĂ  ancora piĂą oscura e orribile di quanto giĂ  apparisse. ( )

From the book jacket: The Plank family moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to join the small Amish community of Painters Mill less than a year ago and seemed the model of the Plain Life—until on a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered on their farm. Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from the English—and each other—but this crime is horribly out of the ordinary.

My reactions
This is book two in the Kate Burkholder series, set in an Ohio county with significant Amish population. The differences between the Amish and the “English” make it difficult for the police, though Kate’s background does at least give her fluency in the particular German dialect spoken by the Amish.

She’s assisted in this case by state agent John Tomasetti. There’s a complicated relationship between these two, and both are suffering from past trauma and loss. This case brings many of their worst nightmares into the forefront and tests both their professional and personal relationships.

Kate also has several good, experienced, and highly competent cops on her team. I particularly loved the description of Officer Roland “Pickles” Shumaker: Wearing his trademark trench coat and pointy-toed cowboy boots, he looks like he’s just stepped off the set of some nuevo spaghetti western. He’s seventy-four years old, acts like he’s twenty-tow, and doesn’t look a day over eighty.

I love murder mysteries that feature strong female leads, and I look forward to reading more of this series.

But I feel I should offer a bit of a trigger warning: I enjoy reading about the investigation, including the gruesome details of the murders and the forensic clues that help lead to solving the crime. Castillo does a great job of giving fans of the genre such as me what we like about murder mysteries. But … this is a very violent crime with some very disturbing discoveries about the victims and the perpetrators. Descriptions of the crimes include torture, sex trafficking, mutilation of the corpse, child pornography, and “snuff” films. ( )