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A killer is preying on sacred ground....In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and "English" residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the show more realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish. Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She's certain she's come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her. show lessTags
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This book is the first in a series featuring Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in Painters Mill, a fictional town in north central Ohio. A young woman is found brutally murdered, with all the hallmarks of a spate of unsolved serial murders that occurred sixteen years earlier. Kate, who grew up in Painters Mill, is well acquainted with the previous crimes. Not only did she grow up in Painters Mill, but she was held hostage by the suspected murderer and narrowly escaped harm. Now it appears the perpetrator has returned. It’s all hands on deck, with both the police department and sheriff's office on the case. The town council, concerned that Kate isn’t moving fast enough, also calls in the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
I really show more liked the setting, premise, and characters in this book. Kate is a strong female protagonist with an interesting backstory. Painters Mill is in Ohio’s Amish country, and Kate grew up in the order but left at 18. She brings unique knowledge to her role as police chief and is able to bridge the gap between the Amish and “English.” But her relationship with her family is fraught with tension, and her personal life is a bit of a mess. The plot is well crafted, and even though I correctly suspected “whodunnit,” it wasn’t at all clear how they would expose and apprehend him, which had me eagerly turning the pages. I will definitely read more books in this series. For anyone else considering it, I have just one caveat: Linda Castillo doesn’t shy away from describing crimes, including sexual assault, and autopsies in all their grisly detail. It makes for less than ideal bedtime reading, and some may find it too graphic. show less
I really show more liked the setting, premise, and characters in this book. Kate is a strong female protagonist with an interesting backstory. Painters Mill is in Ohio’s Amish country, and Kate grew up in the order but left at 18. She brings unique knowledge to her role as police chief and is able to bridge the gap between the Amish and “English.” But her relationship with her family is fraught with tension, and her personal life is a bit of a mess. The plot is well crafted, and even though I correctly suspected “whodunnit,” it wasn’t at all clear how they would expose and apprehend him, which had me eagerly turning the pages. I will definitely read more books in this series. For anyone else considering it, I have just one caveat: Linda Castillo doesn’t shy away from describing crimes, including sexual assault, and autopsies in all their grisly detail. It makes for less than ideal bedtime reading, and some may find it too graphic. show less
Sworn to Silence is a good, complex mystery. Several times the killer seems to be right at your fingertips, but Castillo crushes your suspicions and a new suspect emerges. Reminding me of Tana French’s In the Woods, the ultimate conclusion was not at all what I had imagined, but it was fulfilling all the same.
One great aspect of the book was the inclusion of the Amish. Growing up and living in Indiana, the Amish have always fascinated me, but I find that some books take the oddity of the Amish too far-making it the main part of the plot instead of just part of the setting. Sworn to Silence did not fall into this trap. Instead, she included aspects of their religion and culture without hitting you over the head with it. The Amish were show more part of the setting, but Castillo handled them with the respect that they deserve. Sworn to Silence was primarily a mystery, and a good one at that.
One word of caution though-the details can be a little intense. The graphic nature of several of the crimes was a little too much to bear at parts. Truthfully, it became so graphic that while reading it at home alone, I was sure that a killer was now outside my house. I quickly looked for weapons-only to find myself surrounded by books. Finally I concluded that Sworn to Silence had just made my imagination get the best of me.
Luckily I escaped unharmed (and killer free),. I finished another good mystery novel, and I look forward to reading the sequel whenever my TBR pile dwindles down a little bit.
I recommend Sworn to Silence to anyone who is looking for a fun, interesting mystery. show less
One great aspect of the book was the inclusion of the Amish. Growing up and living in Indiana, the Amish have always fascinated me, but I find that some books take the oddity of the Amish too far-making it the main part of the plot instead of just part of the setting. Sworn to Silence did not fall into this trap. Instead, she included aspects of their religion and culture without hitting you over the head with it. The Amish were show more part of the setting, but Castillo handled them with the respect that they deserve. Sworn to Silence was primarily a mystery, and a good one at that.
One word of caution though-the details can be a little intense. The graphic nature of several of the crimes was a little too much to bear at parts. Truthfully, it became so graphic that while reading it at home alone, I was sure that a killer was now outside my house. I quickly looked for weapons-only to find myself surrounded by books. Finally I concluded that Sworn to Silence had just made my imagination get the best of me.
Luckily I escaped unharmed (and killer free),. I finished another good mystery novel, and I look forward to reading the sequel whenever my TBR pile dwindles down a little bit.
I recommend Sworn to Silence to anyone who is looking for a fun, interesting mystery. show less
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo introduces Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in the small town of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. Kate grew up just outside of Painter’s Mill, in an Amish family. Her understanding of the local Amish community made her the perfect choice to fill the position on the police department. Now, it seems that a serial killer has re-emerged after a 16-year hiatus, and Kate is determined to catch him. She knows more about the killer than she’s saying; when she was a young teen the man attacked her, and her family left him for dead. Now she must find a way to catch him and bring him to justice, while protected her Amish family and her past.
I was blown away by Sworn to Silence. I had inferred from the back cover of show more the ARC I received that this was Castillo’s first novel. It was the best first novel I’d ever read! Then I did some checking and discovered that her publisher is being a bit disingenuous. This is Castillo’s first novel of this genre, but she is a well-established author in the romance genre. After feeling a might let down by the publisher’s description of the author as, “A spectacular new voice in Suspense….”, I realized it didn’t matter. In fact, I’m very impressed that an established romance author can write mystery and suspense so well. I’m really not a fan of the romance genre, no patience for ruffled bodices covering heaving bosoms, but I’m now a fan of Castillo’s!
The plot is a real page-turner, the characters have depth, and the writing is excellent. I loved some of the descriptions; one of my favorites was regarding a suspect that had been taken into custody, after pitching a bit of a fit and resisting arrest. “An abrasion the size of a pear mars Brower’s forehead. His hair is wet with melting snow. He looks like a pit bull that just had its ass kicked by a roving band of Chihuahuas.” This quote comes from the Advanced Reader Copy, I sure hope they don’t edit it out…it’s just perfect!
Summing up….great book! I can’t wait for the sequel! (There’s a sequel, right Ms. Castillo??….) show less
I was blown away by Sworn to Silence. I had inferred from the back cover of show more the ARC I received that this was Castillo’s first novel. It was the best first novel I’d ever read! Then I did some checking and discovered that her publisher is being a bit disingenuous. This is Castillo’s first novel of this genre, but she is a well-established author in the romance genre. After feeling a might let down by the publisher’s description of the author as, “A spectacular new voice in Suspense….”, I realized it didn’t matter. In fact, I’m very impressed that an established romance author can write mystery and suspense so well. I’m really not a fan of the romance genre, no patience for ruffled bodices covering heaving bosoms, but I’m now a fan of Castillo’s!
The plot is a real page-turner, the characters have depth, and the writing is excellent. I loved some of the descriptions; one of my favorites was regarding a suspect that had been taken into custody, after pitching a bit of a fit and resisting arrest. “An abrasion the size of a pear mars Brower’s forehead. His hair is wet with melting snow. He looks like a pit bull that just had its ass kicked by a roving band of Chihuahuas.” This quote comes from the Advanced Reader Copy, I sure hope they don’t edit it out…it’s just perfect!
Summing up….great book! I can’t wait for the sequel! (There’s a sequel, right Ms. Castillo??….) show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.The novel revolves around Kate Burkholder, chief of police in a town called Painters Mill, a small town with a prominent Amish population. Kate’s family is all Amish, and in fact she was Amish herself until her late teens, when she survived an encounter with the Slaughterhouse Killer, which made her realize that she no longer believed in the Amish values and way of life she grew up with. When the book begins, Kate is called to a crime scene – a young woman’s mutilated body was dumped by the side of the road, and upon further investigation the murderer is looking like it could very well be the Slaughterhouse Killer. Kate has to not only solve the crime, but also possibly expose a terrifying family secret that she’s been hiding show more for years.
I was actually pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed Sworn to Silence. I was swept away by the mystery from the very beginning, and I could have easily read the book in one or two sittings – I really didn’t want to put it down. I also felt drawn to Kate Burkholder, and I believed her as a character. I think she’s really someone readers can relate to; she is tough and soft all at once and super intelligent but makes mistakes just like anyone else. The romance that unfolded in the novel was very enjoyable to me – it was a cute side story that I truly didn’t see coming and really added to the believability of the novel.
I truly liked this novel and I’m very glad I read it, even though Sworn to Silence isn’t my typical fare. I’ve heard that the book is going to be a series starring Kate Burkholder, and I really hope that’s true because I’ll definitely read more from Linda Castillo in the future. show less
I was actually pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed Sworn to Silence. I was swept away by the mystery from the very beginning, and I could have easily read the book in one or two sittings – I really didn’t want to put it down. I also felt drawn to Kate Burkholder, and I believed her as a character. I think she’s really someone readers can relate to; she is tough and soft all at once and super intelligent but makes mistakes just like anyone else. The romance that unfolded in the novel was very enjoyable to me – it was a cute side story that I truly didn’t see coming and really added to the believability of the novel.
I truly liked this novel and I’m very glad I read it, even though Sworn to Silence isn’t my typical fare. I’ve heard that the book is going to be a series starring Kate Burkholder, and I really hope that’s true because I’ll definitely read more from Linda Castillo in the future. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.There are so many attractive things about this book: the strong main character, the interaction of the “English” and Amish community, the emotional toll of police work, secrets leading to self doubt. It would really be a perfect mystery if it weren’t for the unnecessarily explicit depiction of the torture of women. There is no excuse for this kind of misogynistic titillation. It’s sad that a woman would write some of these details. I would love to read more of the series just to follow this great woman character, but I won’t subject myself to any more sadism.
Sworn to Silence follows Chief Kate Burkholder as she investigates a string of murders in Amish country. As a murder mystery, the book has excellent suspense, keeping the reader guessing at the identity of the murderer until the very end.
The pull of her Amish childhood against the realities of her grownup "English" lifestyle creates a realistic, like-able character in Chief Burkholder. Her struggles resonate with the reader. The book earns its "thriller" namesake through Castillo's detailed descriptions of gory victims of murder, exciting chases, and flagrantly depicted sexual perversion and assault.
Overall, though the plot, setting, and characterization are superb, Sworn to Silence does not stand out against the wide tapestry of show more murder mysteries. However, time will tell if Castillo can bring Kate Burkholder to new depths of authenticity and exclusivity. show less
The pull of her Amish childhood against the realities of her grownup "English" lifestyle creates a realistic, like-able character in Chief Burkholder. Her struggles resonate with the reader. The book earns its "thriller" namesake through Castillo's detailed descriptions of gory victims of murder, exciting chases, and flagrantly depicted sexual perversion and assault.
Overall, though the plot, setting, and characterization are superb, Sworn to Silence does not stand out against the wide tapestry of show more murder mysteries. However, time will tell if Castillo can bring Kate Burkholder to new depths of authenticity and exclusivity. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.First in a series. Painters Mill, Ohio is a small rural town where the Amish and “English” residents live – mostly – peaceably together. Kate Burkholder was born and raised in Painters Mill, but left her Amish roots to go into law enforcement. Now she’s been recruited to return as the Chief of Police. When the body of a young woman is found in a snowy field, Kate and other law enforcement officials recognize the signature of the Slaughterhouse Killer who terrorized the community some sixteen years previously.
This is a tight, fast-paced thriller. I really like Kate; she’s intelligent, resourceful, fiercely protective, determined and a strong leader, but she’s got some trauma in her past that haunts her, and her efforts to show more keep her secrets secret affect how she handles the investigation. I’m interested by John Tomasetti, an agent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), who is brought in to help the local police investigate. He’s a tough, no-nonsense kind of guy, with a cop’s intuition and skill in interrogation and investigation, but he’s also got a dark, tragic past and a current substance abuse problem. These two broken individuals make a great team, despite their initial reluctance and the emotional baggage they each carry.
Castillo rounds out the characters with self-important politicians, a limelight-loving Sheriff, a strong second-in-command police officer, reticent Amish, and a couple of feisty women who man the dispatch call center.
Readers who are attracted by the “Amish” tag should note, however, that this is NOT a cozy mystery. There is a violent sexual predator on the loose and the victims endure torture and physical violence. Tomasetti, in particular, uses considerable foul language. The final encounter between Kate and the killer is violent and graphic.
There were a few loose threads or editing mistakes, ( What happened to the fire that was started when the kerosene heater spilled fuel and flames across the floor? Why are a victim’s hands tied in front of her when she was supposedly hog-tied … i.e. hands in back? ) but all in all this was a great mystery/thriller.
I will keep reading this series. show less
This is a tight, fast-paced thriller. I really like Kate; she’s intelligent, resourceful, fiercely protective, determined and a strong leader, but she’s got some trauma in her past that haunts her, and her efforts to show more keep her secrets secret affect how she handles the investigation. I’m interested by John Tomasetti, an agent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), who is brought in to help the local police investigate. He’s a tough, no-nonsense kind of guy, with a cop’s intuition and skill in interrogation and investigation, but he’s also got a dark, tragic past and a current substance abuse problem. These two broken individuals make a great team, despite their initial reluctance and the emotional baggage they each carry.
Castillo rounds out the characters with self-important politicians, a limelight-loving Sheriff, a strong second-in-command police officer, reticent Amish, and a couple of feisty women who man the dispatch call center.
Readers who are attracted by the “Amish” tag should note, however, that this is NOT a cozy mystery. There is a violent sexual predator on the loose and the victims endure torture and physical violence. Tomasetti, in particular, uses considerable foul language. The final encounter between Kate and the killer is violent and graphic.
There were a few loose threads or editing mistakes, (
I will keep reading this series. show less
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Author Information
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Linda Castillo is an author of novels including the New York Times bestselling Kate Burkholder series, which are crime thrillers set in Amish country. She has also written numerous romance and romantic suspense novels. Castillo is the recipient of awards including the Daphne du Maurier Award, the Holt Medallion, and a nomination for the RITA. Her show more titles include Sworn to Silence, Pray for Silence, Her Last Breath and Fade to Red. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
Awards
Great Lakes Great Reads Award (2009-03 – 2009)
Notable Lists
Series
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Sworn to Silence
- Original title
- Sworn to Silence
- Original publication date
- 2009-06-04
- People/Characters
- Kate Burkholder (Chief of Police, Painters Mill); John Tomasetti (Detective); Rupert "Glock" Maddox (Painters Mill police officer); Mona Kurtz (third-shift police dispatcher); T. J. Banks (Painters Mill police officer); Doc Ludwig Coblentz (pediatrician & Holmes County Coroner) (show all 16); Lois Monroe (first-shift police dispatcher); Donny Beck (ex-boyfriend of the first victim found); Connie Spencer; Roland "Pickles" Schumaker (Painters Mill Auxiliary police officer); Jonas Hershberger; Nathan Detrick (Holmes County Sheriff); Amanda Horner (victim XXIII, first one found); Brenda Johnston (daughter of Norm and Carol Johnston); Auggie Brock (Mayor, Painters Mill); Janine Fourman
- Important places
- Painters Creek, Ohio, USA; Painters Mill, Ohio, USA
- Related movies
- An Amish Murder (2013 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- Forwith the devil did appear, For name him and he's always near. ~Matthew Prior, "Hans Carvel"
- Dedication
- I'm one of those writers lucky enough to have a strong support system that sustains me in the long and sometimes difficult months it takes to write a novel. This book is dedicated to my husband, Ernest, who just happens to be... (show all) my real-life hero. And to Jack and Debbie for that wonderful trip to Amish country. I love you guys.
- First words
- She hadn't believed in monsters since she was six years old, back when her mom would check the closet and look beneath her bed at night.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I'll be here," I say, and disconnect.
- Blurbers
- Brown, Sandra; Scottoline, Lisa; Cain, Chelsea; Kava, Alex; Box, C. J.
- Original language*
- Amerikanisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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