On This Page
Description
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
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
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
I really enjoyed reading Sworn to Silence. It was fast-paced and hard to put down. Linda didn’t hold back with the gruesome details, and at least for me as a reader, it was completely on par with any other serial killer novel I’ve read. I enjoyed the characters, and though some we didn’t learn much about, hopefully more books will be written and we can then delve a little deeper into what makes them tick.
Obviously we learned the most about Kate Burkholder, the protagonist. I loved the fact that she was previously Amish and now working as the police chief in a community with a large Amish population. And I could really see the countryside, as I live in Ohio, not far from where all this took place and have been to Millersburg and show more the surrounding community. I want to read more about her and what the future brings her in trying to relate to her Amish relatives.
John Tomassetti is a character I completely loved. If you know the story of Frank Castle, Marvel Comic’s Punisher, Tomassetti brings some parallels. I certainly hope to read more about him. He’s a character that Linda Castillo could create another series around.
The plot kept moving and as Kate pieced together the identity of the killer near the end, the action ramped up to a frantic pace. This is the sort of book that keeps you reading through the night or could cause you to miss your bus stop. It’s that exciting and that good. Another plus was the writing. The sentence structure and pace was easy to read and very appropriate for this type of fiction.
Probably the must frustrating thing with this book is that now I have to wait until the next one comes out. show less
Obviously we learned the most about Kate Burkholder, the protagonist. I loved the fact that she was previously Amish and now working as the police chief in a community with a large Amish population. And I could really see the countryside, as I live in Ohio, not far from where all this took place and have been to Millersburg and show more the surrounding community. I want to read more about her and what the future brings her in trying to relate to her Amish relatives.
John Tomassetti is a character I completely loved. If you know the story of Frank Castle, Marvel Comic’s Punisher, Tomassetti brings some parallels. I certainly hope to read more about him. He’s a character that Linda Castillo could create another series around.
The plot kept moving and as Kate pieced together the identity of the killer near the end, the action ramped up to a frantic pace. This is the sort of book that keeps you reading through the night or could cause you to miss your bus stop. It’s that exciting and that good. Another plus was the writing. The sentence structure and pace was easy to read and very appropriate for this type of fiction.
Probably the must frustrating thing with this book is that now I have to wait until the next one comes out. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Strong first entry in a series, and I await further books eagerly. I like Kate Burkholder very much as a character; she's well-developed, and her personality comes through really well. She's a multilayered character with an interesting background. Her staff, particularly Glock, are also well-developed characters and form a strong supporting cast. The novel's premise-- has a serial character returned after a sixteen year lapse?-- is gripping and will keep you speeding from chapter to chapter. It's strong as a procedural, with multiple-agency troubles and conflicts keeping things shaken up. It's not for the weak-stomached; it's graphic, and the descriptions of the families in loss are bound to shake you up. It's a strong debut, and I look show more forward to more; I'm interested to see where Castillo takes the series after starting out with a serial killer in a small town scenario for her first novel. show less
Amish among the English
Kate Burkholder was raised in Ohio as one of the plain people, an Amish girl. Early in her teenage years, Kate suffers an unthinkable trauma.
Kate goes through her "Rumspringa", the time when a young Amish person gets to decide whether to commit to baptism, and leaves behind her faith, family and friends to live an English life.
Many years later, Chief Kate Burkholder oversees the police department of Painters Mill, Ohio, not far from where she grew up.
The trauma Kate experienced suddenly comes home to roost with the advent of a sickening murder that appears to be a reoccurrence of a man thought to be dead for 15 years.
Although I personally had difficulty with the extremely graphic nature of the description of the show more murders, I believe it was necessary to set up the contrast with the peaceful nature of the Amish community.
Linda Castillo expertly paces the revelation of information, leading the reader on, bit by horrific bit, never giving you time to catch your breath.
I was very satisfied with the ending, just had to do a session of slow breathing to bring my heart rate back to normal. Excellent book, I highly recommend it. show less
Kate Burkholder was raised in Ohio as one of the plain people, an Amish girl. Early in her teenage years, Kate suffers an unthinkable trauma.
Kate goes through her "Rumspringa", the time when a young Amish person gets to decide whether to commit to baptism, and leaves behind her faith, family and friends to live an English life.
Many years later, Chief Kate Burkholder oversees the police department of Painters Mill, Ohio, not far from where she grew up.
The trauma Kate experienced suddenly comes home to roost with the advent of a sickening murder that appears to be a reoccurrence of a man thought to be dead for 15 years.
Although I personally had difficulty with the extremely graphic nature of the description of the show more murders, I believe it was necessary to set up the contrast with the peaceful nature of the Amish community.
Linda Castillo expertly paces the revelation of information, leading the reader on, bit by horrific bit, never giving you time to catch your breath.
I was very satisfied with the ending, just had to do a session of slow breathing to bring my heart rate back to normal. Excellent book, I highly recommend it. show less
Sworn to Silence is a tight thriller with plenty of suspenseful twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. It's a fast-paced, enjoyable read. I literally didn't want to put it down, finishing it in two days, staying up well into the night just because I wanted to see what happened next. The characters are well and believably drawn. As is the setting - Ohio Amish country in the dead of winter. Despite it being 95+ degrees in FL where I was reading, I could sense the depths of bleak cold that played a very real role in the story. Kate Burkholder is an interesting character, real and damaged - her humanity is very close to the surface. And the author has left many ends dangling, in a curiously satisfying way, because now I can't wait for show more the sequel, and the sequel to that, etc, etc. Kate, with her gritty intelligence and fragile heart, is a heroine to root for. 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.
I am a fan of Linda Castillo so when I saw this book in the Early Reviewers list I immediately made my request. I have read all of her romantic suspense and a few of her Harlequins and Silhouettes and have greatly enjoyed all of them. She has a gritty fast paced style that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sworn to Silence is a mystery/thriller - a genre I rarely read - and I was enthralled from the first page. The setting is rural Ohio, part of Amish country, in the dead of winter. Kate Burkholder is the Chief of police and a fascinating character. She is tough and smart with a tragic background. The story revolves around some gruesome murders in this farming community and was gripping and fast paced from beginning to end. Castillo show more has a gift of description (from characters to crime scenes) that was so realistic but never boring. The plot pacing was excellent. My only complaint was that the gruesome murders were a bit much for me and I had to skim some of that. But I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the next book in the series. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Favorite Series
238 works; 93 members
Read the book and saw the movie
1,170 works; 195 members
Winter Books
127 works; 16 members
Best books read in 2011
200 works; 51 members
Books Read in 2010
631 works; 11 members
Books Read in 2011
684 works; 20 members
One Book, Many Authors
441 works; 40 members
Five star books
1,755 works; 108 members
KayStJ's to-read list
1,616 works; 11 members
Books I have Recommended
207 works; 1 member
Author Information
67+ Works 12,675 Members
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
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Great Lakes Great Reads Award (2009-03 – 2009)
Notable Lists
Series
Work Relationships
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.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 2,025
- Popularity
- 10,259
- Reviews
- 312
- Rating
- (3.86)
- Languages
- 10 — Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 45
- ASINs
- 21
