After the Storm: Book Review by Rosa Schmidt, Oakland Public Library Director

By Rosa Schmidt

Over the years, I have seen the popularity of many Amish series, most written by highly respected authors, such as Beverly Lewis, Cindy Woodsmall, Wanda Brunstetter, and Suzanne Woods Fisher, to name a few. Linda Castillo however, has brought something totally new and different to the “Amish” novel. Rather than a sweet romance, hers is a highly suspenseful mystery!

The newly published, “After the Storm” happens to be Castillo’s seventh Kate Burkholder novel.  The series began in 2009 with “Sworn to Silence” where we were introduced to our main character, Police Chief Kate Burkholder. Working in a small town with a large Amish population, Kate herself was raised Amish and left the fold at eighteen; she now works in the same community in which she grew up.

This series offers well-written characters, with just the right amount of mystery, personal detail, and tension to keep these stories interesting. “After the Storm” has been described as an “electrifying thriller” in which Kate Burkholder must uncover a family’s long-hidden past to solve a brutal murder. Tension builds quickly with a tornado on the ground headed Kate’s way and in its wake, the discovery of long-hidden human remains.

The Kate Burkholder novels are definitely not the “Amish” stories many readers are used to, but if you are looking for a new mystery series, this may be it. Each story can be read on its own, however after reading “After the Storm”, you may find yourself wanting to go back to the beginning and read all the way through the series to follow the continuing storyline of Kate’s personal life.

And, as always, you can find this entire series on your library’s shelves. Visit your library today and pick up something new to read!

Rosa Schmidt, Oakland Public Library Director. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.