Part of Kate Burkholder, book 10
First published 2018
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to a barn fire that initially appears accidental. The flames have consumed a historic structure, but the real shock comes when she discovers eighteen-year-old Daniel Gingerich's body inside, burned alive. The well-liked Amish young man's death points to murder, but Kate faces a wall of silence from the community she once called home. The Amish families refuse to cooperate, leaving Kate to wonder if their behavior stems from religious principles of separation or something darker. As she digs deeper, Kate uncovers multiple secrets that challenge everything she believed about her former community. The investigation forces her to confront her own violent history while pursuing a truth that threatens to destroy her understanding of both the Amish world and herself.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, amish
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Amish Community
414 pages · Library Binding · Center Point Pub
Content warnings: violence