Part of Kate Burkholder, book 3
First published 2011
Kate Burkholder arrives at what looks like a terrible accident. Three members of the Slabaugh family lie dead in their barn on a prosperous Amish farm. Methane gas from a badly ventilated cesspit appears to have killed the parents and uncle, leaving four children orphaned. The coroner changes everything when he finds a head wound on one victim that happened before death. Someone murdered the Slabaughs and tried to hide it. Kate must figure out who would target this hardworking, well-regarded family. The case grows more complex when state agent John Tomasetti joins the investigation. Recent hate crimes against other Amish families might connect to these deaths. Kate and Tomasetti, who share a complicated history, work together to find the pattern linking the attacks. Kate draws on her own Amish upbringing as she digs deeper into her community. What she discovers challenges everything she thought she knew about this peaceful world.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Amish Farm
Period: Contemporary
302 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: violence