Part of Kate Burkholder, book 6
First published 2014
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to what appears to be a suicide in Painters Mill. An elderly man hangs from the rafters of his crumbling barn. The evidence tells a different story. Kate uncovers a murder that connects to a decades-old tragedy at the Hochstetler farm. Thirty-five years ago, an Amish father and his four children died while his wife vanished completely. A second apparent suicide deepens the mystery. Kate follows a trail that leads back to that terrible night when five people lost their lives. Someone is killing the few residents who remember what really happened. Kate has finally found happiness living with state agent John Tomasetti. Their peace shatters when a man responsible for murdering Tomasetti's family walks free from court. As Kate closes in on the truth about the Hochstetler deaths, she must confront how the past refuses to stay buried.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: past-haunts-present, second-chance
Setting: Painters Mill, Hochstetler Farm
Period: Thirty-five Years Ago
320 pages · ebook · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: death, murder, violence