(45) The Dead Will Tell

Title: The Dead Will Tell: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo
Publisher: Minotaur books
317 pages
Genre: Mystery, Amish

Synopsis: Everyone in Painters Mill knows the abandoned Hochstetler farm is haunted. But only a handful of the residents remember the terrible secrets lost in the muted/hushed whispers of time—and now death is stalking them, seemingly from the grave.

On a late-night shift, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of an apparent suicide—an old man found hanging from the rafters in his dilapidated barn. But evidence quickly points to murder and Kate finds herself chasing a singularly difficult and elusive trail of evidence that somehow points back to the tragedy of that long ago incident. Meanwhile, Kate has moved in with state agent John Tomasetti and for the first time in so long, they're both happy; a bliss quickly shattered when one of the men responsible for the murders of Tomasetti’s family four years ago is found not guilty, and walks away a free man. Will Tomasetti be pulled back to his own haunted past?

 When a second man is found dead—also seemingly by his own hand—Kate discovers a link in the case that sends the investigation in a direction no one could imagine and revealing the horrifying truth of what really happened that terrible night thirty-five years ago, when an Amish father and his four children perished—and his young wife disappeared without a trace.

Review: All is well in Kate's world until 2 phone calls change everything.  The first telling her of a possible suicide, the 2nd telling her live in partner Will Tomasetti that one of the men responsible for raping and murdering his family was set free from prison on a technicality.  Will had crossed the line of the law once before, would he do it again? Kate isn't sure and while she worries about Will she is also engrossed in what turns out to be a murder investigation that may help solve the cold case of a dead Amish family.

There are twists and turns in this story, some that I could have predicted, some that were just too twisted for me to even see coming.  Then there is the curious case of Tomasetti...I'm not sure what to make of him. I feel like Castillo gives us glimpse of who this man is but not ever really letting us get too close.  But maybe thats how Kate deals with him too, although in this book it seems she realizes that she has let him closer than she thought she could or would.

This book definitely holds your interest and sometimes you find yourself even holding your breath. I found myself struggling to stay awake for "just one more chapter" on a couple of occasion.  Quick, easy, entertaining read.

Comments