Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo

Good, solid thriller..., May 12, 2010

This review is from: Pray for Silence: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder) (Hardcover)

This is the second book in a series to follow Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder) and it features Painters Mill Police Chief Kate Burkholder -- ex Amish Ohio native turned "English" when she decides to leave the church she was raised in at age eighteen. She's the kind of single woman cop I like -- tough but sensitive, damaged by her past yet still open to new relationships, and the most important characteristic: she's not perfect and has some endearing flaws that make her human and someone you'd like to know.

In this story, an Amish family of 7 is brutally murdered. The tragedy is magnified by the discovery that one of the children, Mary, was involved with an outsider. Could that association be what has led to her death? Chief Burkholder, aided by BCI agent John Tomasetti (also returning from the previous book) sets out to discover why someone would kill this family.

The plot moves along rapidly and is interesting and absorbing. I was captivated and enjoying every page until we get to the very last segment of the book. Then Kate decides to use herself as bait to lure in the killer -- NOW COME ON -- this device has been used ad nauseum in so many thrillers that you'd think the authors would avoid it. All the loose ends are tied up and a conclusion neatly reached.
(I had some issues with the fact that the two main characters were doing a lot of DUI and found it hard to believe they could function with the amounts of alcohol they consumed. And there was a lot of description about torture and sexual depravity that might not appeal to the more squeamish).

All in all, I enjoyed this second novel in the series and will look forward to the third installment. I like the fact that the story has much interesting background about the Amish -- it adds a dimension to the narrative and to the various characters.