Pray for Silence

I knew when I read Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo that her mystery series was going to be one that I looked forward to reading, waiting anxiously for the next installment. This summer Pray for Silence, the second book in Castillo's series, was published, and after devouring it in just a day, I can attest to this book's appeal.

I loved this mystery, despite the fact that the details were grisly. Chief Kate Burkholder must investigate the massacre and torture of an entire Amish family - all seven members. Because Kate grew up Amish she is unable to accept the initial scenario: that the father killed his wife and children and then killed himself. Eventually, evidence leads Kate to investigate further, and in typical mystery fashion, there is more to the story than originally meets the eye. The story centers around Mary, the fifteen year old daughter who is beginning to be influenced by the outside world, experiencing her first love, and wanting to leave the Amish community.

Pray for Silence takes place not quite a year after the first mystery Kate was involved in. She is still seeing Tomasetti, a state agent, who is grieving the murder of his wife and two young daughters two and a half years ago. Their relationship is characterized by a lot of baggage they each bring with them. And while it seems the odds are stacked against them having a lasting relationship, I keep rooting for this pair. While this is only the second in this series, I enjoyed the familiarity already established with Kate and the supporting characters in this book, learning even more about the members of the Millers Kill police department and in the community.

I will be watching for Castillo's next Kate Burkholder mystery, ancious to see how this series develops.