After the Storm (Kate Burkholder Series #7)

by Linda Castillo Narrated by Kathleen McInerney

Overview

In this electrifying thriller by New York Times bestseller Linda Castillo, Kate Burkholder must uncover a family's long-hidden past to solve a brutal murder


When a tornado tears through Painters Mill and unearths human remains, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder finds herself tasked with the responsibility of identifying the bones-and notifying the family. Evidence quickly emerges that the death was no accident and Kate finds herself plunged into a thirty year old case that takes her deep into the Amish community to which she once belonged.

Meanwhile, turmoil of an emotional and personal nature strikes at the very heart of Kate's budding relationship with state agent John Tomasetti. A reality that strains their fragile new love to the breaking point and threatens the refuge they've built for themselves-and their future.

Under siege from an unknown assailant-and her own personal demons-Kate digs deep into the case only to discover proof of an unimaginable atrocity, a plethora of family secrets and the lengths to which people will go to protect their own.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Audio

08/31/2015
Castillo’s seventh thriller about Kate Burkholder (after 2014’s The Dead Will Tell) finds the chief of police of Painters Mill, Ohio, returning to the Amish community from which she was excommunicated as a young adult, after a tornado rips through the state. Reader McInerney’s visceral enactment of Kate’s tense narration adds to the thrilling progression of the storm and it’s aftermath, superbly crafted by Castillo. As a result of the storm, the police chief rescues an injured infant and uncovers the 30-year-old bones of a homicide victim. McInerney speaks Pennsylvania Dutch with the same apparent ease with which she handles the novel’s many voices—tough men and stern women, for the most part. McInerney’s rich portrayal of Kate suits every circumstance: from sharp anger when Kate is challenged, to frustration when the murder clues go nowhere, and, perhaps McInerney’s best accomplishment, to the pain and sadness Kate feels when her personal life is struck by its own romantic tornado. A Minotaur hardcover. (July)

Publishers Weekly

04/27/2015
Bestseller Castillo’s seventh Amish novel (after 2014’s The Dead Will Tell) does something remarkable for a thriller. Not counting the gripping prologue, readers are halfway through the book before police chief Kate Burkholder and the town of Painters Mill, Ohio, are threatened by even one violent act. And yet Castillo manages to keep the tension building as Kate and her team doggedly follow leads in the case of 30-year-old human remains uncovered in a crumbling Amish barn. Kate, utilizing her childhood Pennsylvania Dutch to share memories with and interrogate members of the reclusive Amish community, soon realizes the long-ago incident was not an accident. Somewhere within the gentle sect, killers are lurking. After the first shots are fired at Kate by an unknown stalker, the violence doesn’t let up—in fact, it gets grislier and grislier. Personal stress, hidden family secrets, and unlikely murderers—as well as murder weapons—turn the serene landscape into fertile ground for this chilling tale. Author tour. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary Agency. (July)

From the Publisher

"Personal stress, hidden family secrets, and unlikely murderers—as well as murder weapons—turn the serene landscape into fertile ground for this chilling tale."—Publishers Weekly

"Series fans as well as first-time readers will be enthralled by this compelling and atmospheric mystery set in the heart of Amish country."—Library Journal

Library Journal

06/15/2015
This seventh book in Castillo's "Kate Burkholder" series (after The Dead Will Tell) opens with a tornado tearing through Painters Mill, OH. In the aftermath of the destruction, a set of bones is discovered in an old barn. Kate is called to the scene, where the forensics team is working to safely unearth the remains. Once at the lab, the investigation reveals that the bones have been buried for over 30 years. What's odder though, the hands and the feet have been chewed off. Kate and her team set to work identifying and determining what happened to the body. They conclude that it was no accident and the secrets lie deep within the Amish community. VERDICT Series fans as well as first-time readers will be enthralled by this compelling and atmospheric mystery set in the heart of Amish country. [See Prepub Alert, 2/2/15.]—Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH

OCTOBER 2015 - AudioFile

Returning to Castillo's Kate Burkholder series, narrator Kathleen McInerney is unable to overcome the weaknesses of the plot. Her abrupt reading style, combined with Castillo's stiff writing, creates jerkiness in the narration. McInerney also exaggerates the farcical personal drama of Burkholder's character, a seasoned police chief who needs to regularly remind everyone, "I'm a cop." Neither Castillo nor McInerney seem convinced this protagonist is strong enough to lead a police force since both depict her as an indecisive, overly emotional stereotype. Fans who have consistently enjoyed this audiobook series are likely to continue doing so, but newcomers and those noticing a decline in the later installments should pass this one over for a less melodramatic mystery. J.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2015-04-30
A small-town Ohio police chief is stressed to her limit by the aftermaths of a violent tornado and a crisis in her personal life. Although Painters Mill Chief of Police Kate Burkholder has long since left the Amish community, she knows it's helped make her who she is. Her placid life with John Tomasetti, an agent in the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation who's still haunted by the death of his wife and children, is interrupted when the area is struck by a tornado. After Kate rescues a child and mother from a demolished trailer, she's sued for causing the child's death and threatened by the meth-head father. The storm also discloses a surprise from the past. Boy Scouts cleaning up the destruction discover parts of a corpse in an old barn. A surgical plate found on the scene eventually helps identify the body as Mennonite Leroy Nolt, who vanished 30 years ago. Kate and her team are unsettled to learn that the missing parts of the body were almost certainly eaten by hogs. On the homefront, Kate's recently discovered that she's pregnant. Neither she nor Tomasetti feels ready for parenthood, but they can't agree about what to do. A quilt Leroy gave his mother leads back to a married member of the strict Swartzentruber sect. As the Amish community closes ranks and refuses to provide any information, Kate must search the past for answers while dealing with her personal crisis. Castillo (The Dead Will Tell, 2014, etc.) poses another teasing puzzle whose solution is rooted in the past and another look at the secretive Amish lifestyle.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169427479
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	07/14/2015
Series:	Kate Burkholder Series , #7
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	743,530

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