Shamed by Linda Castillo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Content: Strong Language


An Amish grandmother is murdered on an abandoned farm, her seven year old granddaughter abducted. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder plunges headlong into a case that quickly becomes a race against the clock.

The investigation takes Kate to an isolated Old Order Amish settlement along the river in southern Ohio. At first, the community seems upstanding and helpful. But when Kate starts asking questions, they stonewall her—and the situation soon becomes dangerous. What are they hiding and why?

This was a good installment in the series. I debated giving it 3.5 stars because I thought the characters were dumbed down a little to keep the mystery going. It was actually very easy to figure out, but I left it at 4 stars because Kate wasn't nearly as reckless as she normally is. Of course, she also had a lot of help this time around as well. Tomasetti was in on most of the investigation, as well as the local sheriff and the police department from another county. I wasn't crazy about the way the book ends without any clear knowledge of whether or not someone did something they were suspected of doing. That being said, I still enjoyed the book, and the way everything else was wrapped up.

Compared to most of the other books in the series this book focuses mostly on the mystery and much less on the personal issues and lives of the characters. That wasn't a bad thing since a lot of the personal issues have been ironed out at this point. There was less personal interaction between Kate and Tomasetti, but at the same time he seemed more supportive and less worried about her. That was most likely due to the fact that he had nothing to worry about, since Kate wasn't being her normal reckless self. Kate, in general, has become a very likeable character as this series has progressed and I continue to look forward to reading about her and Tomasetti, and everyone else in Painter's Mill.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.