Bücher von Linda Castillo

Ein Herz, so dunkel, dass es alles um sich herum vergiftet - der 15. Fall für Polizeichefin Kate Burkholder von Spiegel-Bestseller-Autorin Linda Castillo Polizeichefin Kate Burkholder steckt mitten in den Vorbereitungen für ihre Hochzeit, als sie zum Schauplatz eines ungewöhnlichen Verbrechens gerufen wird: Der junge Amische Aden Karn wurde mit einer Armbrust brutal ermordet. Die Familie des allseits beliebten jungen Mannes ist am Boden zerstört, und Kate ist fest entschlossen, den Fall zu lösen. Das Opfer war gerade in seiner Rumspringa , einer Zeit, in der junge Amische das Leben außerhalb ihrer Glaubensgemeinschaft kennenlernen. Was ist während dieser Zeit geschehen, dass Aden sterben musste? Bei ihren Ermittlungen stößt Kate auf ein düsteres Geheimnis, das auch sie selbst in große Gefahr bringt.

One family. One horrific murder. An entire town under suspicion...The Planks moved from Lancaster County Pennsylvania to the small Amish community of Painters Mill, hoping to resume the comforts of the Plain Life in Ohio. Less than one year later, the family of seven is found dead-slaughtered on their own farm."Shades of In Cold Blood . . . Another chilling thriller."-People magazinePolice Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from their "English" neighbors-and each other. When the diary belonging to the rebellious teenager Mary Plank turns up, Kate is surprised to find not only a kindred spirit but a murder suspect: the charismatic stranger who stole Mary's heart."Violent and earthy, and completely impossible to put down."-BookPage Then there's Mary's brother, Aaron. Shunned by his family and the rest of the Amish community, could he have returned to seek revenge? Now it's up to Kate to search for some dark truths about the Planks-and confront long-buried secrets of her own. As Kate's obsession with the case grows so does her resolve to bring the killer to justice-even if it means putting herself into the line of fire . . ."Will appeal to fans of Karin Slaughter and Tami Hoag."-Library Journal

The New York Times bestselling series hailed as "gripping" (People magazine) and "compelling" (USA Today) returns with Police Chief Kate Burkholder called to the scene of a horrific tragedy on a peaceful Amish farm.The Slabaugh family are model Amish farmers, prosperous and hardworking, with four children and a happy extended family. When the parents and an uncle are found dead in their barn, it appears to be a gruesome accident: methane gas asphyxiation caused by a poorly ventilated cesspit. But in the course of a routine autopsy, the coroner discovers that one of the victims suffered a head wound before death-clearly, foul play was involved. But who would want to make orphans of the Slabaughs' children? And is this murder somehow related to a recent string of shocking hate crimes against the Amish? Having grown up Amish, Kate is determined to bring the killer to justice. Because the other series of attacks are designated hate crimes, the state sends in agent John Tomasetti, with whom Kate has a long and complex relationship. Together, they search for the link between the crimes-and uncover a dark secret at work beneath the placid surface of this idyllic Amish community. Chock full of twists and chills and set against the unusual world of the Amish, this series "will delight fans of Chelsea Cain and Thomas Harris" (USA Today).

Eine teuflische Idee - ein göttlicher Plan - eine ewige Schuld - Kate Burkholders fünfter Fall bei den AmischenAls das gleißende Scheinwerferlicht des entgegenkommenden Fahrzeugs sie blendet, bleibt ihnen nicht einmal mehr die Zeit, um zu schreien. Auf der regennassen Straße im ländlichen Ohio sterben in dieser Nacht drei Menschen. Ein amischer Vater und zwei seiner Kinder. Als Polizeichefin Kate Burkholder die Unfallstelle genauer untersucht, kommen ihr erste Zweifel: War das wirklich ein Unfall, oder steckt noch etwas anderes dahinter?"Überzeugende Charaktere, exzellenter Plot und ein haarsträubendes Finale." USA TODAY

When an Amish teenager disappears, it's only the beginning . . . 'Becca slogged through a deep drift and stumbled toward the front of the shanty. A padlock hung from the hasp, but it wasn't engaged. Shaking with cold, she shoved open the door. The interior was dark and hushed. The air smelled of kerosene and fish. Out of the wind, it was so quiet she could hear the ice creaking beneath her feet. Her breath puffing out in clouds of white vapour, she pulled out the candle and matches she'd brought from home and lit the wick. The light revealed a small interior with plywood walls and a shelf covered with fish blood and a smattering of silver scales. A lantern sat on the shelf. A coil of rope hung on the wall . . .' Three teenagers have vanished from Ohio's Amish country. The only thing they have in common, other than their religion, is they are keen to leave the Plain Life. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called in to consult by Agent John Tomasetti as her Amish roots will be invaluable in an investigation involving this sectarian society. They travel to the small town of Monongahela Falls to investigate the latest disappearance - that of seventeen-year-old Annie King. The only evidence left behind is a satchel - and a pool of blood. The case moves closer to home for Kate when a young relative, Sadie Miller, vanishes. With her own past resonating, Kate delves into the lives of the missing teens. Soon, a sinister pattern emerges along with a vital clue that changes everything. While following up on a lead, Kate makes an appalling discovery and unearths a secret no one could have imagined-thrusting her into a fight to the death with a merciless killer.

Everyone in Painters Mill knows the abandoned Hochstetler farm is haunted. Ghost stories abound, but no one knows 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.When Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of an apparent suicide-a man found hanging from the rafters in his barn-evidence quickly points to murder. She finds herself following an elusive trail that 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 a long time, she's happy. Their newfound bliss is 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.When a second man turns up dead, Kate discovers a link that sends the investigation in a direction no one could imagine and uncovers a horrifying truth that reaches deep into the past and strikes at the very heart of Painters Mill. As Kate draws a bead on a stone cold killer, a murderer vows to right old wrongs and kill anyone who stands in the way.

A rainy night, a father returning home with his three children, a speeding car hurtling toward them out of nowhere. What at first seems like a tragic, but routine, car accident suddenly takes on a more sinister cast as evidence emerges that nothing about the crash is accidental. But who would want to kill an Amish deacon and his children? He leaves behind a grieving widow and a young boy who clings to life in the intensive-care wing of a hospital, unable to communicate. He may be the only one who knows what happened that night. Desperate to find out who killed her best friend's husband and why, Kate Burkholder begins to suspect she is not looking for a reckless drunk, but instead is on the trail of a coldblooded killer. It is a search that takes her on a chilling journey into the darkest reaches of the human psyche and strikes at the heart of everything she has ever believed about the Amish culture into which she was born.

When Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is called to a farm in the Amish community of Painter's Creek, nothing could prepare her for the horror and tragedy she encounters. Solly and Rachel Slabaugh, and his brother Abel, have drowned in the hog pit leaving the four children as orphans. As the investigation progresses, it seems that the Slabaugh deaths were not an accident, and the case suddenly becomes a murder enquiry. Agent John Tomasetti and Kate have worked together before, and now he is called back to Painter's Creek to help seek out the perpetrators of what appear to be serious hate crimes against the Amish. Whether these crimes and the Slabaugh murders are linked is hard to establish because the Amish are very proud and private people who do not enjoy involvement from outside. As the case deepens, Kate develops a bond with the children, particularly the 15-year-old daughter, Solome. Maybe she is reminded of herself at that age, and maybe there's something about this case which stirs up memories for her. The events surrounding the deaths puzzle her - something doesn't feel right. As more information comes to light, a tragic incident turns into something much more shocking.

Some secrets are too terrible to reveal . . . Some crimes are too unspeakable to solve . . . Painter's Creek, Ohio may be a sleepy, rural town with both Amish and 'English' residents, but it's also the place where a series of brutal murders shattered the lives of an entire community over a decade ago. When the killing stopped, it left in its aftermath a sense of fragility, and for the young Amish girl, Katie Burkholder, a realization that she didn't belong. Now, 15 years, two dead parents and a wealth of experience later, Katie has been asked to return as Chief of Police. Her Amish background combined with her big-city law enforcement expertise make her the perfect candidate. Katie is certain she has come to terms with the past. Until the first body of a slaughtered young woman is found in a pristine, snowy field...