“Complicated, haunted protagonists, shocking murders, psychological twists and bizarre crime scenes. She also makes police procedure anything but tedious.” - Sandra Brown “ combines the protagonist's Amish background with her tough cop persona so skillfully and with such finesse, that both aspects of her character are totally believable. A perfectly crafted thriller.” - Lisa Scottoline

compelling characters, excellent plotting and a hair-raising finale.” - USA Today This first in a series will delight fans of Chelsea Cain and Thomas Harris. “Lovers of suspense will find no better novel to read this summer than Sworn to Silence, a teeth-chattering debut thriller from romance writer Linda Castillo. Starring a tough, complicated cop who speaks Pennsylvania Dutch as smoothly as she downs a vodka, Silence is the opening salvo in what promises to be a gripping series.” - People magazine (3 ½ out of 4 stars) “Romance novelist Castillo, who grew up near Amish country, convincingly switches gears with this debut thriller, balancing chilling suspense and a nuanced portrait of the English-Amish divide. She also fully voices the many other characters and keeps the pace moving breathlessly along for the intervening narration.” - on the audiobook “As it turns out Kathleen McInerney is the perfect voice for Kate. “McInerney moves smoothly from the present to the past and back again as Kate battles her demons while trying to stop a grisly serial killer.

But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past-and expose a dark secret that could destroy her. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. She's certain she's come to terms with her past-until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and 'English' residents have lived side by side for two centuries. Sworn to Silence is the first in Linda Castillo's New York Times bestselling Kate Burkholder series.

Now the subject of the Lifetime original movie An Amish Murder

Sworn to silence