The Burning: A Kate Burkholder Novel

At the start of Castillo’s enthralling 16th mystery featuring Painters Mill, Ohio, police chief Kate Burkholder (after An Evil Heart), Kate’s colleagues find the charred body of 36-year-old Milan Swanz bound to a stake in the middle of the woods. Milan had a reputation for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, but Kate is still surprised to learn that he’d divorced his wife and been excommunicated from Painter Hill’s Amish community a few months earlier. On further investigation, Kate learns Milan had made several enemies in recent years, including Kate’s brother, Jacob. When one of Milan’s neighbors claims to have seen Milan and Jacob in a physical altercation days before Milan was killed, the sheriff arrests Jacob for Milan’s murder, despite Kate’s protests. Though she’s taken off the case, she remains determined to prove her brother’s innocence, and pulls her husband into an off-the-books investigation—which she continues even when a masked stranger threatens her. Well-shaded characters, near-perfect pacing, and a fascinating glimpse into Ohio’s Amish community mark this as another winner for Castillo. This series is nowhere near out of steam. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (July)