Shamed
In Shamed, a gripping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo, a devastating murder exposes an Amish family’s tortured past.
The peaceful town of Painters Mill is shattered when an Amish grandmother is brutally murdered on an abandoned farm. When Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on the scene, she learns that the woman’s seven-year-old granddaughter is gone, abducted in plain sight. Kate knows time is against her―the longer the girl is missing, the less likely her safe return becomes. The girl’s family is a pillar of the Amish community, well-respected by all. But Kate soon realizes they’re keeping secrets―and the sins of their past may be coming back to haunt them. What are they hiding and why?
Kate’s investigation brings her to an isolated Old Order Amish settlement along the river, a community where family is everything and tradition is upheld with an iron fist. But the killer is close behind, drawing more victims into a twisted game of revenge. Left behind at each new crime scene are cryptic notes that lead Kate to a haunting and tragic secret. What she uncovers threatens to change everything she thought she knew about the family she’s fighting for, the Amish community as a whole―and her own beliefs.
As time to find the missing girl runs out, Kate faces a harrowing choice that will test her convictions and leave one family forever changed.
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Linda Castillo
Linda Castillo’s gripping, atmospheric thrillers have carved a space for themselves among the best in contemporary crime fiction. Known for her Kate Burkholder series, Castillo weaves tension, suspense, and emotional depth into every page, creating stories that haunt readers long after the final chapter. Set in the Amish community of Painters Mill, Ohio, Castillo’s work explores the complexities of faith, justice, and the darkness lurking beneath quiet, rural life.
Kate Burkholder
The Kate Burkholder series invites readers into a world where the lines between faith, justice, and morality blur, all set against the haunting backdrop of a small Amish town. With every twist and turn, this gripping crime series pulls you into the complexities of rural Ohio, where tradition clashes with the darker aspects of human nature. At the heart of it all is Kate Burkholder, an unflinching police chief whose Amish upbringing and gritty law enforcement career collide in powerful ways.
Kate Burkholder consists of seventeen primary books, and includes nine additional books that complement the series but are not considered mandatory reads and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
