An Evil Heart
A Novel
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- £7.49
Publisher Description
2024 SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the brutal death of a young Amish man in An Evil Heart, the latest installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.
On a crisp autumn day in Painters Mill, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to a call only to discover an Amish man who has been violently killed with a crossbow, his body abandoned on a dirt road. Aden Karn was just twenty years old, well liked, and from an upstanding Amish family. Who would commit such a heinous crime against a young man whose life was just beginning?
The more Kate gets to know his devastated family and the people—both English and Amish—who loved him, the more determined she becomes to solve the case. Aden Karn was funny and hardworking and looking forward to marrying his sweet fiancé, Emily. All the while, Kate’s own wedding day to Tomasetti draws near...
But as she delves into Karn’s past, Kate begins to hear whispers about a dark side. What if Aden Karn wasn’t the wholesome young man everyone admired? Is it possible the rumors are a cruel campaign to blame the victim? Kate pursues every lead with a vengeance, sensing an unspeakable secret no one will broach.
The case spirals out of control when a young Amish woman comes forward with a horrific story that pits Kate against a dangerous and unexpected opponent. When the awful truth is finally uncovered, Kate comes face to face with the terrible consequences of a life lived in all the dark places.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Castillo's thrilling 15th mystery featuring Ohio police chief Burkholder (after 2022's The Hidden One), the body of 21-year-old Aden Karn turns up on a desolate road with crossbow wounds in his abdomen and mouth. Raised in a respected Amish family, Aden was happily engaged to a respectable young woman and appeared to be an unlikely target for a violent crime. As Kate begins her investigation, however, she learns that Aden might have been more complicated than he seemed: he was reportedly a mean drunk who often visited the shady Brass Rail Saloon, and was friends with Vernon Fisher, a young man on rumspringa who spends most of his time drinking, smoking, and womanizing. Meanwhile, the strangled body of 26-year-old Paige Rossberger is found half-submerged in a nearby creek. Paige wasn't Amish, but Kate becomes convinced there's a connection between the murders. Though some readers will piece the puzzle together more quickly than Kate does, Castillo's punchy prose and well-developed characters keep the pages turning, and a subplot involving Kate's upcoming nuptials to her longtime love will tug at readers' heartstrings. Series fans will be eager for the next entry.
