- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Macmillan; First Edition edition (5 Jun 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0230736408
- ISBN-13: 978-0230736405
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 395,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Sworn to Silence
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The crime fiction genre is becoming a very crowded one these days, and a writer has to come up with something special to distinguish themselves from hordes of sales-hungry fellow crime practitioners. In a variety of books, Linda Castillo has demonstrated that she has the smarts to rise above many of her rivals, and with her latest book, Sworn to Silence, she demonstrates that her customary skills are still firmly in place.
The setting is a placid Ohio town, Painters Mill, in which two groups of residents manage to rub along together: the religious sect, the Amish, and the ordinary residents of the town, known (in distancing fashion) as the ‘English’. But this is a Linda Castillo novel, and it will come as no surprise to the reader to realise that this peaceful town harbours dark secrets: over 10 years ago, a sequence of savage killings tore the community apart, and had a corollary affect. Youthful Katie Burkholder was a member of the Amish community, but realised that she could not live by its rules and strictures, and that her view of the world was not that of her coreligionists. 15 years have passed, and Katie has now become chief of police. (In fact, this aspect of Castillo's novel already marks it out as different from most of the current entries in the genre; the concept of the female Amish-turned-copper is a truly novel one and puts paid to any uncharitable thoughts that Castillo may have borrowed some ideas from the Harrison Ford film Witness, in which a detective solves a murder in an Amish community.) In Sworn to Silence, the body of a young woman is discovered in a snow-covered field, and it bears a grisly mutilation: numbers have been carved into the stomach of the dead girl. She is the first in a line of victims, and the long maintained peace in the town is soon a distant memory. The best thing about the new book is definitely the characterisation of the conflicted cop Katie Burkholder, struggling with the psychological legacy (and religious indoctrination) of her past while having to deal with a very present danger. It is a highly compelling read, and whets the appetite for the next Linda Castillo novel. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
'A fantastic thriller' --Company
'Castillo has created a spell-binding thriller that draws readers in from the beginning and doesn't let go until the last page... It's that engrossing.'
--Reviewing the Evidence
'Castillo has created a spell-binding thriller that draws readers in from the beginning and doesn't let go until the last page... It's that engrossing.'
--Reviewing the Evidence
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I really liked the sound of this - a young, female, Amish detective who has very good reason to believe a serial killer is dead, faces a moral dilemma when he appears to be striking again. The book has all the components of a thriller of this kind - heroine with a dark secret, a damaged 'rogue' police officer with a heart of gold, plenty of atmospheric landscape, some descriptions of murder and victims that were very visceral (I actually nearly didn't read the book after a really disturbing opening), the pressure to find the killer before he strikes again etc. And some of the writing is very good indeed.
But as a book, it just didn't make it for me mainly because the main characters were too two dimensional and formulaic. It felt as if the author had read a 'how to write a thriller about a serial killer' book and then taken its advice word for word. The main character's back story (the dark secret) was, in my opinion, far too far-fetched and I couldn't empathise with her at all because of this.
It's a good way to pass a few hours, an undemanding read and typical of its genre. So if that sounds like your cup of tea, enjoy!
But as a book, it just didn't make it for me mainly because the main characters were too two dimensional and formulaic. It felt as if the author had read a 'how to write a thriller about a serial killer' book and then taken its advice word for word. The main character's back story (the dark secret) was, in my opinion, far too far-fetched and I couldn't empathise with her at all because of this.
It's a good way to pass a few hours, an undemanding read and typical of its genre. So if that sounds like your cup of tea, enjoy!
37 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is a serial killer thriller set in Amish country in Painters Mill, Ohio, USA. Painters Mill is a small rural town with both Amish and 'English' residents. Katie Burkholder is formerly a member of the Amish community, but now the town's Chief of Police. Someone was killing young women in the town more than fifteen years ago but suddenly stopped and the case is still unsolved. However, in the present day, a young woman's body is discovered and this bears the same hallmarks as the previous killings. For the Chief of Police, this new killing threatens to reveal secrets that should have stayed in the past.
The plot is suspenseful, fast moving with very graphic descriptions of the murder victims. The writing style comprises short, succinct sentences and equally short chapters. There is a pervading atmosphere of fear and tension in the novel which increases with each chapter. The story is mainly narrated in the first person from Katie's viewpoint but switches to the third person narrative when focusing on other characters.
There are brief insights into the Amish culture and this novel reflects elements of the film 'Witness'. This was the first novel by this author that I'd read and was initially attracted by the opportunity to learn more about the Amish culture and I was not disappointed.
I found the novel easy to read, liked the writing style and for me, this book had the right mixture of suspense, graphic description and interesting characters without being a clichéd serial killer thriller. I do hope the author intends to write a series of novels featuring Chief of Police Katie Burkholder.
The plot is suspenseful, fast moving with very graphic descriptions of the murder victims. The writing style comprises short, succinct sentences and equally short chapters. There is a pervading atmosphere of fear and tension in the novel which increases with each chapter. The story is mainly narrated in the first person from Katie's viewpoint but switches to the third person narrative when focusing on other characters.
There are brief insights into the Amish culture and this novel reflects elements of the film 'Witness'. This was the first novel by this author that I'd read and was initially attracted by the opportunity to learn more about the Amish culture and I was not disappointed.
I found the novel easy to read, liked the writing style and for me, this book had the right mixture of suspense, graphic description and interesting characters without being a clichéd serial killer thriller. I do hope the author intends to write a series of novels featuring Chief of Police Katie Burkholder.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is Linda Castillos debut novel and is categorised in the crime/thriller genre of book.
Wow, what can I say? I picked up this book after reading the jacket info and let me tell you, it gives you no clue as to how good a read this book really is. The story is set in Painters Mill, a sleepy town which is both English and Amish. Kate Burkholder was born and raised Amish and then went against the grain and ended up as acting Police Chief in the same town that she was born and raised in. One night they get a call that is par for the course in a town like Painters Mill saying there are cows running loose. When one of Kate's colleagues arrives he doesn't find just loose cows on the road.
When Kate arrives on the scene she is greeted with a crime scene so horrific it will have the hairs on your arms standing on end. Kate isn't sure whether she can deal with a case like this but vows to catch the killer.
John Tomasetti is a cop that has had to deal with his own demons and he is drafted in to help with the case. When he meets Kate, he realises that not only is this case a reason to drag himself out of the hole he has been in the last year or so, but a time to delve into the troubled past of Kate Burkholder.
Together they work at not only solving the case and finding the killer, but dealing with their own secrets and troubled pasts.
I can honestly say that I had no expectations for this book but was thoroughly engrossed (to the point that I missed my train stop because I was too busy finishing it). I loved the writing style and because of the Amish angle, found it quite a refreshing read as I haven't read a book quite like this one before. The characters were good but maybe it would be nice to get more insight into Kate Burkholder but this still didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. The last few chapters made for a fantastic ending too. Wonderful book and I look forward to the next one.
Wow, what can I say? I picked up this book after reading the jacket info and let me tell you, it gives you no clue as to how good a read this book really is. The story is set in Painters Mill, a sleepy town which is both English and Amish. Kate Burkholder was born and raised Amish and then went against the grain and ended up as acting Police Chief in the same town that she was born and raised in. One night they get a call that is par for the course in a town like Painters Mill saying there are cows running loose. When one of Kate's colleagues arrives he doesn't find just loose cows on the road.
When Kate arrives on the scene she is greeted with a crime scene so horrific it will have the hairs on your arms standing on end. Kate isn't sure whether she can deal with a case like this but vows to catch the killer.
John Tomasetti is a cop that has had to deal with his own demons and he is drafted in to help with the case. When he meets Kate, he realises that not only is this case a reason to drag himself out of the hole he has been in the last year or so, but a time to delve into the troubled past of Kate Burkholder.
Together they work at not only solving the case and finding the killer, but dealing with their own secrets and troubled pasts.
I can honestly say that I had no expectations for this book but was thoroughly engrossed (to the point that I missed my train stop because I was too busy finishing it). I loved the writing style and because of the Amish angle, found it quite a refreshing read as I haven't read a book quite like this one before. The characters were good but maybe it would be nice to get more insight into Kate Burkholder but this still didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. The last few chapters made for a fantastic ending too. Wonderful book and I look forward to the next one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wonderful!
Wonderful. A compelling read and once I started I struggled to put it down so much so that I finished it in one day. Read more
Published 4 months ago by H Pearce
A good thriller.
A serial killer is brutally murdering young women, in the small Ohio town of Painter's Mill. The Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder is investigating the killings. Read more
Published 8 months ago by J.Flood
A page turner
I really enjoyed this book...it was definitely a page turner. Linda Castillo has managed to capture the small town community/Amish community differences very well. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Freckles
Darkly gripping crime novel - warning: contains significant swearing
Continuing the dark tradition of Patricia Cornwell & Kathy Reichs, this is a gruesome crime novel with an assertive female lead, in this case former Amish now Police Chief Kate... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sarah
Sworn to Silence
Definitely a 'can't put it down' book. I was holding my breath towards the end. Brilliant! It's 5am, I'd better get some sleep.
Published 15 months ago
Brilliant!
Loved this book! I finished it a while ago and havn't found a book to match it since! Brilliant author!
Published 15 months ago by Carlyxxxx
sworn to silence
absolutely fantastic - I couldn't put this one down! I read this one after receiving pray for silence as a present and enjoyed that one so much I purchased another book, (read... Read more
Published 16 months ago by crazycaterpillar
Next one, please
I wish I'd picked this book from the Vine programme when it was offered; I've missed out on an excellent debt thriller from Linda Castillo. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Michael Watson
An enjoyable read
A little bit grizzly in places and despite guessing whodunnit fairly early on I enjoyed reading it. I like the characters and the style, finding it a bit of a page turner. Read more
Published 22 months ago by rachelcreative
A rattling good read!
Like other reviewers, I too stayed up rather too late to finish this book in one sitting. I'd also agree that it wasn't difficult to guess where the plot was going (both the... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Lisbeth Davies
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