A chilling phone call interrupts Police Chief Kate Burkholder's insomnia caused by dark memories that haunt her through the nights. An Amish family has drowned in a manure pit. When she arrives on the scene, Kate finds three bodies, a man, his wife and his brother dead and four children in various stages of shock. The tragedy evolves into horror when the deaths are the result of murder. Kate battles her own troubling past as a former unrepentant and excommunicated Amish woman. She identifies too closely to the traumatized children.

Kate's lover, Special Agent John Tomasetti, joins her as they investigate the killings and try to determine if the murders have any relationship to the escalating hate crimes against the Amish in Painters Mill, Ohio. John and Kate struggle against the prevailing Amish culture that refuses aid from the English. When a break in the case finally materializes, Kate and John expose a shocking secret within the Amish community.

Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series is brilliant! Each book builds on the previous one, giving deeper insights into her characters. Kate and John are compelling, flawed characters with emotionally wounded souls. They struggle against their own personal demons as they attempt to deliver justice in a flawed world.