In 1979, an Amish father and four of his children die during a botched robbery at his home. The only survivors are his wife, who disappeared that night, and their 14-year- old, son. The son, Billy Hockstetler, was adopted by a local Amish family, but the wife was never heard from again. The Hockstetler farm was abandoned. The perpetrators were never apprehended...or identified.

Now, 35 years later, police chief Kate Burkholder is investigating the death of a prominent Painters Mill citizen found hanging in his barn. Initially thought to be a suicide, clues indicate it to be murder. Most gruesome of all is the small wooden Amish doll left in the corpse—with the name Hockstetler on the bottom. It doesn't take long for two more people to be killed with the same wooden doll left in their bodies. Could these murders be connected to the cold case? Is Billy out for revenge, or does someone else know the truth about the horrific 35-year-old crime? It will take all of Kate's investigative skills to learn the identity of the killer and then bring that person to justice.

Linda Castillo gives readers an amazing tale of suspense in THE DEAD WILL TELL, the sixth entry in this outstanding police procedural thriller series. Characterization is spot-on as the tightly written plot progresses quickly to the surprise ending. The Kate Burkholder series, set in Ohio's Amish country, is one of my favorites. I recommend all of the books in this compelling series.