The body of a long missing bishop is found, and Painters Mill Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is pulled into the investigation. She has no jurisdiction in this case, but she has been asked to help by some elders in Pennsylvania, who don't think the sheriff there is doing enough. The final impetus to help comes in the form of the man who has been accused of the death - Jonas Bowman, her first love back in her Amish life. It doesn't take long for her to realize that someone doesn't want her asking questions and finding a motive especially THE HIDDEN ONE will not be easy. THE HIDDEN ONE is, in a word, thrilling! Kate long ago left her Amish life - for reasons that fans will know - but her ties to them still bind. Especially when the past comes calling in the form of flashbacks to days gone by for the much younger Kate and Jonas. What might have been had his family not moved? I loved the scene where a very tired Kate calls longtime lover John Tomasetti and kind of confesses her youthful past with Jonas. I don't think he was totally surprised but might have been a tad worried. My favorite romantic moments were with Tomasetti and Kate when she returns home and there is finally some marriage talk. The scenery, dialogue, and pace of THE HIDDEN ONE is exceptionally well done. Jonas' family were welcoming to Kate and the son was just adorable. There are a lot of secrets being kept in this community and the police force there are not very helpful. As Kate digs into the past there are a lot of things that do not add up for her and even the Elders who knew the deceased bishop did not really have a lot of respect for him. There were several things each man said that led Kate to believe there was even more that was unsaid about the man. You will have to read THE HIDDEN ONE to find out if that is true. As usual author Linda Castillo does throw in a couple of twists at the end that are unexpected yet totally in the realm of possibilities. THE HIDDEN ONE might be the fourteenth Kate Burkholder book but it is probably one of the best of the series.
Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. The mystery of what happened to the esteemed old man has haunted his small Pennsylvania community for years. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed and revealed to be the bishop’s, his disappearance becomes even more sinister.
Unhappy with the local investigation, Amish elders arrive in Painters Mill and ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help. Kate quickly realizes she has a very personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was Kate’s first love. Forced to confront a painful episode from her past, Kate travels to Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley, an isolated area where the Amish culture differs dramatically from the traditions in which she was raised. Kate learns that Stoltzfus was charismatic and highly respected, but she soon hears about a dark side to this complex man. What was he hiding that brought a series of tragedies to his family and resulted in his own brutal death?
Someone doesn’t want Kate asking questions. But even after being accosted and threatened in the dead of night, she refuses to back down. As evidence emerges, Kate must ask herself: Is she too close to the case—and to Jonas—to see clearly? There’s a killer in the Valley who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried. Will they get to Kate before she can expose the truth? Or will the bishop’s secrets remain hidden forever?
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