What a stroke of genius for Linda Castillo to set her thriller/police procedurals in the heart of Amish country in Ohio. The Amish culture is exotic enough for most readers, what with its banns, fervent faith, close-knit community, horse-drawn buggies and lack of electricity. Having her protagonist, Police Chief Kate Burkholder, be brought up in the Amish faith, only to turn away from it, positions her as a necessary bridge between Amish and non-Amish culture and society.
My own experience in Pennsylvania Dutch country tells me that the author knows her stuff, and she treats her fictional Amish subjects with respect and sensitivity. Unfortunately, she also knows that because of their exoticism, the Amish are occasionally targeted by bigots and vandals.
In BREAKING SILENCE, a series of hate crimes against the Amish is happening in the county. Some of the incidents seem small, like a battered mailbox. But it escalates to slitting the throat of four sheep. While this is disturbing enough, it can’t compare to the tragic deaths of three members of the Slabaugh family.
The Slabaugh children find their morning shattered when they discover their father, mother and uncle all dead, suffocated in the open manure pit on the farm where they live. It happens: poor ventilation, buildup of methane, someone passes out, another arrives to help but is overcome by the fumes. Sad story.
Even sadder when the coroner discovers that one of the men had been hit in the head with a shovel before dying. Therefore, it’s murder.
When an Amish man is found tied to his buggy, beaten to a pulp and left to die overnight in the frigid air, a new theory crops up: Maybe these hate crimes continue to escalate, beyond vandalism to assault and eventually to cold-blooded killings. Special Agent John Tomasetti, who has appeared in earlier books in the series and is developing a romantic relationship with Chief Burkholder, joins the chief in an effort to find out what is going on in the tight-lipped Amish community, hoping to stop the crime spree.
Castillo has the practiced thriller writer’s sense of pace; is abrupt, but realistic with her dialogue; and is not too shabby with her characters, either. Minor ones are given charming little tics so we can recognize and empathize with them, and the police work also comes down on the side of generally realistic.
What’s interesting is that the author infuses a strong emotional tone into Burkholder, who feels deeply the pain and loss of the Slabaugh children, anger at the human wastes of space who attack the Amish, and excitement at her burgeoning relationship with Tomasetti. It’s refreshing, as is the book itself. Definitely worth a look for mystery buffs. —Mark Rose
Related posts:
- The Other Side of Silence
- Tower of Silence
- Breaking Dawn
- Breaking Down
- Stuntman!: My Car-Crashing, Plane-Jumping, Bone-Breaking, Death-Defying Hollywood Life
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This sounds like a book I am going to have to look for. I enjoy police procedurals, and this sounds like a very interesting premise and setting.