Review: Sworn to Silence

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fast-paced thriller set in a small Ohio town. Kate Burkholder is the police chief faced with a horrific crime that may be linked to her childhood rape and her self-defense killing of her assailant. Her assailant was suspected of a string of gruesome murders that ceased with his death. Complicating the investigation is the fact that she grew up Amish but left the community. Her Amish family kept her rape and the murder secret and now 16 years later, it appears that the Slaughterhouse Killer is back. Kate battles a nervous town council who call in backup, as well as the long-held family secret. I read this in one afternoon. I couldn't put it down. Despite some graphic descriptions of the murdered victims (which I skimmed over), I really liked this and am looking forward to the next one.

Update: Re-read this book June 27-June 30, 2016. It had been so long since I'd read the series, I decided to start again. I found this less compelling the second time around, although I hadn't remembered who the villain was. I think my gruesome meter has become more sensitive with age; I found the graphic descriptions disturbing this time around.

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