Kate Burkholder · #8.5
Only the Lucky
Bucolic Painters Mill is plunged into darkness in this new short mystery, from the New York Times bestselling author of Among the Wicked, featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder.
It’s Friday the 13th in Painters Mill and rumors of an Amish “rager”—a huge outdoor party rife with underage drinking—puts Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her small department on edge. To make matters worse, Painters Mill is in the midst of a county-wide power outage. At the height of the rager, a teenage Amish girl is attacked with a hammer and left for dead. Kate is called to the scene—an abandoned farm teeming with loud music and rowdy behavior—to find the girl unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. With the girl in a coma and an unknown attacker on the loose, Kate must discover who would want to hurt her, and why, before it’s too late.
The series
The Kate Burkholder series invites readers into a world where the lines between faith, justice, and morality blur, all set against the haunting backdrop of a small Amish town. With every twist and turn, this gripping crime series pulls you into the complexities of rural Ohio, where tradition clashes with the darker aspects of human nature. At the heart of it all is Kate Burkholder, an unflinching police chief whose Amish upbringing and gritty law enforcement career collide in powerful ways.
Read full series description
As a woman raised within the Amish community, Kate Burkholder offers a unique perspective—both a part of the insular world she serves and an outsider, navigating the complex relationships and unspoken secrets that permeate it. Her deep ties to the people and traditions of Painters Mill make her an empathetic yet relentless force as she uncovers hidden truths and faces the darker sides of a seemingly peaceful life. The cases she tackles often delve into the very heart of the Amish community, exploring themes of faith, retribution, and the struggles between adherence to tradition and the need for justice.
Each book in the series plunges readers into a new, pulse-pounding mystery, carefully crafted with tight suspense and an immersive atmosphere that leaves you holding your breath. Castillo’s sharp storytelling brings to life the tension between the Amish and the outside world, creating a world where danger lingers just beneath the surface of everyday life.
In this series, the stakes are never just about solving the crime—they’re about grappling with the personal, moral, and emotional cost of seeking justice. Kate Burkholder’s internal struggles with her past, her role as a law enforcer, and her complex relationship with the community she serves create a multi-layered narrative that resonates deeply with readers. This compelling blend of psychological depth and high-stakes drama keeps fans of the Kate Burkholder series coming back for more, each installment adding another layer to this unmissable story.
#1 · 2009Sworn to Silence 
#2 · 2010Pray for Silence 
#3 · 2011Breaking Silence 
#4 · 2012Gone Missing 
#4.5 · 2013Long Lost 
#5 · 2014Her Last Breath 
#6 · 2014The Dead Will Tell 
#6.5 · 2015A Hidden Secret 
#7 · 2015After the Storm 
#7.5 · 2016Seeds of Deception 
#8 · 2016Among the Wicked 
#8.5 · 2017Only the Lucky 
#9 · 2017Down a Dark Road 
#10 · 2018A Gathering of Secrets 
#11 · 2019Shamed 
#11.5 · 2020The Pact 
#12 · 2020Outsider 
#12.5 · 2021Disappeared 
#13 · 2021Fallen 
#13.5 · 2022Blood Moon 
#14 · 2022The Hidden One 
#14.5 · 2023Hallowed Ground 
#15 · 2023An Evil Heart 
#15.5 · 2024Dark Storm Rising 
#16 · 2024The Burning 
#17 · 2025Rage 
#18 · 2027The Betrayed 
#19 · TBAKate Burkholder Book 19 Be the first reviewer
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