Pray for Silence

A Thriller

By: Linda Castillo

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times bestselling author of Sworn to Silence delivers an electrifying thriller—Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must confront a dark evil to solve the mysterious murders of an entire Amish family

In the quiet town of Painters Mill, an Amish family of seven has been found brutally murdered on their farm. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect. Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to secrets, but she can't get her mind around the senseless brutality of the crime.

State agent John Tomasseti arrives on the scene to assist. He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a tentative relationship, but each is wary of commitment. The disturbing details of this case will push them to their limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts.

When Kate discovers a diary, she realizes a haunting personal connection to the case. One of the teenage daughters may have been leading a lurid double life. As the case develops, Kate's list of suspects grows. Who is the attractive stranger that stole the heart of the innocent young Amish girl? Did her estranged brother—a man with a violent past who was shunned by his family and the Amish community—come back to seek out revenge? Driven by her own scarred past, Kate swears she'll find the killer and bring him to justice—even if it means putting herself in the line of fire.

Topping her own bestselling debut, Linda Castillo once again immerses listeners in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and compelling psychological puzzle.

©2010 Linda Castillo (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“This sequel to SWORN TO SILENCE, narrated by Kathleen McInerney, gives us the continuing tribulations of Police Chief Kate Burkholder and the town of Painter’s Mill, Ohio…With creativity and authenticity, McInerney skillfully navigates a wide variety of characters—from cops and criminals to the Pennsylvania Dutch-speaking Amish. Her performance takes diverse situations in stride” —AudioFile magazine

“Kathleen McInerney does an excellent job portraying this diverse cast...A compelling listen, well-written and expertly narrated.” —Publishers Weekly

“Kathleen McInerney portrays Burkholder's unquiet feelings and the complex feelings of a heroine who can't help remembering her own difficult teenage years growing up in the Amish faith.” —The Chapel Hill Herald

Good Book

I liked this book... edge of my seat kind of story... Kate is not a typical female cop...

Captivating!!!

This is the second book we got, and it is absolutely thrilling, must read!

Good read

I enjoyed the story but I could have done without the foul language. it didn't add anything to the story at all

a good listen

I enjoyed this book and as a result, will listen to books written by Linda Castillo again. She has a prequel to this book which I probably should have listened to first.

Awesome!

Love the stories L Castillo writes. Kind of stories you don't want to put down. Superb author!

WOWZA

Would you consider the audio edition of Pray for Silence to be better than the print version?

Yes.

What did you like best about this story?

Dark story with so many twists.

What does Kathleen McInerney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love Kathleen Mclnerney's reading of this story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES... I didn't want to turn it off.

I really wanted to like this series...

So, if you are going to write about a culture and farm life perhaps you should know a bit about it. I really wanted to like this series as I love police procedurals and I grew up and still live in Amish country. The procedural part of the first two books is pretty good but getting the facts about the Amish and farm animals right is sketchy. In the first book, in the very first chapter, one of the deputies spouts on about how stupid cows and chickens are which is absolutely untrue but is the prevailing theme about them throughout the book and into the second. Did you know that chickens can recognize up to 100 faces and learn around 40 words? They also teach each other and have their own language. Every cow has it's own personality and can learn just like horses or any other farm animal.

As to the Amish, the author is portraying them in a way that really no longer exists in the communities I am familiar with. They absolutely will take rides from people, most have phones, and most use diesel/gas powered generators in their logging and farming. There are even Amish taxi services (for lack of a better term). Are there conservative Amish people who still believe in the old ways? Of course there are but it's no longer the majority. They also do not stay in their communities during Rumspringa. The whole point of the exercise is to experience the world of the English. They are sent away during this time to cities.

The narrator is fantastic and is probably the only reason I made it through the first book. I thought I would give the second book a try to see if the author would get better but I don't see that happening so I will not be continuing with the series.

Excellent

Every single one of Linda Castillo's books has held my attention from start to finish. The narrator for this series is amazing! I love the Kate Burkholder series, and I can not wait for the next one to come out in 2024!

Awesome!!! Betty from Butler, PA.

I am not normally a mystery listener, but I do love Amish stories of all kinds. This book kept me glued to listening. The narriator was wonderful, and the writing was detailed in a very good way. The killer is a mystery, but the reason is very normal in this troubled world. I read Linda's first book, and I would also recomend it very highly.

Not For The Faint Hearted

First off, if you are at all squeamish, stay away from this book. Linda Castillo is a very talented author that has a knack for being able to draw the reader into very horrific scenes describing every nuance to the point that not only can the reader see it, they can almost feel it.

Once again the Amish community of Painters Mill is rocked by the apparently senseless brutal killing of the entire Plank family. Called to the scene, Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force are thrown into one of the most horrific scenes that any of them have ever been witness to. Knowing once again that this is over her head, her first call is to State Agent John Tomessetti. They have a history, both professionally and personally, but Kate knows that if anyone can help her figure out this mess then it is John.

But John comes with his own demons, two and a half years ago his wife and daughter were brutally murdered and John threw himself into a downward spiral of prescription drugs and alcohol in which he "sucks them down with the self- destructive glee of an addict". Now on administrative leave and seeing an overly preppy therapist, John is on a road to recovery but he is not exactly the ideal patient. He wants back to work, he wants to be a contributing member of the BCI force and most importantly he wants to be with Kate and help her through this investigation.

Kate and John are drawn into Mary Planks life and into a world that she was ill equipped to handle. What had Mary gotten herself into? Who was this English boy that she writes about in her journal? They needed to find him. They needed answers as to why the whole family is now dead and Mary's cryptic writings may hold the answers.

The climatic ending was a bit predictable with a few "oh my gosh" moments. A couple characters stood out to me as reasonable suspects though Ms Castillo blended them into the background of the story she was telling. No one is above suspicion and the Kate Burkholder series teaches you to pay close attention all characters, not just the obvious ones.

This second book in the Kate Burkholder series after (Sworn to Silence) most certainly lives up to its predecessor. I highly recommend that you start there since there are many references to the Slaughterhouse Murders, which was the case that originally brought Tomasetti and Burkholder together.

Kathleen McInerney was good with the delivery of the story