If you’re looking for a cozy, peaceful stroll through Ohio’s Amish country, you’ve come to the wrong place. Painters Mill isn't a postcard. It’s a place where secrets are buried under frozen soil and the silence of the community is often more dangerous than any weapon.
I’ve been following Linda Castillo’s writing for a long time. There's something about the way she handles Kate Burkholder—a woman caught between two worlds—that feels incredibly raw. Kate was born Amish, left the fold after a traumatic event she doesn't like to talk about, and eventually returned to become the Chief of Police.
Most people start the Kate Burkholder books in order because they want the full arc of Kate’s relationship with John Tomasetti, and honestly, that’s the best way to do it. You see them grow from two broken people into a powerhouse couple. Plus, the callbacks to Kate’s past in the later books like The Hidden One or Rage hit way harder if you’ve been there since the beginning.
The Full Roadmap: Every Kate Burkholder Novel and Novella
Looking at a list of nearly twenty books can be intimidating. Don't sweat it. You don't have to read the novellas to understand the main plot, but they add a lot of "flavor" to Kate’s world.
🔗 Read more: The Gray Man 2: What’s Taking So Long and What We Actually Know
Here is the sequence you need.
The Foundation (Books 1–5)
- Sworn to Silence (2009): This is the "hook." It introduces the Slaughterhouse Killer and the secret Kate has kept for sixteen years.
- Pray for Silence (2010): A brutal murder of an entire Amish family. It’s dark. Like, really dark.
- Breaking Silence (2011): Investigating what looks like a tragic accident at an Amish farm that turns out to be much worse.
- Gone Missing (2012): Rumspringa gone wrong. Kate searches for missing teens.
- Long Lost (2013) - Novella 4.5: A short look into a cold case.
- Her Last Breath (2013): A hit-and-run that feels personal.
The Growing Stakes (Books 6–10)
- The Dead Will Tell (2014): Old ghosts and a series of "suicides" that aren't what they seem.
- A Hidden Secret (2015) - Novella 6.5: A newborn baby abandoned at a bishop’s door.
- After the Storm (2015): A tornado unearths human remains from a decades-old crime.
- Seeds of Deception (2016) - Novella 7.5: A prequel story set when Kate was still a teenager in the Amish community.
- Among the Wicked (2016): Kate goes undercover in a strict, isolated Amish community in New York.
- Only the Lucky (2017) - Novella 8.5: A short mystery involving a death in a small house.
- Down a Dark Road (2017): A fugitive Kate used to know escapes custody, and she’s the only one who thinks he might be innocent.
- In Dark Company (2018) - Novella 9.5: Kate helps a woman who has no memory of how she got injured.
- A Gathering of Secrets (2018): A barn fire kills an Amish man, but the community is tight-lipped about who he really was.
The Modern Era (Books 11–18)
- In Plain Sight (2019) - Novella 10.5: A quick hunt for a missing person during a blizzard.
- Shamed (2019): A grandmother is found dead, and a young girl is missing. This one is particularly emotional.
- The Pact (2020) - Novella 11.5: A short story about a group of friends with a deadly secret.
- Outsider (2020): An old friend from the police academy shows up at Kate's door, bleeding and on the run.
- Disappeared (2021) - Novella 12.5: A missing woman case that takes Kate back into the woods.
- Fallen (2021): A former "friend" of Kate’s is found dead in a motel.
- Blood Moon (2022) - Novella 13.5: A standalone short story set during a lunar eclipse.
- The Hidden One (2022): Kate travels to Pennsylvania to help an old flame accused of murder.
- Hallowed Ground (2023) - Novella 14.5: A skeletal discovery on an abandoned farm.
- An Evil Heart (2023): A young Amish man is killed by a crossbow. Yes, a crossbow.
- Dark Storm Rising (2024) - Novella 15.5: A tense story set during Kate and Tomasetti's honeymoon.
- The Burning (2024): A ritualistic-looking murder by fire that forces Kate to look at her own family.
- Rage (2025): The newest full-length release. It’s an intense exploration of what happens when Amish youth leave the fold and find themselves in over their heads.
- A Dark Path (Expected 2026): The upcoming entry that fans are already buzzing about.
Why Order Matters More Than You Think
You might think, "It’s a procedural mystery series, I can jump in anywhere." Kinda. But honestly, you'd be missing out.
Linda Castillo doesn't just write "crime of the week." She writes a long-form character study. In Sworn to Silence, Kate is defensive, isolated, and terrified of her past. By the time you get to Rage, she’s a wife, a seasoned leader, and someone who has reconciled (mostly) with her heritage.
If you skip around, the evolution of her relationship with John Tomasetti will feel disjointed. Their romance isn't some cheesy subplot; it’s the heartbeat of the series. They both carry heavy baggage—Tomasetti from his time in the FBI and the loss of his family, and Kate from the violence she witnessed as a girl. Watching them heal together is half the reason people keep buying these books.
Dealing with the Novellas
If you’re a completionist, look for the collection titled A Simple Murder. It gathers several of the earlier short stories into one volume, which is much easier than tracking down individual e-books.
Common Misconceptions About Painters Mill
I’ve seen some readers complain that the Amish portrayed here are "too violent" or "not realistic."
Here’s the thing: Castillo isn't saying the Amish are bad people. She’s showing that they are people. Just like any other group, they have their outliers, their rebels, and their dark corners. The tension in the Kate Burkholder books in order comes from the clash between the "English" law and the Amish "Ordnung" (their set of unwritten rules).
The Amish prefer to handle things internally. Shunning is a real, powerful tool. For a police chief, that’s a nightmare. How do you solve a murder when no one is allowed to talk to you? That’s the "hook" that makes this series different from your standard big-city detective novel.
👉 See also: Why Disney Pixar Animated Movies Still Own the Emotional High Ground
Actionable Tips for New Readers
- Start with Sworn to Silence. Don't skip it. It sets up the "why" behind everything Kate does for the next 17 books.
- Listen to the Audiobooks. Kathleen McInerney narrates the series and she is absolutely brilliant. She nails the Pennsylvania Dutch accents and the "Amish-inflected" English perfectly.
- Check the Glossary. If you’re confused by words like Gut, Bischof, or Gott, most of the books include a brief guide to the Deitsch terms used.
- Prepare for Darkness. These aren't "clean" mysteries. They involve graphic crime scenes and heavy themes. If you prefer "cozy" mysteries where the violence happens off-page, these might be a bit much for you.
If you’ve already finished the latest release, Rage, and you're waiting for A Dark Path in 2026, I’d suggest going back and reading the novellas you might have skipped. They often bridge the gap between the major novels and give you a little more time with Kate and Tomasetti in their "off" hours.
Next Steps:
If you're ready to dive in, grab a copy of Sworn to Silence. If you're already a fan and want to make sure you haven't missed a single story, check out the A Simple Murder collection to catch up on the novellas. Keeping a checklist of the order—especially as the series grows toward book 18—is the best way to ensure you don't miss a single beat of Kate's journey.