Pray For Silence Linda Castillo

About this book From Goodreads.com
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 readers in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and compelling psychological puzzle.

My take on this book:
Pray For  Silence is the latest installment in Linda Castillo's Amish thrillers that take place in Painters Mill Ohio.
The Plank family has just recently moved to the area and for all intents and purposes were just a quiet Amish family until the entire family of seven is murdered, slaughtered actually. Whats worse is the killer tried to stage the murders to look as if the father had killed his wife and children. Once Katie Burkholder, chief of police, and a former member of the Amish community starts digging she realizes that the father was a victim as well.
When she starts investigating she finds the diary of 15 yr old Mary Plank and realizes that the girl had been living a double life.Mary had been trying to hide the fact that she had fallen in love with an Englisher. The only problem is Mary never mentions his name in any of her diary entries, so the police have to figure out who he is.  During the course of the investigation we are given several suspects but truthfully I had easily figured it out by the middle of the book.
That aside I did enjoy reading this story, although not as well written as her first novel,  Sworn To Silence, it is still a very good read.
I would caution readers that this isn't your typical Amish fiction. The author goes into depth in describing the brutal murders and there are some pretty vivid sexual scenes in this book as well. I would also say that to truly understand the back story of Chief Burkholder you really should read the first book otherwise your gonna feel like your missing something.
Overall I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and will read the next one in the series because I feel like the author is still developing the relationship between Katie and John Tomasetti and I wonder where she will take them.
I borrowed this book from the public library.