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Order of Linda Castillo Books
In a literary world teeming with detectives, corpses, and scandalous secrets, few authors have carved out a darker, moodier niche than Linda Castillo—a woman who dares to blend the quiet traditions of Amish country with the brutal chaos of murder. Born in 1960 in the small town of Dayton, Ohio, Castillo didn’t just stumble into writing; she exploded onto the scene, sharpening her craft through sheer determination, dark curiosity, and a fascination with the hidden lives behind America’s most private communities.
Before she became synonymous with blood-stained barns and corrupted faith, Castillo was a dreamer with a pen. Her early years were defined by a fierce love for books and storytelling. She earned her degree in Creative Writing and Journalism, though she’s kept the details of her alma mater under wraps—a fitting move for a woman whose entire career is built on secrets.
Castillo first dipped her toes into publishing with romantic suspense, a genre that gave her a taste of blending passion with peril. But it wasn’t until 2009, with the release of "Sworn to Silence," that the world truly met her world—a storm-swept, Amish-set murder mystery that introduced the unforgettable Chief Kate Burkholder, an ex-Amish cop caught between two clashing worlds. The novel struck like a bolt of literary lightning, landing Castillo on the New York Times bestseller list and awakening an entirely new subgenre: Amish crime thrillers.
The irony of Castillo’s success? The Amish, a community known for silence and simplicity, became the backdrop for some of the most terrifying crimes in modern fiction. Her Kate Burkholder series is a masterclass in tension—stories where the wheat fields whisper sins, and the barns hide bodies. Her use of Pennsylvania Dutch phrases, authentic rural settings, and raw emotional trauma creates a rich sensory tapestry that’s equal parts haunting and addictive. Readers often report bingeing her books like Netflix thrillers—unable to stop, unwilling to turn away, terrified of what’s coming on the next page.
Despite her dark themes, Castillo herself lives far from the murder scenes she conjures. She resides in Texas, where the skies are vast and the crime rates are (presumably) lower than in Painters Mill, Ohio—the fictional town that’s become her literary playground.
Unlike many crime writers who distance themselves from gore, Castillo leans into it. She’s unafraid to examine the psychology of killers, the fragility of victims, and the blurred morality of law enforcement. Her books are not just whodunits; they’re why-dunits, how-dunits, and what-the-hell-happens-next-dunits.
To this day, Linda Castillo has written dozens of novels, with each Kate Burkholder installment growing darker, richer, and more emotionally layered. And yet—she keeps her own story somewhat of a mystery. No overexposure, no headline scandals, no literary feuds. Just the chilling promise that the next book will be deadlier than the last.
So, if you’re brave enough to enter a world where every quilt hides a secret and every smile might be a mask, then Linda Castillo is your guide—and she’ll lead you straight into the shadows.
And remember: in Castillo’s world, the most silent towns are often the loudest with secrets.
Publication Order of Series Books
Publication Order of Kate Burkholder
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| Sworn to Silence | 2009 | Amazon |
| Pray for Silence | 2010 | Amazon |
| Breaking Silence | 2011 | Amazon |
| Gone Missing | 2012 | Amazon |
| Her Last Breath | 2013 | Amazon |
| The Dead Will Tell | 2014 | Amazon |
| After the Storm | 2015 | Amazon |
| Among the Wicked | 2016 | Amazon |
| Down a Dark Road | 2017 | Amazon |
| A Gathering of Secrets | 2018 | Amazon |
| Shamed | 2019 | Amazon |
| Outsider | 2020 | Amazon |
| Fallen | 2021 | Amazon |
| The Hidden One | 2022 | Amazon |
| An Evil Heart | 2023 | Amazon |
| The Burning | 2024 | Amazon |
| Rage | 2025 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Kate Burkholder Short
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| Long Lost | 2013 | Amazon |
| A Hidden Secret | 2015 | Amazon |
| Seeds of Deception | 2016 | Amazon |
| Only the Lucky | 2017 | Amazon |
| In Dark Company | 2018 | Amazon |
| In Plain Sight | 2019 | Amazon |
| The Pact | 2020 | Amazon |
| Disappeared | 2021 | Amazon |
| Blood Moon | 2022 | Amazon |
| Hallowed Ground | 2023 | Amazon |
| Dark Storm Rising | 2024 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| Overkill | 2007 | Amazon |
| In the Dead of Night | 2007 | Amazon |
| A Baby Before Dawn | 2007 | Amazon |
| Safe Before Dawn | 2007 | Amazon |
| A Whisper in the Dark | 2006 | Amazon |
| Dead Reckoning | 2005 | Amazon |
| Fade To Red | 2004 | Amazon |
| Midnight Run | 2003 | Amazon |
| The Shadow Side | 2003 | Amazon |
| Uncharted Waters | 2003 | Amazon |
| A Cry in the Night | 2002 | Amazon |
| Just A Little Bit Dangerous | 2002 | Amazon |
| Lay Down the Law | 2001 | Amazon |
| Cops And ... Lovers? | 2001 | Amazon |
| A Hero To Hold | 2001 | Amazon |
| Remember the Night | 2000 | Amazon |