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There are currently 28 member reviews
for Her Last Breath
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Rosanne S. (Franklin Square, NY)
Unexpected Murder
Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo is the first book of the Kate Burkholder series that I have read. Obviously, I have been missing some good reading. Her Last Breath begins with a buggy accident in an Amish community in Ohio. A man and two children are killed and a third child is seriously injured. When police chief, Kate, arrives at the scene she realizes that it is the family of her Amish friend, Mattie.
What unfolds is a very emotional, dramatic murder mystery. I was impressed with the way Castillo presented the story, drawing the reader in and making you eager for justice. She writes very much in the style of Lisa Scottoline but better. Even though another case and Katie's love life are part of the story, they enhance rather than detract from the criminal investigation. I don't like when side stories fill pages with distraction.
Her Last Breath is the fifth in this series but it stands well alone. Not having read the others, it was easy to fill in the blanks and follow without knowing too much of Katie's history. If I have the opportunity I will read some of the earlier books in this series.
Anyone who loves a good mystery or Amish stories will completely enjoy this page-turner. It reads like a good movie and was over far too soon.
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Becky M. (Crumpler, NC)
The Best Yet
I have read Linda Castillo's previous four books in her Amish thriller series, and Her Last Breath is the best yet. I tried to decide why I feel that way and have determined that it has more to do with her empathy and insight into human nature than it does with the "thriller" aspect. The novel did keep me guessing until the end, that is for sure. But I was especially moved by Castillo's depth of thought and her honest approach to the conflicts that exist in the hearts of the Amish people.
The plot is enhanced by the unfinished business of previous novels, so I would recommend that the reader be familiar with the stories that precede this novel. The new mystery is resolved, but the fallout from the earlier story will only make the reader more anxious for book six ... not a bad tactic on Castillo's part.
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Susan R. (Julian, NC)
Great Amish Mystery
I have read all of the books in the Kate Burkholder series and enjoyed them all. I think that HER LAST BREATH was the best book yet! The story was interesting and the ending was a real surprise. As a former Amish person and now chief of police in the same town where she is now shunned by the Amish, she is a very conflicted character - which also makes her more real and interesting. Fantastic book!
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Helen S. (Sun City West, AZ)
ARiveting Read
Linda Castillo's Her Last Breath captured and held my attention so completely that I read straight through, neglecting everything I was supposed to do that day. I was held in suspense as Police Chief Katie Burkholder and other law enforcement officers searched for a hit-and-run driver in rural Ohio. Their Amish community had been shocked by a tragic road accident (or was it an accident?) which demolished an Amish buggy and took the lives of a father and two of his three children. Complicating the plot is a secret from Katie's past; what would happen to her if her secret were discovered?
I highly recommend Her Last Breath, but offer this caveat to readers: when you start this book, be sure you have no other demands on your time that day. You'll never put the book down until you've read to the stunning and thrilling conclusion!
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Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
This is a good series!
The protagonist (police chief Kate Burkholder) is typically conflicted -- being a former Amish living among her people but not of them.. she is shunned by her former friends and family and this plot could not have happened among the English (Non-Amish). Castillo, the author, understands Amish life and culture. I read the book in a day! Fast moving mystery, my favorite kind of book. I recommend the entire series. I own them all.
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Marge V. (Merriam, KS)
Brilliance, Thy Name is Kate Burkholder!
Linda Castillo has got to be one of the best writers in the country--she mixes believable crime, culture (Amish) in small town America (rural Ohio), and mystery into her Police Chief Kate Burkholder books--her other writings are great, too, but Kate has held my interest throughout all five books, so far. This latest venture into the Holmes County sheriff's world does not disappoint. Her writing of the Amish culture doesn't ring false and the entire plot and solution comes to a satisfying conclusion.
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Roni S. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Her Last Breath
This is an excellent police procedural mystery with a touch of romance.The chief of police, Kate Burkholder,(who once was Amish) investigates an Amish buggy accident. A past crime is another thread that runs through the book. This book is well written and hard to put down. I finished the book in 3 days and normally it would take me one month to read 300 pages. Anyone interested in learning about the Amish culture would enjoy this. This is the fifth in the Kate Burkholder series and I look forward to reading the earlier books.
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