What readers think of Her Last Breath, plus links to write your own review.

Although I haven't read all the books in the Kate B. series, I have learned to love this character. The book is a page turner and I love reading about the Amish culture since I grew up not far from Amish country in PA.

I especially liked this book because it gave some additional insight into Kate's life. It is a very enjoyable read and I think all will enjoy. I look forward to the 6th installment.

Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo is the author's fifth book in an Amish mystery series. Castillo provides enough background on the story and characters to make this a great stand-alone or an enriching addition to the series about Police Chief Kate Burkholder, formerly Amish.

Fortunately, I was reading this in my doctor's waiting room. My heart stopped, figuratively, upon reading that bones had been found in an old, decrepit grain elevator. The suspense continues throughout the book.

If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. The Kate Burkholder series is absolutely excellent, but Linda Castillo has taken her newest entry, "Her Last Breath" to new heights.

Kate is the Police Chief of a small, predominantly Amish town. As a former member of the Amish religion, but having left the fold, she understands and loves the people, but for the most part, they are suspicious of her.

A family is killed when a speeding car hits their buggy, and when Kate investigates, she find that not only is she looking for the killer, but struggling with the prejudices of the Amish society, as well as having to face her own dark past.

I can't recommend this book too highly.

The newest installment in Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder Amish mysteries, "Her Last Breath," is perhaps the best in the series. From the opening chapter, the novel is gripping and fast-paced. Readers can't help but want to learn who might have committed a crime against an Amish family, and why.

While I won't give away any spoilers, I will say that I was completely shocked by the ending (in a good way). Castillo's twists and turns are always surprising, but this one in particular was so unexpected, my jaw literally dropped. Anyone following this series will love this book.

An easy to read, perfectly plotted mystery that twists and turns through picturesque Amish country in Ohio. This fast paced novel with its very charismatic, empathetic, strong-willed main character, Kate Burkholder, brought up Amish, but left the "life" to pursue her career as a police officer, kept this reviewer reading well into the night. The story starts with the tragic death of an Amish father and his two young children, when their horse drawn buggy becomes the victim of a hit and run driver in the early evening on a dark country road. Kate takes this hit and run personally and the story revolves around the mystery of who did it, and was it an accident or murder.

This is the fifth book in the author's Kate Burkholder series, but the first I have read. Consequently, I wasn't aware of story behind the body found in the old grain elevator, or her history with Tomsetti. However, it did add a whole unresolved second thread to the novel. Her Last Breath could be considered a standalone who-done-it, with many links to the past and some unanswered futures. This author does a pretty good job of presenting expository narratives to bring the reader up to date.

Disclosure: I am already a Linda Castillo fan and follow this series.
That being said, I was not disappointed in this book. It sustained a compelling plot about horrific murders while adding some romance and the intrigue of long-buried secrets.

Her characters ring true-the protagonist, Kate Burkholder, police chief- is a "fallen-away" Amish, and has the deep understanding of their customs together with the loneliness of being estranged from her culture.
Her love interest, John Tomasetti, whom she interestingly refers to by his last name, wavers between tolerance and impatience with her unwillingness to commit.

Peripheral characters share the laconic mistrust of the 'plain' folk for one who has left their ways.

I look forward to following this series in the future.

I had not read any of Linda Castillo's previous books, and I was frankly skeptical of the seemingly hyperbolic accolades on the cover. I was happy to be proven wrong. I started the book one morning and begrudged the time I had to be away from it. I did finish it that same day. The book opens with an incident so horrible that the sensitive reader may be given nightmares. Castillo moves the plot along skillfully as Chief of Police Burkholder unravels the mystery of the accident that was really a triple murder. Along the way, the reader learns a lot about the fascinating Amish culture, but not in a didactic fashion. The solution to the mystery caught me by surprise, and contained a really unexpected twist. I highly recommend "Her Last Breath". it is a book that will stay with you long after finish it.

Having read Linda Castillo's previous Amish mysteries, I expected a good story. Her Last Breath exceeded my expectations. Her deep understanding and compassion for the Amish way of life is exemplified in the main character of these novels, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. Violence against these peaceful people is inconceivable. Kate, once a member of this Amish community, must solve a crime against the family of someone she once knew and loved while facing cultural "roadblocks" at every turn.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery from a writer who has an amazing insight into the Amish, enabling the reader to become a part of that world, even as evil surrounds them. I'm looking forward to the next book from Ms. Castillo, and would highly recommend "Her Last Breath".