Her Last Breath: A Kate Burkholder Novel (Kate Burkholder, 5)
Her Last Breath: A Kate Burkholder Novel (Kate Burkholder, 5) book cover

Her Last Breath: A Kate Burkholder Novel (Kate Burkholder, 5)

Mass Market Paperback – December 6, 2016

by
Price
$10.99
Publisher
Minotaur Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1250105523
Dimensions
4.3 x 1.75 x 6.65 inches
Weight
5.6 ounces

Description

"A fast-paced mystery that will leave readers stunned."--"Kirku"s (Starred Review) on "Her Last Breath" "Exciting . . . Castillo ratchets up the tension nicely before the disconcerting ending."--"Publishers Weekly" on "Gone Missing" "Castillo melds deeply flawed characters with a glimpse into a unique community in which isolation can hide a plethora of secrets." --"Publishers Weekly" on "Breaking Silence" "Shades of In Cold Blood . . . Another chilling thriller." --"People" on "Pray for Silence" "Compelling characters, excellent plotting and a hair-raising finale." --"USA Today" on "Sworn to Silence" "Absolutely stunning. . . . A perfectly crafted thriller." --Lisa Scottoline on "Sworn to Silence" "Exciting . . . Castillo ratchets up the tension nicely before the disconcerting ending."--"Publishers Weekly "on "Gone Missing""Castillo melds deeply flawed characters with a glimpse into a unique community in which isolation can hide a plethora of secrets." --"Publishers Weekly" on "Breaking Silence""Shades of "In Cold Blood" . . . Another chilling thriller." --"People" magazine on "Pray for Silence""Compelling characters, excellent plotting and a hair-raising finale." --"USA"" Today" on "Sworn to Silence""Absolutely stunning. . . . A perfectly crafted thriller." --Lisa Scottoline on "Sworn to Silence" "Exciting . . . Castillo ratchets up the tension nicely before the disconcerting ending."--"Publishers Weekly "on "Gone Missing""Castillo melds deeply flawed characters with a glimpse into a unique community in which isolation can hide a plethora of secrets." --"Publishers Weekly" on "Breaking Silence""Shades of "In Cold Blood" . . . Another chilling thriller." --"People" magazine on "Pray for Silence""Compelling characters, excellent plotting and a hair-raising finale." --"USA"" Today" on "Sworn to Silence""Absolutely stunning. . . . A perfectly crafted thriller." --Lisa Scottoline on "Sworn to Silence" Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence , was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and an appearance on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book.

Features & Highlights

  • BONUS STORY INSIDE!
  • A hit-and-run accident tears an Amish community apart in this novel of breathless suspense from
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author Linda Castillo.
  • It’s a rainy night in Painter’s Mill when, from out of nowhere, a speeding car comes hurtling toward an Amish man and his three children. What at first seems like a tragic but routine car accident becomes personal for Chief of Police Kate Burkholder when she discovers that the victims are the family of her childhood friend, Mattie.
  • “A stunner.”―
  • Publishers Weekly
  • (starred review)
  • As Kate delves into the investigation, she comes face-to-face with her own Amish past and memories of growing up with Mattie, an extraordinary beauty for whom trouble has never been far behind. Is there something more to this mysterious car crash that killed Mattie’s husband? What is Mattie hiding―and who is she trying to protect? Meanwhile, Mattie’s son―the only one who really knows what happened―clings to life in the hospital, unable to communicate. Desperate for answers, Kate slowly uncovers the trail of a stone-cold killer―one who is likely living among the Amish, and calls into question everything and everyone Kate has ever known…in
  • Her Last Breath.
  • “Masterful.”―
  • Booklist
  • (starred review)

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(2K)
★★★★
25%
(851)
★★★
15%
(511)
★★
7%
(238)
★
-7%
(-238)

Most Helpful Reviews

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IT WAS NO ACCIDENT...

I love these books about murder and mystery in rural Ohio in the heart of Amish country. Featuring Kate Burkholder, who is the Police Chief of the small town of Painters Mill and is herself formerly Amish, I find these books to be a highly enjoyable series, due to my interest in the Amish and my love of cozy mysteries and police procedurals.

Here, a terrible buggy accident that kills an Amish man and two of his three children, injuring the third, is tragic, but it becomes personal for Chief Burkholder when she discovers them to be the husband and children of her childhood friend, Mattie, a beautiful Amish woman who has got that something something. When it is determined that this may not have been an accident, it is obvious that there is more to this case than meets the eye.

As with all the books in this series, one discovers a little more about the Amish in general, which is always interesting. As with all cozy mysteries, the recurring characters keep developing and are fully fleshed. The plot is intriguing, though perhaps a tad far fetched. The one thing that I found irksome, however, is that a troubling issue from Kate's past is resurrected but not reconciled in either this or in the succeeding two novels in the series. It is just a loose end left hanging. I hope that it will be reconciled, perhaps in one of the few remaining novels that I have not yet read.

Still, I enjoyed this book. It is, overall, a very interesting series. I look forward to reading each and everyone.
3 people found this helpful
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I have enjoyed every one of the Linda Castillo books I have ...

I have enjoyed every one of the Linda Castillo books I have read. Like the plots and she definitely keeps them exciting enough to keep reading.
So far it is 7 books and no need to read them in order. Each one may have a past or future about Kate, but each book holds its own.
1 people found this helpful
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Great Series

Have just read this author for the first time and will be buying all her books!
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Five Stars

Very suspenseful book! Will definitely be reading it again!
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Another great book in this series!

Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo is the fifth book in the Kate Burkholder series. When there's a hit and run involving an Amish buggy, Kate Burkholder, the police chief of Painter's Mill, is on the case.

I adore Linda Castillo's Amish mysteries. They're absolutely riveting in that they unlock a whole different world that I only ever see from a distance. Castillo's knowledge about the Amish runs deep, which makes her novels seem very realistic and all the more captivating.

As with the other books in the Kate Burkholder series, Her Last Breath was well written and fast-paced. The opening chapters introduce the accident with the buggy and the murdered family, and it keeps you hooked from there.

Once the buggy murder is introduced, you follow Kate Burkholder as she works to unlock the mystery behind the murder. As with the other books in the series, there's a dash of romance, some witty banter, and a whole lot of heart-pounding action. I've never been good at guessing the murderer in Castillo's books, and Her Last Breath was no different. I would have never guessed the killer! I enjoy books that surprise me and keep me guessing, so this book was perfect.

I really liked the ending in Her Last Breath. All of Castillo's books have heart-pounding endings, but this one in particular had me on the edge of my seat. When life and death hang in the balance, it's always an exciting ride!

The characters in the Kate Burkholder series are wonderful. I feel like Her Last Breath continued to develop Kate's character further, but the rest of the characters kind of took a backseat. I think that's okay, since the characters have been well-developed over the last several books--I feel like I know all of them pretty well.

I'm thankful they kept the same narrator as they've used with the last four books, because she is wonderful! She has a great voice--very expressive--and her voice fits the character of Kate well.

If you enjoy thrillers and mysteries, you need to check out this series! Stop by my Book Review Index to check out my reviews for the earlier books in the Kate Burkholder series!
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Five Stars

her style of writing about people who are not what they seem
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Hit and run

This is fifth in the series. The crime is a hit and run. A car that plows into a buggy with an Amish dad and his 3 kids returning home from a doctor appt. and a stop at the ice cream stand. All but one child dies. Kate B. is on it and the culprit is someone she doesn't suspect - the driver, that is. The one who planned the crime she suspected even less. She almost dies in this one as the hit and run culprit tries to kill her by drowning in her own car, pushing it over the precipice into a water pit. I had to wonder as I read this last addition to the series if she has something against the Amish.
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Mystery With a Twist

This is gripping from the start, beginning with an Amish buggy hit-and- run accident that is fatal for the father and two of his three small children. Kate Burkholder, Chief of police, discovers that the hit-and-run “accident” was not an accident after all, but intentional! The widow was her best childhood friend. This is such a sad story with a surprise ending.

This book had my attention right from the start and held it all the way through. Kate Burkholder really needs to work on her hand-to-hand combat though! Anyhow, this is a good mystery and also had a bit of romance as well as some suspense. It had three storylines: the main murder mystery, Kate’s past catching up to her and the romance between Kate and Tomasetti with action near the end with a surprise twist.
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Five Stars

Good book.
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LOVE LOVE

So difficulty to put down any of the Kate Burkholder books once you start. LOVE LOVE LOVE

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