Linda Castillo is an incredibly well-known American novelist, and she is well known for the romance and suspense novels she started her career writing.
However, since the start of her career, she has shifted her focus to the Kate Burkholder series which is now what has led to most of her success.
These are crime thrillers that take place in the Amish country and follow a younger girl who lives in Painters Mill which is a town in Ohio.
She survived being attacked by a serial killer, however, she realized that she did not belong in her community, and now years later is asked to return to be the Chief of Police in the town.
One passion that is easy to recognize in a lot of Linda Castillo’s work is the passion that she has for horses.
They are mentioned relatively often in her work, and she lives on a Ranch with her husband in Texas where they own two Blue Heelers and three Appaloosas.
In this guide we will be going over all of Linda Castillo’s published books going as early as 2000, however, we will be mostly focusing on Kate Burkholder since this is her longest series to date and the one which you should know how to read in order.
So, if you are interested in Castillo’s work, then keep reading to get the information you are after!
More About Linda Castillo Books
As mentioned in the introduction, Linda Castillo’s most popular series is her Kate Burkholder series, however, we can see what influenced this writing when we look at her other earlier series.
If you are interested in her Kate Burkholder series, this is where we recommend you start. However, since this is such a long series it can be easy to get burnt out.
Because of this, we recommend trying some of her earlier series if you want to give Burkholder a break!
Linda Castillo Books In Order
As we mentioned in the introduction, we will primarily be focusing on the Kate Burkholder series since this is where most of Linda Castillo’s work is contained, and this is the series that is recommended you know the order in which to read the most.
This series is long and can be difficult to work through, so we do not recommend trying to read it all in one go.
Because of this, try breaking up this series by checking out some of her earlier work, which we will mention after the Kate Burkholder series.
The Kate Burkholder Series Order
The Kate Burkholder series is incredibly long but it is rewarding to read and the character of Kate is an interesting one to follow.
Since the series is so long, people often do not know how to approach it, so read this guide to get all the information you need on how to read this series!
The first story in the Kate Burkholder series takes place in Painters Mill Ohio and we are introduced to Kate who in her youth survived the series of murders that took place in her hometown, and now 16 years later she is back working as the chief of police investigating a new murder.
Pros
Great at setting up the rest of the Kate Burkholder series
The follow up to the original Kate Burkholder follows the Planks who want to continue their peaceful life after moving to Painters Mill, however, when all seven of them are found dead, Kate Burkholder needs to work out what happened.
We follow the model farmer Slabaugh family whose parents and the uncle die from a gruesome methane poisoning due to a poorly ventilated cesspit, however, when one of them is found to have a head injury, it is likely there is more to it.
Pros
The Slabaught family death is interesting to uncover
We return to Painters Mill during Rumspringa when the teens can live without rules, however, when one of these teens goes missing with no trace, the fun quickly comes to an end.
This is a short story in the Kate Burkholder series taking place in autumn following Kate and John on a vacation that gets cut short following rumors of a haunting.
A beloved figure in the community is discovered to have been killed by a crossbow.
Pros
Characters at their best
Cons
Poor pacing
Linda Castillo’s Other Series
On top of the Kate Burkholder series, Linda Castillo has also penned 2 other shorter series before this series started.
This is the High County Heroes Series and the Operation: Midnight series, we will mention both here so you can see if they are the types of books that will interest you!
High County Heroes Series Order
This series starts with us following an amnesiac pregnant woman who is being targeted by someone who wants her dead. We then follow her romance with her savior.
Each entry in this series follows a similar formula with the series being mostly self-contained but carrying over certain themes and elements. If you are interested you can read them in this order;
In a similar style to her previous series, the Operation: Midnight Tango series follows different couples and romantic situations usually revolving around secret agents and the CIA.
This theme is slightly different from the previous trilogy. This is her last series before Kate Burkholder, so if you want to see how her writing style developed before this series, this is the best place to look!
On top of her series Linda Castillo also has some standalone stories which we recommend checking out, here they are in order of publication, there is no recommended order since they are all individual stories!
Hi, my name is Anna Davis and I have been working with books for five years now. I got a job at my local library, so I could be closer to all of the books! I created this website in the hopes of inspiring others to start reading again. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your new favorite book from my site!
