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Outsider
by Linda Castillo is a captivating mystery/thriller about
a woman on the run, hiding among the Amish. The author is
one of today’s best mystery writers, like a fine wine
with each book better than the past one. It is somewhat of
a story of opposites and how they co-exist. There is the Amish
and “English,” bad cops versus good cops, the
main character Kate who is careful and guarded, contrasted
with her friend who is impulsive and reckless.
The book opens with Amish widower Adam Lengacher, while riding
a sleigh with his three small children, finding a crashed
car. Nearby he finds a woman with a gunshot wound who is asking
for Kate Burkholder. He takes her to his farmhouse where Kate
meets him. She realizes that the woman, Gina Colorosa is an
estranged friend who met and rescued Kate years ago shortly
after she left the Amish community. They went through the
police academy together and worked for the Columbus police
department until Kate questioned Gina’s behavior. Now
a decade later, Kate has become the police chief of Painter’s
Mill.
“I know some of my readers really loved her and some
did not. I did like her and thought she was a fun character
to write. She was actually mentioned in the very first book,
but in passing. She was the one who taught Kate not to be
Amish. I also hope readers enjoyed the moral questions that
came up. Kate wants to trust Gina to do the right thing. Because
the bad cops used intimidation, manipulation, and are so arrogant
they had power. They never thought they could get caught.
She is an ambiguous character. Generally speaking she has
a good heart. Overall, a thrill seeker, an adventurer, charming,
fearless, and rough around the edges. Even though she got
in with the wrong crowd I do think she is a redeeming character
who at the end wanted to make things right. She has a conscience.
Because of her imperfections she was filled with regret, shame,
and grief, and did realize she had some issues she must atone
for.”
Kate finds out that Gina is being pursued by crooked and corrupt
cops. Gina tells how she is being framed because she was the
cause of a quiet investigation on them, currently in progress.
Now Kate, with the help of her lover, John Tomasetti, working
for the Ohio Bureau of Investigation, must unravel the lies
from the truth. Is Gina innocent, guilty, or somewhere in
between? Should she turn in this woman she considered a sister,
or help hide and protect her?
“I wrote this book a while back before all this happened
with the police had come to light. I am a crime buff and have
read real-life cases. Every police officer is an individual.
The Columbus police force did get into trouble. Also, a scene
in the book was inspired by what happened in the Houston police
force. I wanted to show how nobody is perfect and, in every
profession, there are bad guys and good guys. Also, there
has to be disastrous no-knock warrants. There have been some
disastrous ones. Just imagine all the kinds of things that
can go wrong. The home owner does not know who is bursting
into their home. What if they had a gun and the police have
guns? It is dangerous for everyone involved. I wanted to explore
what happens when the police intelligence is wrong or if the
police have an ulterior motive.”
To make matters worse, which ramps up the tension, is a blizzard
that keeps everyone stranded at the farmhouse, basically isolated
from the outside world. The only way to travel is by sled.
Readers feel they are trapped with the characters; yet, they
are able to get a portrait of Amish daily life. The scene
with the calf is not only informative, but it is a welcome
release of the tension.
As with every Kate Burkholder book, readers become disappointed
when they are finished because they must wait a whole year
until the next one. The author is an expert on using the weather,
Amish life, and a crime to build the suspense. In the midst
of all the retirements among police officers today people
have to hope Kate never retires.
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