Her Last Breath (Kate Burkholder #5) by Linda Castillo

Release Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Series: Kate Burkholder #5

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Making their way home on a rainy night, an Amish father and his children are blindsided by a speeding car. Chief Kate Burkholder is first on scene when she is shocked to see a familiar face among those injured. Pushing her emotions aside, she puts herself on auto-pilot to ensure a proper investigation to find the person responsible for so much destruction and pain.

Kate begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together when more faces from her past come back to haunt her in the present. The codes that the Amish follow contradict the laws that Kate swears to uphold. Despite the backlash, she will push herself to finish the job, no matter the resistance she encounters or those who stand in her way. Can her personal life handle the trials of her job? Will she allow herself a moment to breathe or continue to force herself into the job?

Review:
Normally, I don't enter giveaways at Goodreads.com that aren't the first of a series unless I'm already familiar with the previous books. It's kind of like setting down to watch a movie after it's been on for an hour already. But the blurb was really intriguing to me. I'm happy to say that I entered and won the book.

The action in the book starts right away as we meet the family. Shortly after we get a glimpse of their lives, the accident happens and leaves us with questions that the main character goes on the hunt for. The author does a great job of inserting events of the previous books into the story to help the plot instead of hindering. It kept the story moving at a steady pace. Characters that had been introduced in previous books slipped into this book without causing a ripple in the current story.

Both the English and Amish worlds were represented well within the book. Rules and codes were explained in a way that seemed logical and not just tossed aside. I loved how the characters in both worlds embodied their ways of life without apologizing for them. Secrets abide in any society and they come to light in their own time. The characters were real, flawed and had me rooting for them - even as they admitted their own sins. Combined with an ending that I didn't see coming, I really liked this series. The book is great as a standalone read but I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Her Last Breath (Kate Burkholder #5)  by Linda Castillo is available in several forms including Kindle, hardback, paperback and audiobook. It can be purchased at Amazon.com by choosing the link below.
Her Last Breath (Kate Burkholder #5) by Linda Castillo