Book Talk: ‘The Hidden One’ is exciting new novel from Linda Castillo
Kate Burkholder is out of her jurisdiction in “The Hidden One,” 14th in Linda Castillo’s series about a police chief in a small Holmes County town with a large Amish population. She also is away from her staff and her significant other, an Ohio Bureau of Investigation agent. She’ll have to rely on her own resources, which are plentiful.
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Kate was raised Amish until she left the church at age 18, after experiencing a horrific trauma and being generally unsuited for the life, but she is quite suited to her job of mediating altercations between tourists and residents. She’s doing just that, albeit on her day off, when her dispatcher calls to tell her three men are waiting in her office, having come from Pennsylvania to see her.
The men are Amish officials of their district and tell her that a skeleton that was discovered in a field was recently identified as a former bishop who had disappeared 18 years before. Along with his bones was found an antique muzzleloader rifle that belonged to Jonas Bowman, who once lived in Painters Mill and was Kate’s teenage sweetheart. He acknowledges that the gun is his but denies killing the bishop. The Pennsylvania men want Kate’s help to clear Jonas.
Extracting information from the local police is difficult, and Kate has mixed results talking to the Amish locals. She learns that the dead bishop had been exceedingly strict, having excommunicated Jonas’ father for using a diesel-powered tractor. From other sources, she hears that he had committed many acts inconsistent with the peaceful sect.
There are several flashbacks to Kate’s adolescence and an atrocious trauma she suffered.
Devoted readers of this outstanding series may miss Kate’s well-developed regular supporting characters at the outset, but the exciting plot and double-fake conclusion will relieve them of any objections.
“The Hidden One” (320 pages, hardcover) costs $27.99 from Minotaur. Linda Castillo grew up in Ithaca, Ohio, a village in Darke County, and lives in Texas. In addition to the novels, there are several e-short stories in the series.
Linda Castillo, along with Tallmadge author Amanda Flower (“Peanut Butter Panic,” seventh in the Amish Candy Shop mystery series, will be published in September) and Medina County author Mary Ellis (Bourbon Tour mystery series), will discuss their work at 2 p.m. Sunday at Parma-Powers branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library (6996 Powers Blvd.; register at cuyahogalibrary.org), and from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Lake Community branch of Stark County District Library (565 Market Ave. SW, Uniontown; register at starklibrary.org).
‘Antioxidants Versus Free Radicals’
“Antioxidants Versus Free Radicals” by Dr. Alfred Casino, an Akron physician, is a slim book of health advice, mostly about how to prevent heart disease and cancer, and mostly with common-sense suggestions like exercise and avoiding smoking and saturated fats.
Casino cites avoiding stress and holding grudges, having a happy marriage, being a United States citizen and his religious beliefs for his reaching the age of 88. He also mentions surviving tuberculosis and bladder cancer, and his foundation to provide surgical correction for cleft palates in the Philippines, his native country.
“Antioxidants Versus Free Radicals” (54 pages, softcover) costs $8 from online retailers.
Cleveland poet honored
The National Beat Poet Laureate Foundation Inc. has named Cleveland poet John B. Burroughs as the U.S. Beat Poet Laureate for 2022-2023. Burroughs was the 2019-2021 Beat Poet Laureate for Ohio.
Events
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Phillip Kane signs “The Not So Subtle Art of Caring: Letters on Leadership,” featured June 26 in Book Talk, 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday; Laura Peskin and Randy Rosko sign “Deep Cover Cleveland Topics in Depth Vol. III,” a collection of little-known things about Northeast Ohio, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Medina County Public Library (Buckeye branch, 6625 Wolff Road, Medina): Scott Longert signs “Victory on Two Fronts: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball through the World War II Era,” 6 to 7 p.m. Monday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library: Leslie Hooton talks about her debut novel “The Secret of Rainy Days,” 7 p.m. Tuesday; Wade Rouse, who writes under his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, launches “The Edge of Summer,” in which a woman researches her mother’s past, 7 p.m. Wednesday; Barbara Graham (“What Jonah Knew”) and JoAnne Tompkins (“What Comes After”) talk about their work at 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Goodyear branch, 60 Goodyear Blvd.): Children’s author Lindsay Bonilla (“Polar Bear Island”) tells stories about whales, dolphins and other ocean creatures, 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): British author Ruth Ware discusses her thriller “The It Girl,” 7 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: David Allen, author of “Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life,” talks about “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” in a virtual event at noon Thursday. Register at smfpl.org.
Tuscarawas County Public Library (121 Fair Ave., New Philadelphia): Wendy Koile signs “Disasters of Ohio’s Lake Erie Islands, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at tusclibrary.org.
Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Fantasy/science fiction author J. Thorn, who contributed to “Carbon Almanac: It’s Not Too Late,” signs the collaborative book of climate science facts as part of what is billed as the largest book signing in history, with events on all seven continents, 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Visible Voice Books (2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland): Poets Diane Vogel Ferri, Barbara Marie Minney, Dianne Borsenik and Steve Thomas read from their work, 7 p.m. Saturday.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Linda Castillo’s new book ‘The Hidden One’ is suspenseful tale
