Linda Castillo’s latest collection, A Dark Path and Other Kate Burkholder Short Stories, is dedicated to all of us. “This short story collection is dedicated to all of the readers, booksellers, and librarians who have read and loved the Kate Burkholder series. Thank you all!” And, for everyone who has felt the last couple mysteries were a little gruesome, let me assure you that no one dies in the course of any of these stories. That’s not really a spoiler. It’s a reassurance. However, there’s still a great deal of tension.
There are six stories in this collection. The stories cover a period of time before the latest novel since most of them are before Kate’s marriage to Tomasetti. He’s still her “significant other” in the first four stories. But, he’s definitely a part of her life, and the cases. In fact, he’s the one who expresses that some of the cases involving the Amish and the English are lessons in tolerance.
For those unfamiliar with the mysteries, Kate Burholder is the Chief of Police in Painters Mill, Ohio, a small town of 5,300, where a third of the residents are Amish. She herself was raised Amish, but left the lifestyle when she was eighteen. Despite the fact that some Amish want nothing to do with her, when there’s trouble, she’s the one they call. John Tomasetti lives with her on a farm in Wooster. He’s an agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. She has a small team, although with the short stories, we read more about the dispatchers than the officers.
The six stories in the collection often involve animals or bad weather in this rural landscape. In “The Pact”, two eleven-year-old boys, one Amish and one English run away so they can remain friends, but they plan to be heroes. Their plans don’t quit end up as they expected when they’re chased into the woods, and eventually get lost.
In “Disappeared”, a two-year-old toddler vanishes from his bed in the middle of the night. While the police and Amish search, the teenage mother knows more than she’s letting her parents know. It’s one of my favorites.
“Blood Moon” is set on a foggy night. When a Amish man is attacked, and barn animals later raise a fuss, there are stories of a three hundred pound black beast with fangs. Remember this name: Elmer. While none of the stories are funny, Elmer may make you smile.
Honeybear, a Great Pyrenees, discovers old bones In “Hallowed Ground”. It’s an account of history versus modern plans, and a confrontation in a graveyard.
I had read “Dark Storm” before, an account of intimidation of the Amish that Kate and Tomasetti uncover while on their honeymoon. Don’t mess with an elderly Amish woman is the lesson in this one.
The final story, “A Dark Path”, also has a formidable Amish woman in it. But, it’s actually the story of a Labrador that comes out of nowhere. That dog forces Kate to crash when she’s on the road searching for two missing elderly Amish and their granddaughter. But, the dog stays with her until she can bring the investigation to a successful conclusion.
It’s obvious that Linda Castillo loves animals, and they’re featured in this enjoyable collection. It’s a treat not to read all the grisly details in A Dark Path and Other Kate Burkholder Short Stories.
Linda Castillo’s website is https://www.lindacastillo.com/
A Dark Path and Other Kate Burkholder Short Stores by Linda Castillo. Minotaur Books, 2026. 336p.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, with no expectations of a positive review.
