Kaceey’s Review:
A collection of short stories featuring my favorite character/series!
I had to laugh at myself just a little. When I requested this book all I saw was that it was a new release from Linda Castillo. I had no idea it wasn’t a full length novel!
Though I’m not a huge fan of short stories, how could I resist diving back into the life of Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police at Painters Mill, to see what she was up to.
There are six short stories included in this book. And I have to say I enjoyed every one of them though I was always left wanting more. Maybe another 200 pages to each story😂. Then I could enjoy 6 new full length books. I’m not asking too much here…am I?🤷🏻♀️
I do have Linda Castillo’s next release Fallen on my shelf and cannot wait to dive into it!
If you are a fan of the series and enjoy short stories don’t miss out!
A buddy read with Susanne.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC to read and review.
Susanne’s Review:
A Collection of Short Stories involving Kate Burkholder? Sign me up!
If only they had delivered as much as I’d hoped. Herein lies my problem with short stories – I’m often let wanting more and such was the case with most of the stories in “A Simple Murder” the collection by Linda Castillo.
Of the stories featured here, a few pulled me in. They were:
Long Lost: Here, Kate Burkholder and her partner John Tomasseti go away to a B&B for a long weekend only to discover that the town is embroiled in the case of a woman who went missing a few months prior. Though it’s not their jurisdiction, the two can’t help but dig around.
A Hidden Secret: The case of a newborn baby being left on the doorstep of the bishop’s house leads Burkholder and Tomasetti to investigate and well, gives the readers a lot to hope for.
In Plain Sight: In this well done short story, a young amish man is on the wrong end of a hit and run accident. The question, of course, is why. Brilliantly plotted, concise and well executed, if only all of the stories in this collection ended this perfectly, I would have been all in.
Truth be told, I was a little disappointed in this collection. I love Kate Burkholder. Her series is near and dear to my heart, but throughout this I just felt as though these stories were missing something and that they weren’t truly fleshed out enough. I am however an ardent fan of this series and the author and can’t wait to dive into her next full length novel “Fallen” which I have on my NetGalley shelf ready to read.
This was another buddy read with Kaceey.
Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Linda Castillo for the arc.
Published on Goodreads and Twitter on 3.4.21
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