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There are currently 28 member reviews
for Her Last Breath
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Monica G. (San Antonio, TX)
A Good Mystery
Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is called to the scene of a hit and run that strikes a personal note when she finds that the victims are the husband and children of her childhood best friend.
There's baggage in this former friendship due to her upbringing, then leaving, the Amish community. There's more baggage coming from Kate's relationships with her brother and sister, who are still Amish and in the fact that they are all helping Kate hide a secret from her past that could destroy their lives, as well as her own life and career. Add a semi-new personal relationship into the mix and it makes for a fast read with a quick plot line, easy to remember characters, and a slightly surprising ending. Overall, a very enjoyable read that stands alone in the Kate Burkholder series.
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Shelby L. (Hamden, CT)
Some Doubts
I have never read any of the other books in the series and this was a wonderful introduction to Kate Burkholder, smart, empathetic, tough yet human with doubts and mistakes made in her life. The plot is satisfying although I didn't feel compelled to read it in one sitting as others did.
What troubled me was the ending [edited for plot spoiler], which was too neat. Although there were hints along the way as to who the killer could have been I was shocked and annoyed that it all came together so quickly.
Nevertheless it was a good read if you could accept it at "written value"
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Maggie P. (Mount Airy, MD)
Just one more chapter
This is Linda Castillo's fifth installment in her Kate Burkholder series. "Her Last Breath" does well as a stand-alone read; it does not leave the reader confused about what happened before but it will have the reader wanting to read more about Kate and Tomasetti. As Kate tries to solve the identity of the hit and run driver who killed an Amish father and 2 of his children, Kate must also face ghosts from her past. I had a hard time putting the book down; I would tell myself "just one more chapter" before going to bed. "Her Last Breath" is great for anyone who likes mysteries, particularly those with a surprise ending.
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Chris W. (Temple City, CA)
Amish mystery
A well written mystery involving a collision between an Amish family riding in their buggy and a high speed vehicle - was it an accident or murder? There was a lot of interesting information about police procedure and Amish culture. The characters were developed well. It is a page turner and I was really surprised by the ending. I look forward to reading the other books in this series but will note that this book stands alone. It would lend itself to fascinating discussions about the Amish way of life.
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Portia A. (Mount Laurel, NJ)
A good read!
I enjoyed this very well written Amish thriller. I love a mystery that surprises me at the end, and "Her Last Breath" did exactly that. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that it is part of a series and I haven't read the previous books.
I will now.
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Julia E. (Atlanta, GA)
As meaty as a Hostess Twinkie
Her Last Breath is author Linda Castillo's fifth in her mystery police procedurals featuring Kate Burkholder as police chief in the small Amish town of Painters Mill, Ohio. The series began in 2007 with Sworn to Silence, which has recently been adapted into a Lifetime Original TV movie.
Prior to the Amish series, Castillo was a prolific author of Romance novels for publishing imprints such as Berkley Sensation, Harlequin Intrigue, and Silhouette Intimate Moments. The Virginia Romance Writers awarded her its Holt Medallion.
Castillo's grounding in the Romance tradition is evident in Her Last Breath. A pleasing page-turner, the novel is as meaty as a Hostess Twinkie: two-dimensional characters, slim improbable plot. The book's saving grace is its setting in an Amish community, and the intriguing contrast with surrounding Englisher (21st century American) culture.
A good beach book, one that you would not regret leaving in the rental cottage at summer's end.
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Mary G. (River Forest, IL)
A Good Crime Story but...
I was just impatient with it, but maybe that's just me. Castillo kept interrupting the mystery with the female cop's love life - or lack thereof - and I'm not a romance fan. Neither did I much care about learning her reasons for turning away love when she had the chance. Before you assume I'm hard to please, I very much liked the tracking of the murderer(s) (not to give anything away) and the Amish background. So if you like to mix your genres, this may be the book for you...for me, not so much.
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