Pray for Silence (2010) is the second novel in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder mystery series. I read the first book Sworn to Silence a few years ago and loved it. And what really sold me, in additioni to the writing and the small town Amish community setting, was the chemistry between Police Chief Kate Burkholder and Ohio State Agent John Tomasetti.

And in book two, Pray for Silence, Tomasetti arrives in Painters Mill, Ohio to help Kate solve a gruesome crime. The Plank family are Amish and all 7 members, the parents and 5 children, are found tortured and killed in their home. This case hits home for Kate and John because of the horror, but also because both detectives have demons. Police Chief Kate Burkholder grew up in an Amish household but was forced to leave, exiled at 18. And State Agent John Tomasetti’s trauma is particularly bad. He lost his wife and two daughters several years back when a drug dealer decided to take revenge.

When Pray for Silence begins Tomasetti is barely holding up. Kate calls him in for help on the Plank murders but he neglects to tell her that due to his panic attacks he has been suspended unless he completes mandatory therapy. In the meantime Tomasetti is not supposed to be working on cases, but that doesn’t stop him.

Truth be told, I didn’t care for Pray for Silence. The brutality of the Plank family murders was disturbing enough, but the novel turns even darker once the investigation begins and we learn in detail why they were killed. But I retain very fond memories of book one in the series, Sworn to Silence. And with that in mind I will be heading on to book three Breaking Silence in a few months.