Guest Post

Guest post by Linda Castillo plus giveaway!

Posted Michelle Dawn

THE DEAD WILL TELL

the-dead-will-tellWhen I was a kid, I believed in ghosts.  You know, those restless souls belonging to people who’d died violently or before their time or, perhaps, left something important unfinished.  Ghosts were scary, mysterious things.  But of course they were just the musings of a seven-year-old farm girl with a big imagination and too much time on her hands.  Right?

The first house I remember living in with my parents and siblings was a one-hundred-and-sixty-eight-year-old farmhouse in rural Ohio.  We lived there until I was about seven or eight years old.  Set at the end of a long, gravel lane, the house and barns were surrounded by tall rows of corn, soybean fields, and impenetrable woods.  Rumor had it, the spooky old place had once been a stagecoach stop.  It was also purported to have been part of the Underground Railroad.  There were even stories about a man that hung himself in my sister’s upstairs bedroom.  The attic was particularly intriguing to this young explorer’s sense of adventure.  It had a winding, creaking wood staircase that led to a dusty room full of old shoes, yellowed newspapers and boxes.  Also on the property were two huge red barns where bats hung in the rafters, and an old silo that groaned when the wind blew.  Most kids would have been creeped out by the crumbling old place and all the talk of ghosts.  But I loved the mystery of it and that tantalizing element of the unknown.

Looking back, I realize that house was the perfect venue in which to ignite the muse of a future thriller writer.  Growing up in a place filled with so much mystery and so many stories was perfect fodder for a young imagination, and I hungrily gobbled up every last detail.

I still love a good ghost story and I was particularly excited when the idea for THE DEAD WILL TELL, which is the sixth book in my Kate Burkholder Amish thriller series, began to take shape.  The series is set in Ohio’s Amish country—Holmes County—in the fictitious town of Painters Mill.  I couldn’t think of a more interesting place to set a murder mystery.  One of the things I love most about it is the juxtaposition of wholesome living and the introduction of something evil.  With THE DEAD WILL TELL, formerly Amish Chief of Police Kate Burkholder has her hands full . . .

Everyone in Painters Mill knows the abandoned Hochstetler farm is haunted. Ghost stories abound, but no one knows what really happened that terrible night thirty-five years ago when an Amish father and his four children perished—and his young wife disappeared without a trace.

When Kate is called to the scene of an apparent suicide—a man found hanging from the rafters in his barn—evidence quickly points to murder. She finds herself chasing a difficult and elusive trail that somehow points back to the tragedy of that long ago incident. Meanwhile, Kate has moved in with state agent John Tomasetti and for the first time in a long time, she’s happy. Their newfound bliss is shattered when one of the men responsible for the murders of Tomasetti’s family four years ago is found not guilty and walks away a free man.

When a second man turns up dead, Kate discovers a link that sends the investigation in a direction no one could imagine and a horrifying truth that reaches deep into the past to unearth long-buried secrets and ties that strike at the very heart of Painters Mill. As Kate draws a bead on a stone cold killer, a murderer vows to right old wrongs and kill anyone who stands in the way.

her last breath

I love this blog post Linda! Thank you so much for sharing with us today. Readers, Linda has graciously offered to give one lucky reader the chance to win Her Last Breath which is the book right before The Dead Will Tell. Good Luck!

To enter leave a comment below. If you would like an Extra chance share this link on Facebook or Twitter. Remember to leave another comment if you did.

**Contest starts today Monday, June 23rd and ends on Monday, June 30th.**

 linda-castillo

 

Linda Castillo is the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Burkholder series, including Sworn to Silence and Her Last Breath, crime thrillers set in Amish country.  Sworn to Silence was recently adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder.  Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence and the Holt Medallion, and she received a nomination for the Rita.  She lives in Texas with her husband, two Appaloosa horses and three loveable dogs.  She’s currently at work on her next novel.

Georgeandmissy2


58 thoughts on “Guest post by Linda Castillo plus giveaway!”

  3. Linda, you’re a new author to me, but an Amish thriller…count me in!!! Thanks for sharing with us!

    Reply

  7. Have heard of Linda Castillo but have yet to read a book by her.
    Thanks for this opportunity 🙂

    Reply

  8. I am looking forward to reading Her Last Breath. It is fun meeting new authors! Thank you for your giveaway!

    Blessings!
    Judy B

    Reply

  13. Have not read anything by Linda Castillo. Thank you for the opportunity to win Her Last Breath!!

    Reply

  16. I’d love an opportunity to win a book by Linda Castillo! I’ve enjoyed several Katie Burkholder books and enjoyed the movie. The blog post was really interesting, I loved reading it. The house Linda grew up in sounds so much like my great aunts house that we visited often growing up. Even hidden stairwells! Thanks!

    Reply

  17. This sounds like an amazing book, and it’s a combination of my 2 favorite genres: Amish Fiction & Murder Mysteries! I’d be honored to win! Thank you so much for this giveaway, and God bless!

    P.S. I also shared this on Facebook! Hope I can win!

    Reply

  21. I would love a chance to win Her Last Breath. I love reading Amish Fiction but have never read a murder one before. Sounds interesting. Thank you for sharing and a chance to win! ~ Blessings ~

    Reply

  26. I would love the chance to win Her Last Breath. I like to read Amish Books. Thanks for sharing and for a chance to win a neat book.

    Reply

  31. Can’t wait to read this book! I have read all the Kate Burkholder books. They are hard to put down once you star.

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  34. I have loved reading all of your books. You pulled me in from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat. Looking forward to reading this one.

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  39. I have read all of your books……loved everyone of them. There is nothing as good as a mystery in Amish country!!!!

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  40. Would love to read this Book, first time with this Author… Love the Cover too that is what attracts my eye to a Book..

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  41. I haven’t read any of this series of stories, but the blog post made me very curious. I’d love to know what really happens in HER LAST BREATH.I

    I shared the link before I started to leave this reply.

    Reply

  43. Amish fiction is my favorite genre but I havent actually read an amish murder mystery before. This book sounds very intriguing.

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  45. I love Amish fiction. This book sounds interesting, especially since the contest timeframe coincides with my birthday!

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  46. I love reading Linda’s books. Can’t wait to add this one to my bookshelf with the others. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.

    Reply

  49. I would love to win a copy of Linda’s new book. They are really good reading. Thank you for the chance.

    Reply

  52. Welcome, Linda. This is the first time I heard about you and would so love to win your book. Then I can get your other books! I am entering and hoping to win. I love, love, love reading Christian fiction especially about the Amish. Thanks for this contest. Mary Lou K
    [email protected]

    Reply

  53. Thanks for the wonderful article. I can’t wait to read “The Dead Will Tell”. I love this series so much!

    Reply

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