An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo

I love Linda Castillo.  Not in a romantic way.  But as one of my favorite authors.

When people ask me for my favorite author, I don't have one, but I have many. And one of the best is Linda Castillo.  She and Dana Stabenow are always at the top.

She writes a compelling mystery and each new book in her Kate Burkholder series is as good as the first.  This is not true for all of the series that I enjoy.  One of the best parts is how Kate grows and changes over time.  This is also true of Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak.  The experiences they have is manifested in their characters and I truly love this.  The characters written by Jack Reacher and Stephanie Plum are pretty much the same in each book. 

In Castillo's newest book, An Evil Heart, Police Chief Kate Burkholder once again has a murder to solve.  A young, well liked Amish man has been killed by a crossbow and she needs to find the killer while still planning her wedding.  Murder investigations take whatever time is necessary and this adds a nice back story to the darkness of a terrible murder.

In typical fashion, Kate dives in to solving the murder and uses her knowledge of the Amish community to her advantage.  

I truly love this series.  As with most series, I suggest starting with the first book and reading in order. Sworn To Silence is the first one, so start there.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne

 I volunteer at the library in Purcellville.  Recently I was shelving some books and found one that looked interesting.  This is a major perk when working in a library.

The book is The Gatekeeper.  The front cover had a quote praising it from Robert Crais.  He is a favorite author of mine so I took a chance and checked it out. I'm so glad I did.

The main character is Desmond Aloysius Limerick, called Dez.  He has obvious military training, but which one and where?  He is, in fact a gatekeeper.  The man who opens gates and holds them or closes gates and holds them for whatever operation is going on.  He has more than a "particular set of skills".

He saves a woman from being kidnapped and thereby discovers a plot to take over a section of California. This involves Russians, white supremacists, and the military...these are book topics I generally avoid like the plague, but in this case it all works.

It also mentions the Department of Energy and PG&E, both places that my brother has worked. We both like similar books so I texted him to get it even before I finished the book.  It is that good.  

The action takes place in about a week and is fast paced and with smart people and a lot of action. I liked Dez so much, that when I finished the book I went online to see if there was another one with him.  The ending suggested as much.  There is!  Deadlock is next on my list.  Think Jack Reacher, but shorter, tougher and very funny.

This book calls out for a new movie franchise.  I wish my son-in-law, Rob Yescombe, who writes screenplays, would option it!  But he doesn't write other people's ideas, only his own. In fact,  he has a movie in post production and I can't wait to watch it.  Make sure to see Grand Death Lotto when it comes out!