Linda Castillo's second novel, "Pray for Silence," shows dramatic improvement over her previous work -- which wasn't bad to begin with.In this story, Amish walk-away Kate Burkholder, chief of police in the tiny town of Painters Mills, finds herself faced with a multiple homicide. The entire Plank family has been murdered, with the daughters killed in a particularly dramatic fashion. As she investigates the case, Kate has to face some of her own issues concerning her Amish heritage. Throw in her complicated relationship with former colleague John Tomasetti, on administrative leave from his own police department but assisting with the case, and you have a complex and entertaining novel that doesn't let you go from beginning to end.One of the Plank daughters, Mary, kept a journal that Kate finds while examining the crime scene, detailing her love affairs with an "English" (non-Amish) man in every way except mentioning his name. Deciphering the diary becomes an obsession for Kate, and eventually helps to turn the case -- but not without some harrowing incidents in the mean while.The suspense in the story is well-crafted, and the characters are believable people with foibles. Even the "good guys" have their own sets of problems.Highly recommended for mystery and police procedural fans.
