Shamed

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book details from Goodreads:

An Amish grandmother is murdered on an abandoned farm, her seven-year-old granddaughter abducted. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder plunges headlong into a case that quickly becomes a race against the clock. She knows the longer the girl is missing, the more likely a tragic outcome. 

The family of the missing girl is well thought of - a pillar of the Amish community. Their pain is palpable, and they cooperate in every way, but Kate soon learns they're keeping secrets....

The investigation takes Kate to an isolated Old Order Amish settlement along the river in Southern Ohio. At first, the community seems upstanding and helpful. But when Kate starts asking questions, they stonewall her - and the situation soon becomes dangerous. 

What are they hiding and why? After an attempt on her life, Kate unearths a haunting and tragic secret that changes everything she thought she knew about the family for whom she is fighting, the Amish community as a whole - and everything she thought she knew about herself. 

Will she reach the girl in time to save her life? 

REVIEW:  I do love the Katie Burkholder series, but I felt this book was the same thing as always. No one believing Katie when she had her hunches. Then there is the fact that it's pretty obvious how things are connected, but the famous chief of police just can't connect the dots.

I did like the premise behind the kidnapping. The Amish are not infallible, they are human and make many mistakes and their rumors among themselves hurt each other. Who really knows what the truth is, but I can see rumors and shame being the reason this was all set in stone.

Her and Tomasetti were caught leaving the same hotel room by the deputy from another county. Will this start a rumor among law enforcement? Will this cause Tomasetti to be moved to another location ending their relationship?

I hope, if there is another book, Chief Burkholder catches on using her brains and experience as an officer.

Definitely leaves you with a sick feeling at the end..which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 3.

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It all began because an Amish midwife thought the an Amish mother had hurt and killed her first two babies. The woman's mother had a disease only seen in Amish blood, (from crossing family lines in marriage) and went crazy. She killed herself and so when the woman's first two babies died (most likely from SIDS) the midwife thought she was crazy too and conspired with the Bishop to say the baby died and sent the baby to live with cousins in another Amish town four hours away.

The family who took her in already had a bunch of kids so no one questioned another baby. They were all hush-hush thinking their lies would go unnoticed and revenged. 

The driver (they used a driver for long distances) was bragging about this many years later and the father of the deceased baby overheard. He began his revenge on all those involved by killing each one and taking back his daughter. The problem is the seven year old girl, who suffered from developmental delays, would never love this stranger and wanted the mother who raised her from birth.

Thankfully, the girl is found and not harmed physically, but will suffer emotional trauma for the rest of her life.

The Amish of course, still feel they did what was right.  Sadly moms are shamed in both Amish and English societies...more so by other moms.