Linda Castillo is the American author behind numerous gripping crime thrillers and romantic suspense novels, including the bestselling, critically acclaimed Kate Burkholder series.
Castillo has been penning her page-turning novels for more than two decades. Her captivating work has earned her numerous accolades, including nominations for the International Thriller Writers Best Hardcover award, the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and the “Audie Award” for the annual Best Mystery Audiobook.
And even today, she’s still producing bestselling novels. Next year, a brand new installment of her hugely popular Kate Burkholder series will hit the shelves. So, there’s never been a better time to explore Linda Castillo’s work.
Linda Castillo Books
Linda Castillo has almost forty captivating novels and multiple short stories to explore. But with so many books, it can be hard to know where to begin. So, in this post, I’ll list them all and organize them by their respective series so that you can begin your reading journey right away.
But first, let’s take a moment to learn a little more about Linda Castillo and her life and career so far.
Who is Linda Castillo?
Linda Castillo grew up in the small town of Arcanum, Ohio; the same state where her popular Kate Burkholder thriller series is set.
Arcanum was less than 200 miles from a large Amish settlement, and Linda would often watch the Amish people come and go on the local bus. These early experiences piqued her curiosity about their community and culture, setting the stage for her future books.
Throughout her childhood, Linda loved reading and always knew that she wanted to become an author one day. But she didn’t waste any time; by the age of thirteen, she’d already written her first novel. And from then on, there was no stopping her.
Her debut title, Remember the Night, was published in 2000 as part of the multi-author Men in Blue series. But this romantic story is a far cry from the thrillers that ultimately made her famous. In fact, her rise to fame only began nine years later, with the debut title in the Kate Burkholder series, Sworn to Silence.
The book became an instant New York Times bestseller, and critics marveled at this classic romance novelist’s transformation.
Since then, further, she’s released thirteen novels in this gripping and suspenseful thriller series, and she has a brand new installment coming out early next year.
Today, Linda Castillo lives in Texas with her husband and multiple four-legged friends, including three dogs and two Appaloosa horses that she loves to ride in her spare time.
| Sr. No. | Title | Publication Date | Print Length | Publisher | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The High Country Heroes Books | April 16, 2018 | 195 pages | Harlequin Special Releases | Amazon |
| 2 | The Operation: Midnight Books | October 19, 2007 | 256 pages | Harlequin Mills & Boon | Amazon |
| 3 | The Kate Burkholder Books | June 23, 2009 | 336 pages | Minotaur Books | Amazon |
| 4 | Short Stories And Novellas | February 9, 2021 | 416 pages | Minotaur Books | Amazon |
| 5 | Linda Castillo’s Standalone Books | January 1, 2002 | 331 pages | Jove | Amazon |
The High Country Heroes Books
The High Country Heroes books are Linda Castillo’s debut series, and she’s come a long way in the years since they were first published. Most fans agree that these earlier works are less compelling than her more recent offerings. That being said, if you’re a fan of Castillo’s books, they’re still well worth a read so you can see how the author has progressed over the years.
Book one begins when a red-haired woman is discovered lost in the snow of the Rocky Mountains. She has no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she ended up alone in the frozen wilderness. The only clue to her identity is a note scrawled on a piece of paper bearing her name, ‘Hannah.’
John Maitland, the rescue medic who saved her from the snow, knows he shouldn’t get too close to Hannah. But it soon becomes clear that this beautiful young woman is in grave danger, and he’ll do anything to protect her from harm.
The High Country Heroes Books in Reading And Publication Order
A common theme interconnects the books in the High Country Heroes series, but each one tells a different story. So, you can read them in any order you choose.
The Operation: Midnight Books
This romantic suspense series is a collection of five separate stories of undercover CIA agents who find themselves battling dangerous and deadly criminals while also dealing with the affairs of the heart.
In book one, Operation: Midnight Tango, secret agent Zack Devlin goes undercover inside a notorious prison where inmates are disappearing and dying at an alarming rate.
Someone inside the facility has been conducting sinister experiments, testing a novel drug named RZ-902. And when Zack realizes that he’s the next guinea pig on their list, he decides to make a break for it.
But he doesn’t escape alone; he takes corrections officer Emily Monroe hostage, and together, they both make a run for their lives.
The Operation: Midnight Books in Reading And Publication Order
The books in the Operation: Midnight series are interconnected by a common theme, but each one tells a different story. So, you can read them in any order you choose.
- Operation: Midnight Tango (2005)
- Operation: Midnight Escape (2005)
- Operation: Midnight Guardian (2006)
- Operation: Midnight Rendezvous (2006)
- Operation: Midnight Cowboy (2007)
The Kate Burkholder Books
The Kate Burkholder books are Linda Castillo’s most beloved series of all. Book one, Sworn to Silence, was even picked up by Lifetime and adapted into the movie An Amish Murder, which stars Canadian actress Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder.
The stories take place in the sleepy small town of Painters Mill, Ohio, where Amish and so-called ‘English’ settlers have lived peacefully together for centuries.
But all that changed sixteen years ago when a horrifying killing spree ripped the community in two. Young Kate Burkholder survived the terrifying ordeal, but in the aftermath of those tragic events, she realized that she no longer felt safe in her close-knit Amish community.
But now, years later, Kate has returned to Painters Mill. And she’s no longer a scared little girl. Instead, she’s the chief of police, and she’s ready to face her demons once and for all.
The Kate Burkholder Books in Reading And Publication Order
Each book in the Kate Burkholder series tells a separate story, but the characters and their lives intertwine. So, to get the most out of the series, it’s best to read them in the order they were published, listed below.
- Sworn to Silence (2009)
- Pray for Silence (2010)
- Breaking Silence (2011)
- Gone missing (2012)
- Her Last Breath (2013)
- The Dead Will Tell (2014)
- After the Storm (2015)
- Among the Wicked (2016)
- Down a Dark Road (2017)
- A Gathering of Secrets (2018)
- Shamed (2019)
- Outsider (2020)
- Fallen (2021)
- The Hidden One (2022)
- An Evil Heart (expected to be published in 2023)
The Kate Burkholder Short Stories And Novellas
Alongside the major Kate Burkholder novels listed above, Linda Castillo has also penned several short stories and novellas which complement the main series. Most of these are compiled into the 2021 collection, A Simple Murder.
Below, you’ll find a full list of all of the Kate Burkholder short stories in the order they were originally published.
This short story collection includes the following titles:
- Long Lost (2013)
- A Hidden Secret (2015)
- Seeds of Deception (2016)
- Only the Lucky (2017)
- In Dark Company (2018)
- In Plain Sight (2019)
The Full Kate Burkholder Series in Chronological Order
If you’d like to read the full Kate Burkholder series, including the major novels and the short stories and novellas, then it’s best to follow the chronological order listed below.
- Sworn to Silence
- Pray for Silence
- Breaking Silence
- Gone Missing
- Long Lost (short story)
- Her Last Breath
- The Dead Will Tell
- A Hidden Secret (short story)
- After the Storm
- Seeds of Deception (short story)
- Among the Wicked
- Only the Lucky (short story)
- Down a Dark Road
- In Dark Company (short story)
- A Gathering of Secrets
- In Plain Sight (short story)
- Shamed
- The Pact (short story)
- Outsider
- Disappeared (short story)
- Fallen
- Blood Moon (short story)
- The Hidden One
- An Evil Heart
Linda Castillo’s Standalone Books
Alongside the series listed above, Linda Castillo has fourteen standalone titles to explore.
Here they are in the order they were originally published.
- Remember the Night (Men in Blue) (2000)
- Cops and… Lovers? (2001)
- The Perfect Victim (2002)
- Midnight Run (2003)
- The Phoenix Encounter (2003)
- The Shadow Side (2003)
- Uncharted Waters (2003)
- Fade to Red (2004)
- Dead Reckoning (2005)
- Depth Perception (2005)
- A Whisper in the Dark (2006)
- A Baby Before Dawn (2007)
- In the Dead of the Night (2007)
- Overkill (2007)
Conclusion
Linda Castillo is most famous for her gripping Kate Burkholder series, but she has plenty more page-turning reads to explore. And hopefully, this post has helped you decide where to begin your reading journey.
Are you already a fan of Linda Castillo’s work? If so, I’d love to hear your reviews and recommendations. Drop me a comment in the box below!