Hallowed Ground (Kate Burkholder #14.5) by Linda Castillo Series: Kate Burkholder #14.5
Published by Minotaur Books on April 25, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 75
Goodreads
FINAL DECISION: Low-stakes short story/vignette with Kate and John investigating grave robbers. I judge this differently than a full novel, and I really enjoyed this small slice of Kate’s life. I always want more romance with Kate and John, and this one has some nice moments.
THE STORY: Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called when a human bone is brought home by a family dog. Kate and John have to figure out the origin of the bone and what is going on in a small graveyard.
OPINION: I enjoyed this story because I simply love Kate and John working together. While Kate is certainly capable on her own and it doesn’t often make sense for the two of them to be in one another’s pockets during the serious crimes that Kate investigates in the novels. This story was short and closed definitively at the end. I like that it is part of Kate’s job that isn’t angst-filled and violent. Instead, it ended up being a little spooky and then resolved some community tensions. Fun little read.
WORTH MENTIONING: This story, like others in the series between the larger novels, is really just a slice-of-life promotion for the next book (as it includes a preview of the novel). That being said, I do enjoy these stories.
CONNECTED BOOKS: HALLOWED GROUND is book 14.5 of the Kate Burkholder series. I think this should be read by those who have read at least one book in the series to get the characters and situation.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.