Below is the complete list of Linda Castillo books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Kate Burkholder Books
Sworn to Silence (2009)
by Linda Castillo
Sworn to Silence was published in 2009 and is listed as book #1 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Pray for Silence (2010)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2010, Pray for Silence is listed as book #2 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Breaking Silence (2011)
by Linda Castillo
Breaking Silence is a 2011 release and appears as book #3 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Gone Missing (2011)
by Linda Castillo
In the Kate Burkholder series, Gone Missing is book #4 and was published in 2011.
Her Last Breath (2013)
by Linda Castillo
Her Last Breath was first published in 2013; within the Kate Burkholder series, it is listed as book #5.
The Dead Will Tell (2014)
by Linda Castillo
The Dead Will Tell was published in 2014 and is listed as book #6 in the Kate Burkholder series.
After the Storm (2015)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2015, After the Storm is listed as book #7 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Among the Wicked (2016)
by Linda Castillo
Among the Wicked is a 2016 release and appears as book #8 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Down a Dark Road (2017)
by Linda Castillo
In the Kate Burkholder series, Down a Dark Road is book #9 and was published in 2017.
A Gathering of Secrets (2018)
by Linda Castillo
A Gathering of Secrets was first published in 2018; within the Kate Burkholder series, it is listed as book #10.
Shamed (2019)
by Linda Castillo
Shamed was published in 2019 and is listed as book #11 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Outsider (2020)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2020, Outsider is listed as book #12 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Fallen (2021)
by Linda Castillo
Fallen is a 2021 release and appears as book #13 in the Kate Burkholder series.
The Hidden One (2022)
by Linda Castillo
In the Kate Burkholder series, The Hidden One is book #14 and was published in 2022.
An Evil Heart (2023)
by Linda Castillo
An Evil Heart was first published in 2023; within the Kate Burkholder series, it is listed as book #15.
The Burning (2024)
by Linda Castillo
The Burning was published in 2024 and is listed as book #16 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Rage (2025)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2025, Rage is listed as book #17 in the Kate Burkholder series.
Publication Order of Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas Books
Long Lost (2013)
by Linda Castillo
Long Lost was published in 2013 and is listed as book #1 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
A Hidden Secret (2015)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2015, A Hidden Secret is listed as book #2 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
Seeds of Deception (2016)
by Linda Castillo
Seeds of Deception is a 2016 release and appears as book #3 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
Only the Lucky (2017)
by Linda Castillo
In the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series, Only the Lucky is book #4 and was published in 2017.
In Dark Company (2018)
by Linda Castillo
In Dark Company was first published in 2018; within the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series, it is listed as book #5.
In Plain Sight (2019)
by Linda Castillo
In Plain Sight was published in 2019 and is listed as book #6 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
The Pact (2020)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2020, The Pact is listed as book #7 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
Disappeared (2021)
by Linda Castillo
Disappeared is a 2021 release and appears as book #8 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
Blood Moon (2022)
by Linda Castillo
In the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series, Blood Moon is book #9 and was published in 2022.
Hallowed Ground (2023)
by Linda Castillo
Hallowed Ground was first published in 2023; within the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series, it is listed as book #10.
Dark Storm Rising (2024)
by Linda Castillo
Dark Storm Rising was published in 2024 and is listed as book #11 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
A Dark Path (2026)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2026, A Dark Path is listed as book #12 in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.
Publication Order of Kate Burkholder Short Story Collections Books
A Simple Murder (2021)
by Linda Castillo
A Simple Murder was published in 2021 and is listed as book #1 in the Kate Burkholder Short Story Collections series.
Publication Order of High Country Heroes Books
A Hero To Hold (2001)
by Linda Castillo
A Hero To Hold was published in 2001 and is listed as book #1 in the High Country Heroes series.
Just A Little Bit Dangerous (2002)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2002, Just A Little Bit Dangerous is listed as book #2 in the High Country Heroes series.
A Cry in the Night (2002)
by Linda Castillo
A Cry in the Night is a 2002 release and appears as book #3 in the High Country Heroes series.
Publication Order of Lights Out Books
Royal Lockdown (2007)
(By Rebecca York)
Royal Lockdown was published in 2007 and is listed as book #1 in the Lights Out series.
Safe Before Dawn (2007)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2007, Safe Before Dawn is listed as book #2 in the Lights Out series.
A Baby Before Dawn (2007)
by Linda Castillo
A Baby Before Dawn is a 2007 release and appears as book #3 in the Lights Out series.
Anything for His Son (2007)
(By Rita Herron)
In the Lights Out series, Anything for His Son is book #4 and was published in 2007.
Meet Me at Midnight (2007)
(By Jessica Andersen)
Meet Me at Midnight was first published in 2007; within the Lights Out series, it is listed as book #5.
Publication Order of Operation: Midnight Books
Operation: Midnight Tango (2005)
by Linda Castillo
Operation: Midnight Tango was published in 2005 and is listed as book #1 in the Operation: Midnight series.
Operation: Midnight Escape (2005)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2005, Operation: Midnight Escape is listed as book #2 in the Operation: Midnight series.
Operation: Midnight Guardian (2006)
by Linda Castillo
Operation: Midnight Guardian is a 2006 release and appears as book #3 in the Operation: Midnight series.
Operation: Midnight Rendezvous (2006)
by Linda Castillo
In the Operation: Midnight series, Operation: Midnight Rendezvous is book #4 and was published in 2006.
Operation: Midnight Cowboy (2007)
by Linda Castillo
Operation: Midnight Cowboy was first published in 2007; within the Operation: Midnight series, it is listed as book #5.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels Books
Remember the Night (2000)
by Linda Castillo
Remember the Night was published in 2000 and is listed as book #1 in the Standalone Novels series.
Cops And … Lovers? (2001)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2001, Cops And … Lovers? is listed as book #2 in the Standalone Novels series.
Lay Down the Law (2001)
by Linda Castillo
Lay Down the Law is a 2001 release and appears as book #3 in the Standalone Novels series.
- The Perfect Victim (2002)
by Linda Castillo
In the Standalone Novels series, The Perfect Victim is book #4 and was published in 2002. Uncharted Waters (2003)
by Linda Castillo
Uncharted Waters was first published in 2003; within the Standalone Novels series, it is listed as book #5.
The Shadow Side (2003)
by Linda Castillo
The Shadow Side was published in 2003 and is listed as book #6 in the Standalone Novels series.
Midnight Run (2003)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2003, Midnight Run is listed as book #7 in the Standalone Novels series.
Fade To Red (2004)
by Linda Castillo
Fade To Red is a 2004 release and appears as book #8 in the Standalone Novels series.
Dead Reckoning (2005)
by Linda Castillo
In the Standalone Novels series, Dead Reckoning is book #9 and was published in 2005.
Depth Perception (2005)
by Linda Castillo
Depth Perception was first published in 2005; within the Standalone Novels series, it is listed as book #10.
A Whisper in the Dark (2006)
by Linda Castillo
A Whisper in the Dark was published in 2006 and is listed as book #11 in the Standalone Novels series.
In the Dead of Night (2007)
by Linda Castillo
Published in 2007, In the Dead of Night is listed as book #12 in the Standalone Novels series.
Overkill (2007)
by Linda Castillo
Overkill is a 2007 release and appears as book #13 in the Standalone Novels series.
About Linda Castillo
Linda Castillo is best known as the author of the Kate Burkholder mysteries, a long-running crime series set in Amish country that has become the clear center of her career. Her official biography describes her as the author of the New York Times and internationally bestselling Kate Burkholder series, notes that her books have sold more than four million copies worldwide and been translated into fourteen languages, and identifies Sworn to Silence as the novel that launched the series and was later adapted as the Lifetime film An Amish Murder.
What makes Castillo’s bibliography distinctive is that she did not build her reputation simply by using an unusual setting. The Kate Burkholder books work because the Amish world is not decorative background. It shapes the cases, the social tensions, and the central character herself. Macmillan’s series page frames Kate as a survivor of the “Slaughterhouse Killer” murders who left the Amish world, built a life in law enforcement, and then returned to Painters Mill, Ohio, as chief of police. That setup explains much of the emotional force of the series. Kate is not an outsider parachuted into a closed community for dramatic effect; she belongs to that world and is estranged from it at the same time. Castillo built an entire crime series on that double vision, and it gave her books a stronger identity than a standard procedural or small-town mystery.
Her bibliography is best understood in two major phases. Before the Kate Burkholder novels became her signature, Castillo wrote romantic suspense. Her official site still lists four romantic suspense titles—Depth Perception, The Perfect Victim, Fade to Red, and The Shadow Side—originally published by Berkley Sensation and later reissued digitally. Those books matter because they show that Castillo’s strengths were already in place before Kate Burkholder: danger, atmosphere, damaged characters, and a preference for suspense that stays emotionally close to the people inside it. The move into crime fiction did not create those instincts from scratch; it gave them a more durable series form.
Once that series form arrived, Castillo expanded it steadily. The Kate Burkholder line now includes full novels, novellas, and short-story collections, and Macmillan continues to present it as an active mystery series. That matters because her career is no longer defined by one breakout title alone. It is defined by the sustained development of a fictional world: Painters Mill, the surrounding Amish communities, and Kate’s uneasy position between inherited tradition and modern law enforcement. Collections such as Kate Burkholder: Three Novellas, A Simple Murder, and A Dark Path: And Other Kate Burkholder Short Stories show how fully Castillo has built that world beyond the main novels.
Her reputation inside crime fiction has also been reinforced by awards recognition. Castillo’s official bio notes major honors including an Edgar Award and the Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and Macmillan specifically identifies her short story Hallowed Ground as the 2024 Edgar Award winner for Best Short Story. That award matters because it confirms that her success is not only commercial. She has also been recognized for craft within the mystery field itself.
Castillo’s style is best described as crime fiction with a thriller pulse. Even when the books are rooted in community, custom, and personal history, they are designed to move. Her publisher calls the series equal parts fast-paced thriller and psychological puzzle, which is a useful description of the balance she strikes. She writes violence as serious and disruptive, but she pairs that darkness with strong recurring characters and a setting that keeps drawing readers back. Official biography material also notes that she lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, horses, and dogs, a detail that fits the grounded, rural texture that often runs through her fiction.
The best way to understand Linda Castillo’s bibliography, then, is to see it as the work of a suspense writer who found the perfect long-form vehicle for her interests. She began in romantic suspense, but the Kate Burkholder novels gave her a larger canvas for crime, identity, faith, secrecy, and belonging. That series became her defining achievement because it offered more than murder plots. It offered a heroine divided between two worlds and a setting textured enough to sustain a whole career.
