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Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
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Published on Sunday, Jun 21, 2009
''Murder is rare in the Amish community.'' That's a line from Sworn to Silence, a thriller set in . . . need I say where? Our Amish neighbors — how on earth do they ever get any farming and carpentry done with all the violent crime that goes on in their little towns? If you read fiction, that is.
Fortunately, Sworn to Silence is by Linda Castillo, a veteran of Harlequin and other romances who's making her thriller debut with a choice, grisly story about a serial killer who's returned to a Holmes County town after a 16-year absence. The police chief, Kate Burkholder, used to be Amish, so she understands their culture, but Kate is hiding a dark secret that may be hampering her work in finding the murderer.
She should call in outside help, but stalls until the Painters Mill City Council does it for her. Council is right, but it also seems determined to undermine her authority. One of the reinforcements is an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent with a past of his own. While the task force does forensic work and looks for suspects, the sheriff starts to think about the case as a re-election strategy and the killer strikes again.
Kate and Agent John Tomasetti are complete, flawed characters, and the supporting cast is nicely written (but do Amish people really never use contractions when they talk?). Make no mistake, the scenes describing the killer's work are extremely graphic. Castillo does work in a romantic thread between disheartened Kate and John, but it doesn't feel contrived.
Sworn to Silence is a chilling series opener (more books are planned about Chief Kate, so it looks like a bad time to live in Painters Mill). For readers of suspense, it's top-notch. The 336-page hardcover costs $24.95 from Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press. Castillo, a former resident of the tiny Darke County village of Arcanum, Ohio, lives in Texas.
Author resumes
an old friendship
''Automythography'' is Rick D. Niece's new word; he uses it to refer to his memoir The Side-Yard Superhero, an evocative slice of small-town life in the 1950s. Niece, who received a Ph.D. from Kent State University, grew up in DeGraff, in Logan County, and wrote the book after reconnecting with a childhood friend, Bernie Jones.
Young Rickie delivered the newspaper after school, and Bernie's family was one of his customers. Bernie had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair; every day he would wait for Rickie to arrive and read Dick Tracy to him. He didn't go to school or anyplace else, really, but he experienced a few things through Rickie: One day they went on the paper route together, collecting the weekly bills; they helped a neighbor distribute Halloween treats; they went to the town carnival.
While Niece was at Ohio State University, Bernie's parents died and he went to live with relatives. It wasn't until 40 years later that Niece's mother learned of Bernie's whereabouts in a nursing home, and Niece went to his old friend's side.
The Side-Yard Superhero is a real-life Homer Price, and you will want to read about Niece's fellow citizens of DeGraff: the retired newspaperwoman who wears no blouse, only a brassiere (it complements her wooden leg); the reclusive spinster who never steps outside her door.
The poems that are interspersed between the chapters are nice, but superfluous. The Side-Yard Superhero (175 pages, hardcover) is the first in a planned trilogy. It costs $17.95 and is available from online retailers. Rick Niece is president of the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark.
Events
Akron-Summit County Public Library, Kenmore branch (969 Kenmore Blvd.) — David Giffels discusses and signs All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Legacy Village, Lyndhurst) — Tania James signs her debut novel Atlas of Unknowns, 7 p.m. Tuesday; Heather E. Burton signs her novel Crimson Heights, 7 p.m. Thursday.
Todaro's Party Center (1820 Akron-Peninsula Road) — Mary Ann Winkowski, author of The Ghost Whisperer, appears at a cocktail reception benefit for Cuyahoga Valley Art Center. Call 330-928-8092 for tickets ($35) or visit the center at 2131 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls. 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
First Congregational Church of Akron (292 E. Market St.) — Some tickets may remain to see William Paul Young, author of The Shack. Call 330-253-5109 or go to the church's office during business hours. $15; 1 and 7 p.m. Thursday.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson) — Joan Jackson signs her 1980s-set domestic drama Voluntary Chaos, with some parts set in Silver Lake, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights) — Local author book fair, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, with 37 authors including A.D. Adams (Death on Lake Ice and The Dragon Healer of Tone), Geoffrey A. Landis (Impact Parameter) and Carlo Wolff (Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories).
— Barbara McIntyre
Special to the Beacon Journal
Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.
Get the full article here.
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