Before Kate Burkholder was solving grisly murders and chasing down killers in Painters Mill, she was 14, Amish, and already showing signs of future police chief potential. In this novella, we get a peek at young Kate as she questions her best friend's story about a suspicious barn fire. Spoiler alert: it involves an English boy, teenage rebellion, and a whole lot of smoke.
Kate may not have had a badge yet, but her BS detector was already fully operational. Honestly, if I’d been this perceptive at 14, I might have figured out who kept stealing the good cookies from the school bake sales.
This one’s a short read but adds a neat little layer to Kate’s backstory. It gives us a glimpse into what might’ve sparked Kate’s interest in justice, and it’s a solid little mystery in its own right.
