Different doesn’t mean dumb — and honesty doesn’t mean easy.
Kate Burkholder is one of those characters who just keeps growing on me. In Outsider, Linda Castillo gives us more of Kate’s backstory, both her Amish roots and her early years in law enforcement, and I felt like I got to know her on a deeper level. Her integrity, empathy, and honesty are such defining traits, and this book shows where they came from.
One of my favorite moments was when Kate remembered her mother’s words:
“Live your life with God’s goodness and you’ll never fear the past.”
That line sums up the heart of this story. If you live your life with integrity, the past can’t come back to bite you. Kate’s confrontation with corruption in the police department hits hard because honesty is her core value. She’s loyal to a fault, though, and she can’t help wondering if she could have saved Gina from her own bad choices. But as Gina’s character developed, it was clear Kate did the right thing by walking away.
Gina’s reappearance gave Castillo the perfect opportunity to explore what makes Kate Kate. The tension between them, Kate’s honesty versus Gina’s willingness to cross lines, kept the emotional stakes high. I think Kate trusted Gina completely in the beginning, but Gina never truly trusted Kate. She knew Kate wouldn’t stand for corruption, and that’s the wall she built between them.
The snowstorm setting was another great touch. I’ve been in storms like that. The kind that muffle sound and make the world feel both peaceful and eerie. The isolation added so much to the suspense. And as always, the contrast of dark crimes unfolding in a serene Amish setting deepened the story.
I honestly believe that if it hadn’t been for the storm, Gina would’ve ended up in a cell. Kate’s an honest, by-the-book cop who still manages to show compassion. She would have done the right thing, even if she second-guessed herself afterward.
Kate and Tomasetti just need to get married already. Seriously. Now. They act like they already are! He’s her rock, and she needs to stop questioning what’s right in front of her. I wonder if Castillo gets to that in one of the future books in the series. I hope so, anyway.
The pacing was perfect: Enough slow-burn tension to keep me glued to the page, and bursts of action when it mattered most. Justice felt served by the end. Even though Gina took out the two corrupt cops chasing her, bigger fish still got caught in that slimy pond of police corruption.
Adam was an excellent supporting character. His quiet intelligence, empathy, and strength stood out, especially when he told Gina, “Different doesn’t mean dumb.” That line hit home for me personally, coming from my own experience leaving an isolated religious group. Adam’s presence and his role as a father trying to protect his kids added heart and extra tension to the story.
Linda Castillo continues to impress me with how real and grounded these stories feel. Outsider doesn’t just deliver a great mystery. It deepens Kate’s character in a way that sticks with you. She’s strong but self-aware, empathetic but tough, and human in all the right ways. By the time I finished, I wasn’t just satisfied with the ending. I was reminded why I keep coming back to this series.
