Trouble in Painters Mill doesn't always come with a dead body.
I just finished In Plain Sight, a novella by Linda Castillo, and once again I’m reminded why I really like these little in-between stories. It's been a while since I read one. They’re not about shocking murders or massive investigations; they’re about life in Painters Mill when Kate Burkholder isn’t chasing a killer.
This one centers on a small group of kids with a secret and a problem. They don’t like an Englisher dating an Amish boy, and things slide from disapproval into something more troubling. No body count and no sprawling plot, just quiet tension and the reminder that prejudice doesn’t need adulthood to take root.
It’s a solid little story. Not heavy, not flashy, but effective. These novellas do exactly what they’re meant to do: Fill in the gaps, deepen the world, and show that trouble in Painters Mill doesn’t always arrive with flashing lights and police tape.
Sometimes it just whispers.
