In a place built on order, desperation doesn’t follow the rules.
I really enjoy Linda Castillo’s novellas because they fill in the quiet (and not-so-quiet) spaces between the big crimes in Painters Mill. Disappeared does exactly that. It's short, sharp, and emotionally heavy without overstaying its welcome.
In this story, a toddler vanishes, and what unfolds is less about a whodunit and more about the impossible position his parents are in. The child is seriously ill. His father is an Englisher and his mother Amish. Her family is Old Order Amish, the strictest and least forgiving. Their relationship is forbidden and every decision they make comes with consequences that feel cruel and unavoidable.
Castillo is especially good here at showing how rigid rules can collide with love, fear, and desperation. It’s a quick read, but it adds meaningful depth to the world of Painters Mill without needing a full novel to do it.
