Linda Castillo's "Pray for Silence"

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New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, the Holt Medallion and a nomination for the Rita. About her mystery series set in Amish County:

Sworn to Silence was hailed by critics as one of the best thrillers of 2009. Bestselling author Linda Castillo once again immerses readers in the world of the Amish with Pray for Silence, the second novel in her Amish thriller series.

Murder returns to the idyllic town of Painters Mill, Ohio, when an Amish family is found slaughtered on their farm. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive and no suspect. The investigation takes a treacherous turn when Kate realizes a personal connection to the case. With her own past resonating, she must confront an unspeakable evil to solve the murders—even if it means placing herself in the line of fire.

Here Castillo shares some ideas about casting the principal roles in an adaptation of her work:

I tend to be a visual writer. I see my characters, visualize the situations and events in my head as I write and the story unfolds. (If you’ve read Pray for Silence, I know that’s a scary thought , but I digress…)

I don’t usually “cast” my books with actual actors. Instead, I keep a sort of physical and psychological imprint of them in my mind as I write their stories. A few months ago, my agent mentioned there was some interest from Hollywood. Nothing has come to fruition yet, but at that point I started wondering: If the book were made into a movie or cable series, who would I cast to play the roles of my lead characters?

I spoke with my sister—who is an avid fan and terrific sounding board—and just for fun we discussed casting at length. With the exception of John Tomasetti, we agreed on every character. Here’s what we came up with:

Kate Burkholder: Evangeline Lilly (Kate from Lost)

John Tomasetti: Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan from Law and Order)

Glock: Dennis Haysbert (Jonas Blane from The Unit)

Roland “Pickles” Shoemaker: Sam Elliott (Ghost Rider)

Sheriff Rasmussen: Nathan Fillion (Castle)

T.J. Banks: Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island)

My sister, by the way, envisioned Colin Farrell (Crazy Heart) as John Tomasetti.

Which actor do you feel would make the best John Tomasetti?

Learn more about the author and her work at Linda Castillo's website.

The Page 69 Test: Sworn to Silence.

--Marshal Zeringue