The Burning by Linda Castillo taught me about the Amish, specifically a couple of different kinds of Amish. The groups are under the Anabaptist umbrella. Then there's the Amish and Mennonites and Hutterites. There are some Hutterites that are called the Schwertler Anabaptists. This is the group that Sheriff Kate Burkholder has to deal with.
An excommunicated Amish man is found burned at the stake. Specifically, he is found to have been burned alive, like the martyrs described in the book the Martyrs' Mirror. Kate, in trying to solve the crime has a hard time getting information. The Amish are a closed mouth group. They don't talk about each other, even to Kate, who was brought up Amish.
Once it is found that the victim died according to a ritual, she looks into the different Anabaptists' groups and learns about the Schwertlers. The Anabaptists are pacifists, but a group of Hutterites believe in taking justice into their own hands.
Schwertler Anabaptists, like Balthasar Hubmaier, believed in the legitimacy of government and the use of force for just causes, distinguishing them from the more pacifist Stäbler Anabaptists. They supported the idea that Christians could take up arms if ordered by the government to defend the innocent and uphold justice.
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Kate confronts the group and is almost martyred, herself. I am leaving a lot out. Believe me. You must read the story. The book is plot driven and fast paced. Kate survives by the skin of her teeth. She must because Police Chief Kate Burkholder is a series by Linda Castillo and The Burning is # 16. It stands alone however, because this is the first book I've read, in the series. I certainly will be reading more.
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