This is a 90-minute TV movie set in Painters Mill, Ohio, a fictional town in Amish country in the present age. It's based on the 2009 novel "Sworn to Silence" by Linda Castillo. "Sworn to Silence" was the first in long series of "Kate Burkholder" novels by Castillo.
Kate Burkholder (Neve Campbell) is the new chief of police of the small Painters Mill force. Kate grew up Old Order Amish but left at age 18 for reasons that are not immediately clear. She became a policewoman and then a detective in Cleveland and has now returned 17 years later. Although it sounds like a good fit on the surface because she knows Pennsylvania Dutch and the local Amish community, she has been banned and shunned for leaving the Amish community. Thus, no one in the Amish district is supposed to talk to her.
An Amish girl is found murdered in an Amish farm field. The victim has been mutilated in a manner reminiscent of a serial killer who had been in the community 16 earlier when five non-Amish girls were killed. We quickly learn that Kate wonders if the killer was Daniel Lapp, an Amish man who apparently died under mysterious circumstances and seemed to have something to do with Kate's leaving the community. But Kate wonders if he really died.
The film introduces us to a variety of characters--Mayor Auggie Brock (Duane Murray), who constantly interferes with Kate and fires her at one point; Lucas Holst (Jilon VanOver), Kate's former Amish boyfriend, who she left without a word; Jacob Burkholder (Christian Campbell), Kate's (and Neve's) brother who is reluctant to talk to her because of the shunning; John Tomasetti (Naom Jenkins), an agent from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation called in by the mayor, but on the verge of being fired because of his own difficult times that led to PTSD; and Nate Detrick (C. Thomas Howell), the County Sheriff who offers a helping hand on numerous occasions.
The investigation spins its wheels for a time. Kate confirms that Daniel Lapp is dead. We gradually learn more about the circumstances of Kate's sudden departure and who knew her real reasons for leaving. Kate and John Tomasetti develop a romantic relationship. It becomes clear the murderer had significant local connections even though he disappeared for 16 years. The mayor's daughter becomes a second victim. In the climax, Kate figures it all out and almost becomes a victim herself, but all ends well. Lucas Holst finally disarms the murderer at the end, a victory for Amish pacifism.
As a mystery, I thought "An Amish Murder" was pretty good. There is violence, but it's not over-the-top with blood everywhere. The actual crimes take place offscreen. It's a modest-budget film, and the storyline is not very realistic. In terms of the Amish characterization, my biggest problem is why Kate was shunned. It's never stated that she was a baptized member of the church. If she was not before she left, she should not be shunned. And if she was shunned, why would a town hire a police chief to whom a significant portion of the community would not speak?
Some of the Amish men, including Lucas, Kate's former boyfriend who is now married with children, have closely trimmed beards. The house interiors seemed pretty realistic, but there is much we don't see. Most of the action is in town or outbuildings.
Nonetheless, it was an entertaining hour-and-a-half. Critics were quite mixed in their reviews. Some simply don't like the style of Lifetime Television movies. Some thought the pace of the movie too slow and the plot too obvious. That wasn't the case for me.
