Fatal Invitation by S F Baumgartner Book Review

About the Book:

Vanished women. A rising body count. A detective who won’t quit.

Detective Kylie “KC” Cassidy thought Major Crimes would be her big break. Instead, she’s chasing the brutal murders of young women—and the trail keeps circling back to Assistant State Attorney Gavin Watkins and his elusive ally, Kozlov.

Each lead vanishes before her eyes, every step forward dragging her deeper into danger. And when Kozlov’s men come after her, KC must rely on her instincts, and on the few people she can trust, to survive long enough to expose the truth.

But when KC gets too close to the truth, she becomes the target. Will KC survive the trap and bring down the predators or become their next victim?

My Review:

Baumgartner is off and running on a new entertaining detective series. There are interesting and engaging characters, including a brave heroine. KC is a great detective, dedicated and willing to step into dangerous situations. And there is plenty of danger and suspense as the plot develops. There is also a new special task force in Orlando called Orlando Prime. They combine their forces with the police department to work on the murder cases. While there is some tension between the two at the beginning, they find their way to work together. Baumgartner changes the focus from one enforcement group to the other as the action proceeds.

This is an engaging police investigative novel. Baumgartner's writing style is good. The suspense grows and I did not feel it lagged at all. This is a great start to a new series. Those who have read the Mirror Estate Series will recognize a name or two but reading that series is not necessary to enjoy this one.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the novella, Christmas Murders, introducing KC and the short story introducing Orlando Prime.

About the Author:

S.F. Baumgartner crafts fast-paced Christian suspense thrillers, weaving tales of complex characters, secretive operatives, and relentless agents. Her gripping storytelling has earned acclaim, with Living Secrets—Book 1 of her Mirror Estate series—named a Top Pick in the thriller category at Killer Nashville, 2024. When she’s not plotting her next twist, she’s binge-watching crime TV shows, like NCIS or playing with her cats. Fans of James Patterson's style, especially those who appreciate short, punchy chapters, will find much to love in her work.

FB Publishing, 328 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through BookSirens. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)