Fatal Invitation by S F Baumgartner Blog Tour Book Review

 

About the Book

Book: Fatal Invitation

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Crime Thriller

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?

If you like the relentless pursuit of justice in Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, the sharp investigative instincts of Lisa Gardner’s D.D. Warren, then you’ll be captivated by Fatal Invitation, a gripping, fast-paced crime thriller.

Click here to get your copy!

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 reviews of the novellas that introduce Detective Cassidy: Christmas Murders and 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 and Forgotten Secret—Books 1 & 2 of her Mirror Estate series—named Top Picks in the thriller & suspense categories, respectively, at Killer Nashville, and Tangled Secrets—Book 3 of Mirror Estate series—won couple of awards in the Christian Indie Awards and the Incipere Awards. 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.

 

More from S.F.

A New Adventure Begins: Introducing the Detective Kylie Cassidy Series

I’m thrilled to announce that Fatal Invitation, the first full-length novel in the Detective Kylie Cassidy series, is here!

If you’re new to Detective Kylie “KC” Cassidy, I recommend starting with Christmas Murders to get acquainted with this compelling character. And here’s a treat: there’s a free story called Orlando Prime – Origins available under the Freebie tab on my website at sfbaumgartner.com. This story introduces you to the elite crime-fighting unit and the team members who work alongside KC. Both KC and Orlando Prime take center stage in Fatal Invitation.

Writing this book has been an absolute blast! Unlike my Mirror Estate series, the Detective Kylie Cassidy series features self-contained stories in each book—think of it like your favorite TV crime drama where each episode (or book) solves a complete case. While there may occasionally be an overarching storyline, you can jump in at any point and enjoy the mystery. And as always, my books are clean reads.

Since this is a spin-off of the Mirror Estate series, longtime readers will enjoy spotting familiar faces. A few beloved characters get mentioned, and some may even guest-star in future books!

I truly hope you’ll fall in love with this new series as much as I’ve loved creating it.

Happy Reading!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 20

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 20

Bizwings Blog, January 21

Leslie’s Library Escape, January 22

Fiction Book Lover, January 23 (Author Interview)

Books Less Travelled, January 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 24

Texas Book-aholic, January 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 26

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 27

For Him and My Family, January 28

Blogging With Carol, January 29

Betti Mace, January 30

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, January 31

Simple Harvest Reads, February 1 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, February 2 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

 

To celebrate her tour, S.F. is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/EvrUy/fatal-invitation-celebration-tour-giveaway

I received a complimentary egalley of this novel. 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.)