About the Book
Author: S.F. Baumgartner
Genre: Thriller with Christian elements
Release Date: June 2, 2026
An adopted daughter. A vanished teenager. A secret that must stay hidden.
FBI Special Agent Charlie O’Rourke believed adopting Jamie Beth would keep her safe. But when her best friend vanishes during a school band rehearsal, Charlie discovers the threat isn’t random.
As Jamie Beth desperately searches for answers about her best friend’s disappearance, she has no idea she’s next.
To save his daughter, Charlie must choose between protocol and survival.
Perfect for readers who love the layered conspiracies of Daniel Silva, the emotional stakes of NCIS, and the shadow-war tension of The Blacklist.
Click here to get your copy!
My Review
This novel is part of a series and is quite a way down the line. Baumgartner's writing style includes many characters and complex plots. This novel will be puzzling unless the previous ones are read first. Recaps of those novels are included at the beginning of this one, as is a diagram explaining the relationships of the many characters.
There is a good deal of action in this novel as there is an early kidnapping, setting the stage for a novel full of danger and suspense. I like that Jamie Beth is heavily involved in the action. Drama is being passed on to the next generation. But there are many secrets and hidden actions. Often prominent characters do not have the whole story of what is going on. Baumgartner writes well crafted suspenseful scenes and her characters continue to be fully fleshed out over time.
I like this series. It has complex plots and loads of characters. One needs to concentrate when reading to keep the many plot threads straight but it is worth the effort. And yes, there is at least one huge secret that still remains. I hope to read about in the next book.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
You can read my reviews of the earlier books in the series: Buried Secrets, Living Secrets, Forgotten Secret, Tangled Secrets, Hidden Secrets, and Shadowed Secret.
About the Author
More from S.F.
Stolen Secrets is the seventh book in the Mirror Estate series, and for me it represents something I didn’t fully realize when I started writing it: the beginning of the end of the Ghost arc.
When I began the series, I never mapped out a long, eight-book storyline for the Ghost. In fact, I didn’t even think about how long that arc might last until around Book 6, Shadowed Secret. That’s when it started becoming clear that the threads surrounding the Ghost, Dylan, and the larger conspiracy needed more room to unfold. Book 8 will wrap up the Ghost storyline, though the Mirror Estate series itself is far from over. There are still many stories left to tell.
One of the continuing mysteries involves Dylan and the buried treasures connected to Mirror Estate. Whether that storyline concludes in Book 8 or continues beyond it is something I’m still discovering as the story evolves.
Stolen Secrets also includes a bonus story titled “Shadow Extraction.” Writing that novelette was one of the hardest parts of the project. It features Olivia in the middle of a black-ops mission that unfolds at the end of her honeymoon in Italy. The emotional and operational stakes in that story made it especially challenging to write, but it also became one of my favorite parts of the book.
Another element I enjoyed writing in Stolen Secrets involves Jamie Beth and Owen. Watching those two characters work their way through danger and figure out how to escape was incredibly rewarding as a writer. Those scenes capture something I love about thrillers—the moment when characters must rely on their own courage and quick thinking to survive.
Looking back, Stolen Secrets feels like a turning point for the series. Secrets are beginning to surface, alliances are shifting, and the long game surrounding the Ghost is finally moving toward its conclusion.
But even as that arc approaches its end, the world of Mirror Estate still holds plenty of secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 1
The Lofty Pages, June 1
Simple Harvest Reads, June 2 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 3
Artistic Nobody, June 4 (Author Interview)
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 5
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 6
For Him and My Family, June 7
Guild Master, June 8 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, June 9
Blogging With Carol, June 10
Fiction Book Lover, June 11 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, June 11
Because I said so -adventures in parenting, June 12
The Bookish Ledger, June 13 (Author Interview)
Vicky Sluiter, June 14 (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/9cIN6/stolen-secrets-a-thriller-celebration-tour-giveaway
I received a complimentary egalley of this book. My comments are an independent review.
(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)