Review: Fatal Invitation by S.F. Baumgartner

August 10, 2026

Synopsis:

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?

Review:

Give me a serial killer story, a gruesome crime, and some detectives, and I’m usually on board immediately. This one had the potential to be a good start to a series that could be right up my alley. While it succeeded in some aspects, it lacked in others.

The murder investigation was the part I enjoyed the most. I liked how everything came together and how the puzzle pieces gradually fell into place. I also wouldn’t rule out that parts of it were inspired by things that are actually happening in reality. Did it become a bit too much in a short amount of time, and did it all come together a little too neatly? Yes, but I didn’t really mind.

The main thing I was hoping for was a stronger connection to the characters, their personal motivations, and their backgrounds. This was the part that didn’t quite work for me. I simply didn’t feel connected to them and kept hoping something would click, which sadly never happened. Yes, I got small glimpses into their lives, but the overall interactions weren’t enough to make me instantly fall in love with them. It did give me enough, though, to make me interested in continuing with the next instalment.

🌙 Recension: Fatal Invitation (KC & Orlando Prime series #1) by S.F. Baumgartner
📚 Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
📅 Release Date: December 8, 2025
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 Bought
📆 Pages: 468
⭐️ 3/5