She Treads Softly: Fatal Invitation

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Fatal Invitation

Fatal Invitation by S F Baumgartner
12/5/25; 339 pages
F.B. Publishing/BooksGoSocial
Kylie Cassidy #1

Fatal Invitation by S F Baumgartner is a highly recommended investigative crime thriller. This is the first book in the new Detective Kylie Cassidy (KC) series, although KC was earlier introduced in the short story Christmas Murders.

Detective Kylie “KC” Cassidy has left the small town police force of Pine Grove to work in the Orlando Major Crimes Unit. When KC is called out to her first murder case by her senior detective partner, Rick Spaulding, she has to handle it on her own until he is done re-certifying at the gun range. The body of a young woman without ID is found in a park and turns out to have a connection to Pine Grove. KC recognizes her as a clerk at the grocery store there.

This case is quickly followed by another similar murder. Commander Frank Travers and the Orlando Prime team steps in because they have several similar cases, but the two departments end up working together to solve the murder cases. It appears the young women were part of an illegal organ harvesting cabal and the clues keep leading back to Assistant State Attorney Gavin Watkins and his elusive ally, Kozlov.

This investigative police procedural moves at an even pace as the clues are logically uncovered and followed up on. The case is interesting and timely, especially with a tie-in to a social media money-making offer/ad and the subject of organ harvesting. Baumgartner is known for writing clean thrillers which focus on the investigations of the cases involved and character development. I'll be looking forward to the next case KC tackles as well as more information about her Aunt Mae.

KC is a likable character and readers will be rooting for her success (and safety). She is developed as a full realized individual with strengths and weaknesses. KC is intelligent, determined and very attuned to clues, both verbal and physical, while investigating. At the same time, she also has to deal with becoming hyper-focused on clues, enough so that it looks like she's spacing out. KC is still in a relationship with FBI agent, Nate Tanner.

Fatal Invitation is a great choice for readers who enjoy procedurals. Thanks to BooksGoSocial for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.