Celebrate Lit / August 3, 2026

Lethal Design

About the Book Lethal Design

Book: Lethal Design (KC & Orlando Prime Book 2)

Author: S.F. Baumgartner

Genre: Crime Thriller with Christian elements

Release Date: August 4, 2026

Some deaths are designed.

The death looks routine — no foul play, no reason to dig. But KC knows this building and what happened here a year ago. And the pattern spreading across the city is no coincidence.

Professionals with no addiction history are dying along eerily similar paths. Someone patient and invisible is engineering these outcomes. As the Orlando Prime task force chases separate leads across the city, the threads begin pointing to the same dark center.

The closer they get, the more dangerous the truth becomes. Some designs were never meant to be uncovered — and the cost of exposing this one may be more than any of them are prepared to pay.

Perfect for fans of Terri Blackstock and Lynette Eason who love fast-paced, clean crime thrillers with the intensity of Criminal Minds and the grit of NCIS.

**Follow Kylie “KC” Cassidy and the Orlando Prime task force as they take on the cases no one else can crack, starting with Lethal Design.**

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts on Lethal Design

Lethal Design is book two in an intense, suspenseful, fast-moving series that you don’t want to miss a single bit of!

Let’s get some facts straight. We meet the main character, KC, in the Mirror Estate series. You need to read that series first. There are lots of characters in this series that cross over into that series, and since the Mirror Estate series was written first, that’s the one you need to read first, then read the first book in this series. You’ll thank me. Go on. Get reading!

Okay.

Now you’ve read the Mirror Estate series and book one in this series. Now you’re ready to continue and read Lethal Design. It’s the second book following KC in her new major crimes division occupation. She’s moving up. And she’s learning. She’s got quite the brain in her head, and if you give her the time, she’ll solve all the cases!

I loved this mystery. It’s suspenseful. There are some great characters. And it’s like a web. All the different characters are working different cases, but they keep pulling some of the same strings. Plus we have a bit of the case from the last book following over into this one.

Let’s just say I’m hooked. I will be reading all the books within this series. Okay, let’s be super honest. I’ll be reading any book by this author.

Let’s meet some characters.

Obviously I’ve told you about KC. Her boyfriend is Tanner, who is in a special task force. You see a lot more of him in the Mirror Estate Series.

KC has a partner, Spaulding. You see him throughout this novel as well as the first. Thoroughly enjoy what he has to add to the novel.

Commander Frank Travers. He’s a focal character. He’s in charge of his own task force, which is different from the one Tanner is on. Don’t let it confuse you. Anyway, his wife was murdered prior to this book. And he’s never had answers. Quietly, he asks KC to look into it because his hands are tied. He personally cannot be investigating her death. Oh, and now he’s getting threats.

And did I mention there’s a rash of suicides that aren’t really suicides? Oh, and the string of opioid deaths too. Several cases. Different teams and strings, but in the end, are they all connected?

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of Lethal Design

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 the Mirror Estate series—won a 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.

Lethal Design, Book 2 in the KC & Orlando Prime series, shifts the spotlight in a powerful way. While Fatal Invitation centered on Detective Kylie Cassidy, this instalment dives deep into the elite Prime Task Force, especially its leader, Commander Frank Travers.

A year ago, Travers lost his wife to a brutal, unsolved murder. The case went cold. The killer vanished. But in Lethal Design, that past refuses to stay buried.

As KC and the Prime team investigate a new wave of suspicious deaths, threads begin to surface, threads that may finally lead Travers to the truth he’s been chasing. And this time, it’s personal.

What makes this story especially layered is how it connects back to the larger conspiracy introduced in Stolen Secrets. Pieces are moving. Secrets are colliding. And everything must align as the story builds toward a confrontation that’s been a long time coming.

Expect high-stakes action, tight investigative work, and emotional tension as justice and revenge blur into something far more dangerous.

Because when Travers comes face-to-face with his wife’s killer… there’s no guarantee he walks away.

And KC may be the only one who can keep him from crossing a line he can’t come back from.