Living Secrets: A Thriller (Mirror Estates Series)

This high octane thriller will keep you guessing as it rockets through pages like Secretariat around the final turn at the Belmont Stakes.

Living Secrets is not only well-written, with engaging and full-bodied, three-dimensional characters, it's also well-organized and structurally sound. Most chapters are short, with smooth-as-silk transitions. The author skillfully ties together all the various relatives, back stories, relationships, agencies, culprits, and romances into a polished plot that glitters and glows with panache and punch. Moreover, as the action shifts between locales and time frames, the narrative also switches POVs. This might be confusing to some readers in the hands of a lesser talent. But Baumgartner pulls it off neatly, clearly noting each shift at the beginning of each chapter so you don't get lost. Gently faith-flavored, the text also takes a subtle look at the decline of religious orders. Bonus content is available as a free download.

Note that you may not want to start Living Secrets late at night. If you do, it'll have you on the edge of your seat into the wee hours! I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting.

The ending leaves you with an "Arrrrg!!!" sense. As in, cliffhanger! So the door is open for another installment. I can't wait!

-Kristine L.

S.F. Baumgartner

Christian suspense thriller author

My name is S.F. (Sylvia) Baumgartner, and I am a Christian suspense thriller author. My love for reading began when I was just a child, nurtured by my parents who bought graphic novels and illustrated classics for me and my three siblings. Little did I know that my early passion for reading would eventually pave the way for a successful writing career. 

AUTHOR S.F. Baumgartner

My first attempt at writing came shortly after high school, but it didn’t lead anywhere at the time. During my college years at the University of Hawaii, I contributed articles to a college club newsletter and had a couple of poems published in an anthology. However, writing took a backseat as I pursued a career in accounting after obtaining my undergraduate degree. 

A decade later, I decided to further my education by earning a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Cincinnati. It was during the darkest days of my life that I made my second attempt at writing a novel. As I later realized, writing that unpublished novel played a crucial role in my healing process. 

Eventually, I decided to leave the business world to focus on my growing family. It wasn’t long before the writing bug bit again. After a few false starts, I published a prequel novella, Buried Secrets, in the Mirror Estate series in June. The first book of the series, Living Secrets, will be available for pre-order in July, with the second book scheduled for release in March 2024. My Christian suspense thrillers draw inspiration from various sources, including crime shows, the internet, and books. My primary goal is to continue writing and make my author business successful. 

The prequel novella of the Mirror Estate series, Buried Secrets, tells the story of a young man who grew up believing he had no living relatives. He later discovers that his deceased mother’s family had ties to organized crime. Accepting his grandmother’s invitation to visit the ancestral estate in Florida, he learns secrets about his parents and the family. 

Living Secrets, the first book in the Mirror Estate Thriller series, tells the story of a secret love child of a U.S. Senator. She is unexpectedly asked to bring an antidote for a biological weapon to her father from Hong Kong, despite not knowing who her father was until now. As the plot unfolds, readers will be drawn into a world of intrigue, suspense, and unexpected twists. 

Before settling in Ohio, I lived in Washington State for a few years, which became the origin of my main character. During a family trip to Orlando, I fell in love with the area and decided to use it as the general setting for the series, incorporating a fictional town. As for the characters themselves, they are born from my vivid imagination. 

My journey from childhood reader to author has been one of passion, resilience, and personal growth. My love for peace and quiet, feline companions, and exercise, as well as my penchant for reading and indulging in crime TV shows when not writing, adds dimension to my life and work. Today, I reside in Ohio with my family, sharing my captivating stories with the world. 

To learn more about me and my gripping Mirror Estate series, visit my website at https://www.SFBaumgartner.com. As I continue to share my imaginative world with readers, my dedication to my craft and my unique blend of suspense and faith-inspired themes will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the literary world.