Fatal Pattern by Kate Angelo

Fatal Patter
by Kate Angelo

ISBN-13: 9780800746643
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: September 15, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A stalker attacks forensic psychologist Dr. Tori Crew at knifepoint, shattering the strong independence she's built since her parents' unsolved murder. Forced into an off-the-books criminal investigation, Tori must push her expertise—and her fiercely guarded heart—to the breaking point as a killer's pattern emerges.

Homicide Detective Blade St. James has been Tori's friend and protector since childhood. Haunted by his own past of parental abandonment, Blade is determined to build a stable life and find the peace that always seems just out of reach. But when Tori's life is threatened, his protective instincts shift into overdrive. As they are plunged deep into a conspiracy with roots in her past, the boundary of their friendship blurs as danger closes in and their hearts reveal a truth they can no longer deny. Can they unmask the sophisticated serial killer before they become the final, fatal piece in the pattern?


My Review:
Fatal Pattern is a Christian romantic suspense. It's the second book in the series. Even though this book had different main characters than the first book, I felt like I was missing a lot of information because I hadn't read it. For example, the main criminal of the first book was killed while in prison. I only knew of one criminal in that case (whom Tori and Blade had just interviewed in prison, the interview cut short due to a lockdown). I assumed he was dead until they went to talk with him again! Also, people and the author kept commenting about how Tori and Blade's shared past gave them a close bond but this past wasn't described until near the end. Anyway, I'd recommend reading these books in order.

While there was suspense from repeated attacks by Tori's stalker, the pacing felt slow. The author included a lot of unnecessary details, like a description of every car Blade drove around. When they interviewed a prisoner who knew about the death's of Tori's parents, he talked about how interested he was in fractals. They dismissed his comments as delay tactics. Then Blade saw a fractal painting during another interview (about a murder), and Tori dismissed it as a distraction. After yet another interview where fractals were mentioned, they finally caught on. Basically, it just seemed like they didn't catch on to significant things very quickly.

The main characters were complex, well-developed, and likable. Tori and Blade worked well together since they'd known each other for many years. It took events and some nudges from friends before they realized that they cared about each other romantically and not just as close friends. They also had to work through their childhood traumas as the current events brought up things that started in their pasts. They worked together to interview people, look at crime scenes, and make profiles to solve the current killings and the cold case of her parents' murders. In the process, they peeled back how deep the corruption in the area had gotten (which is an ongoing part of the series).

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting suspense novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.